The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-19
The Temporary Govern ,uf of New York.
Monsieur T0nsOu Como Again.

The Temporary Govern ut of New York.
Monsieur Tonson Como Again.
The struggle now going on in the State Capt.
tai for the temporary control of the government
of New York, from the present time up to
the first Of May next, may appear to be of
little interest to the people of the city but the
earnestness with which the politicians enter
into it shows how much Importance they attach
to the result 1t is desirable that the citizens of
New York and the members of the Legislature
from the rural districts should learn the real
meaning Of the movements now going on, in
order that the former may know exactly in
what direction they are drifting, and that the
latter may be enabled to vote Understandings
on the questions that are coming before them.
The present fight at Albany goes beyond the
mere temporary enjoyment of power in the
city government; it reaches to the control Of
the next charter election through the weight
of the municipal patronage and funds. Who
ever can hold in his grasp the various city
departments will be enabled it is believed,
to make such combinations and to
WELD such influence as to give him and his
friends great advantage in the charter cam
paign. There can be no other explain alton of
the efforts now being made in Albany to drive
through the Legislature unnecessary laws
making complete revolutions in the New York
city and county government, that shall last
only for three or four months, or just beyond
the time when it is expected the new charter
will come into operation and an election will
be held under its provisions.
Comptroller Green is at the head of the
Finance Department, to which position he was
appointed by Mayor Hall. Both before his
appointment as Acting Comptroller and sub
sequently he has discharged his duties faith
fully and won the approval of his fellow
citizens. BY virtue Of his Office he holds
check upon all the public expenditures, and
can resist the payment of any improper or
fraudulent accounts against the city or
county. He now asks the Legislature to
increase his power to an unlimited extent
to invest him with supreme executive and
judicial authority and to make him,
in fact, an autocrat over every city depart
ment and every city and county office.
If the people of New York desire that he
should have such power, and if the Legislature
choose to give it to him, let it be done openly
and above board, and not by indirect means.
Two bills have been reported in the Senate
one placing in the Comp.roer's hands
supreme power over all street openings,
gradngs, paving, sewering and every descrip-
ton of public improvements, and making his
certificate the sole and exclusive evidence of
all amounts due for any work that may be
done on the streets, avenues and public places
Of the city. This bill is probably the most
extreme in its provisions of any ever intro
duced into the State Legislature. The other
bill reported by the committee is called by it's
title SAN act regarding the superintendent of
appropriations and the auditing and payment
of certain claims in the city and county of New
York" In it's provisions it creates seeming
temporary Board of Audit and Apportionment,
consisting of the Comptroller, the President of
the Board of Public Works and the President
of the Park Commission but, as it requires
that their action shall be concurrent or unani-
nous on any claim or apportionment, it in
truth places the whole power as much in the
hands of the Comptroller as if his name stood
alone in the bill. Practically such an act
might become dead letter in case of any con-
fict of views between the members of the
Board. 1t should In this respect be amended
by substituting the President of the Board of
Aldermen for the President of the Park Com
mission and making the voice of the major
ity rule. The Board is to have the power to
make appropriations for the various city de-
partments, and, as Mr.. Green is a Commits
sioner of Parks as well as Comptroller, that
Department would have two representatives
on the Board of Apportionment as the bill is
now drawn. 1t is desirable that this should be
avoided, and it is also desirable, If not impera-
tive, that the Board of Aldermen, an elective
body and the legislative branch of the munich
pal government, should be represented on
Board of Audit and Apportionment.
The third section of the bill goes outside the
title, and, although it seeks to accomplish its
purpose in an indirect manner, 1t actually re-
wives Comptroller Green's original proposition
to enable him to practically abolish or create
any department or Office in the city of New
York, by Withholding or giving his written con-
sent to the payment Of its expenses or salary.
All payments for work done, services per-
formed, supplies and materials furnished for
the city or county, are, under this clause, to
be made ''in all cases in which the said Comp
troller shall so order in writing" If the
COMPTROLLER should desire to ''order in writ
ing" the payment of the expenses or the salary
of new bureau or Office between the time of
the passage of the bill and the first day of
May next, he has the power to do so. Should
he wish to abolish any existing bureau or
office he can do so by withholding such