New-York tribune., 1872-04-25
THE CITYS PROFIT AND LOSS.

A bill is passing through tne LeSlSiaJuIc'
directing the payment from our City's treasury
Of $4,000 or such matter to the lawyers
employed in prosecuting the Tammany Ring
and its satellites for their gigantic pecuations.
This is as it should be, except that Our City
should be able (sho doubtless is wiling to
do this act of justice without permission or
impulsion from Albany. Again, we hear that
$1,000 has been voted out of our City treasury
into the pocket of the clerk who purvcyed
from the Controllers Office the Ring payments
of which The Times had the exclusive control
and benefit. 1t strikes us that other newspaper
establishments ought not to be taxed for such
a purpose, when one only had monopoly OF
the resulting benefits We would have paid
handsomely for permission to publish those
accounts simultaneously with their first appear
ancc elsewhere: why should we be taxed for
a rivals unfair advantage
is the City to pay out continually and get
nothing back 7 We heard, months ago, that
one of those implicated by the exposures in
question had made over a large amount OF
property to q leading member Of the Com
mitlee of Seventy, to be 8ppled to the salts
faction of any just claim that the City might
have against him; and, though we have not
heard of any payment into the treasury on
that account, we trust that whatever may be
honestly due will be forthcoming.
But is that alli A good many appear to
have profted by the Ring robbcrics; some OF
them, but we judge not all under circum
stances that expose them to prosecution as
felons. Might not the yawning chasm in the
City treasury be somewhat narrowed by per-
suadng the less culpable beneiiciaries Of the
Ring to disgorgc7 We are threatened with
higher rate of taxation this year than we
staggered under in the agony of our great
struggle; might not this be mitigated by re-
carnations from some Of those who have been
enriched at the City's expense under circum-
stances that do not expose them to criminal
prosecution
Mr.. Daniel Devln, for instance. was Cham
berlain throughout our Civil War when, be
clusc OF the payment Of soldiers bOunties and
other unusual Outgoes, the City's deposits were
exceptionally large; and the interest on those
deposits must have amounted to hundreds of
thousands Of dollars. Mr.. Deylin is since
dead, but his estate is good for the full
amount. He was succeeded in Office by Peter
b. Sweeny, and he by John j. Bradley, and
he by John j. Palmer, each Of whom has re-
gardcd and treated that interest az rightfully
accruing to the City, and has paid it in accord
ngly. We cannot doubt that this is correct.
If so. has not the City just claim on Dey-
ln's estate for interest received by him on
her moneys? If not why not9 And if yea,
why should not the City reclaim what is right
fully her ownl
This is but sample. There must be Mil
lions in al which properly belong to the City
now in the possession of persons who cannot
be prosecuted as felons Why should not
earnest and powerful efforts be made to re-
cover as much as possible of this, and
apply it to the heavy deficit in the current
years income before subjectng our City to an
annual tax Of nearly OF quite three per cent