The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-05


state senate.
The bill TO confer extraordinary powers on
Comptroller Green, the main provisions OF
which were published in yesterdays HERALD,
will be found in full 10 our columns to-day,
torether with the debate and action OF the
State Senate thereon. II is certainly most
extraordinary measure, and the Senate acted
wisely in taking time for its full consideration.
There is no doubt that some speedy legisla-
ton is needed to meet and remove the financial
endorsements under which the municipal
government is at present laboring, but we
must not forget that before now extraordinary
exigencies have been made the excuse for the
enactment of ill-oonsidered and bad laws, and
the experience of the past should not be
unheeded while we are yet suffering from its
evil effects. Certain bonds Of the city and
interest fall due between this time and the
LIST of May next, and must be paid in order
to protect the credit of the city. 1t is
said that there is at present no legal
power or authority under which the
amounts necessary for such payments
if this be the fact-although it would
seem that the general powers of the ComptrOl-
Ter and Mayor ought to be sufficient to meet
the exigency-it would be wise to make pro-
vision for the issuing Of new bonds for the
purpose. This, however, seems to us to be
the only Immediately pressing necessity, and
it is covered by the fifth section OF the pro-
posed bill. There are arrears of salaries,
rents contracts, supplies, &C., yet to be set
tied and there are the current expenses of the
city government between now and the 1st of
May to be provided for; but the former can
be suffered to lie over few weeks longer with
out any extraordinary additional hardship,
and the latter can be easily supplied
by temporary loan. We must not forget the
liberal offers of support rendered to Mr.. Green
by members of the Committee of Seventy and
other reformers when he first assumed the
surely this aid would not be denied him now,
when permanent release from all our embar-
easements is so near at hard
Under these circumstances we fail to see
the necessity of making the Comptroller for
four month"; an autocrat in the city; of
placing in his hands absolute power
over the expenditures of every city
department; of giving him authority to
create and abolish officers end departments
at his will, of leaving him the sole power to
decide whether permanent improvements shall
be continued or abandoned, and of comforting
upon him precisely the same authority as was
ormerly conferred upon the famous tenn
porary Board of Audit to settle claims against
the city to the amount of four and half mil
lion dollars. Yet these are precisely the pro-
by Mr.. Benedict; aud 1t Is no recon-
mendation of the measure that lis real
objects are reached in an indirect
manner. A single instance will illustrate our
meaning. The first section provides that ''no
Office the salary of which is payable by said
city and county (of New York; shall be con-
tinued or created in said city or county during
the period aforesaid Qour months) unless an
appropriation therefor be made in accordance
| with this act'-that is by the Comptroller
himself. Under this clause the Comptroller is
actually empowered to create any new Office,
or, by withholding the appropriation, to dis
continue any existing Office in the city
or county Of New York. The bill
might have been made to read
''The Comptroller is hereby authorized and
empowered to create any new Office in the
city Or county of New York and fix the salary
thereof, and to discontinue and abolish any
office in said city or county at his discretion. y
The meaning of the bill would then have been
apparent on its face.
There can be no necessity now for any sud-
den and violent experiments in our city gov
eminent. There is no longer any danger of a
wanton or corrupt expenditure of the
peoples money. The several departments
are in the hands of honest men,
and Comptroller Green holds the keys of the
| public treasury. The Department of Public
Works, one of the most important In the city,
is under the control Of George Van Mort
whose competency and integrity are not ques
toned. The public parks are in the charge
Of prudent and honorable men. Mr.. Green il
himself at the head of the Finance Depart
ment The people are quite satisfied to leave
the affairs of the municipal government in thu
hands Of those who now control then
until some definite reconstruction of tn,
city charter can be made. 1t would b,
Of very questionable expediency at any tim,
to place In one officers hands 80 vas
and unrestricted power as is asked for by
Comptroller Green. 1t is especially inexpedi
ent now, when we are on the eve of com
plete reorganization of the city government
and when 1T may soon become necessary Il
appeal TO the popular vote on the question o
our next municnal rnlers We how