New-York tribune., 1872-03-27

a rc.o,ut;or offered by Mayor Hall. inStrnchne
.Iames Watson to collect and audit all inc
b;lls with the cooperation OF William NJ.
Trroed a "simply ministerial act" which cost
the county S6,312,541. Thus 1t appeared that
all Mayor Halls explanations and excuses
were not merely inadequate. but untrue. lie
told us that the sensational accounts had been
nub]isbed before, and that was not true; he
told us that they would be published again In
a few DAYS, and that was not true; he told us
that they were garblcd and misleading, and
that was not true; he told us that no ana
Connolly were without any responsibility 1or
the payments and that was not true; no tolu
us that Connolly was responsible and the
Mayor was not, and that was not true; ne
told us that the claims had been audited by
the Board of Supervisors, and that was not
true; he told us that he was Obliged, In his
ministerial capacity, to sign all these warrants
without disputing the amount and that was
not true.
The Mayors behavior under the proceed
ings taken against him in the courts has not
satisfied q skeptical world of his innocence
1t was an exhilarating spectacle, no DOUBT
when he rode out to Yorkville, and, with
high strung speech to Justice Bixby, gave
bail to answer in the Copeland suit and 1t
was perhaps satisfaction to his mind to be
cbeered by the loungers when he mounted
his horse and cantered gallantly away. But
we cannot say that the performance materi.
ally improved his reputation, nor has he sue
ceeded any better in the criminal trial which
has Just been so unfortunately checked before
Judge DAILY After it had been arranged, last
| month, that the trial must be postponed
| few days, on account of Judge Days other
| engagements, Mr.. Hall went into the Court OF
| General Sessions, and loudly demanded to be
| tried instantly and on the spot. " am here"
he said, "simply to vindicate my official in
81 tegrity in this one instance. 1t is case that
"ought TO be tried in an hour or two on tho
l." part of the people" And when the
case was nevertheless set down for the
day previously agreed upon, he exclaimed,
"Next Monday. if my deadliest enemy is on
that bench, will go before him." Well, we
know what the Mayors counsel did when the
case at last came on. They fought it with
every technical plea that the ingenuity OF three
or four astute lawyers could suggest. They
| objected to every question propounded to the
| witnesses They resisted all attempts to intro
duce evidence; and so far from undertaking
to "vindicate' anybody, their efforts were ex-
pended in the suppression of inquiry. Garvey 8
testimony alone would no doubt have vindica-
ted the Mayor if he is really innocent, but the
defense spent nearly the whole of two days in
| trying to keep it out, and when the trial was
suspended by the death of juror, the burden
of Garvey's tale was still untold.
Mr.. Hall, by his own virtual confession, has
been guilty-we do not say of theft for we
have no proof that he stole anything-but of a
criminal faithessness to his public trusts. and
we make the same request of him which he
made last September of Controller Connolly :
Your constituents will have a right to hold
"you responsible The exigency requires your
retirement from the head of the Executive
| " Department."