Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-04-29
From the Reading Times and Dispatch.
Fraudulent Newspaper Claims.
The WAY LEADING +" NEwsPAP ERs KEEI
THEIR MACHINERY CREASED.

THEIR MACHINERY CREASED.
The judiciary Committee Of the New York |
Legislature has been engaged for the past few
DAYS in an examination of the newspaper
claim bill, and rich developments are a natur-
al result of the investigation. 1t will be re-
membered that under the infamous Tamma-
ny Ring the expenses Of the City government
were over $50 ,OOO. 900 per year, and that they
| held the power in the city several years lon
ger than they otherwise would by the support
Of large number Of city papers
In the summer Of 1871, when the frauds Of
the Ring were clearly exposed, the same pa
pers refused to publish any Of the exposures,
/ or to comment on the same, except to deny or
| excuse them. But for the Independent course
OF the New York Times, which exposed the
corruption AMI extravagance Of the ring, the
Tammanyites might have been In full power
and the city debt $50 ,OOO, 900 more than 1t is.
On their overthrow 1t was discovered that
they had been incurrinR legally and Illegally
for the the last five years of their reign liabil-
tiles to the extent Of over 81, 600, 900 year for
city and county advertising, having In their
pay in the city Of New York, twenty-six daily
newspapers, making eighty in all. This adj
vertlslng was at the rate Of more than 81 pei
head per year, for every man, woman and
child in the city.
q Most of these bills were increased without
any legal authority, hence the papers cOul(
i collect nothing, and knew they could not, mn
i less the Ring chose to pay them. Here wa
5 the secret Of their power over them. Man!
a Of these journals had no legitimate busineS
q or circulation, and were entirely dependen
p upon the city treasury for their support!
% When the Reform Government came int
q power, Jan. l, 1872 these leeches were cut O
lss from the treasury, and terrible mortality .
ID once occurred among them. Twsnty-seve
~ journals died. They had drawn from tn
20 20 City treasury in the preceding five years 81
- = $50, 900, though the gross amount of their CT
=, culation was not as much as that Of one repU
- table journal. Tho new Controller was owe
whelmed with the bills for Ring advertising
be which dropped in like the leaves in an Oct'
~ Der forest. A curs0ry examination OF thei
r. showed the utter rlegality OF most Of them.
7, To prevent their rejection the claimants wei
on to Albany and begged for q special Board
10. Audit that might, like Tweed's celebrate
'Ss board, audit and pay, in short metre, rOuI
50, ,0O0, 900, without scrutiniEing the bills. Th
got their Board Of Audit, but 1t had three no
=, est men in it. The law passed the 25th
", April, the board received it early in May, al
- before the middle Of the month they had
IIss ganized. They secured the services Of JOl
- A. Gray and Mr.. Bowen, two practical pr
~ ters, of forty years experience, in cOnnecti
On with she publication and printing Of newsI
ons perj and magazines.
ons Every newspaper was required to prodU
aw- It's files containing the advertisements
,ist. which payment was claimed and to prOdI
On its authority for inserting them. Every adv
anti tisement was measured, the number Of ins
tiOns counted, aud the type reduced to
size called for by she authority to advertise
This examination took months Of time.
rates and amounts charged for in the lead
u ~ papers were found to be nearly correct.
,sa In the case of the HeyGId's bill, II was fol-
|, IN that Mayer Hall, had requested his 400 pt
mr. message and accompanying documents g
~ published in the news columns, and the 4
Patc aid rendered its regular bill for such publ
Snb. ton. But as the Mayor had no authority
trnN n1Na ak knf NNn
Co, AC wv al4 =. OOSi y. ~
this amount aud liquidate the bill at the Us
advertising rates OF 81 per line. This sn
claim is the only matter In difference betW
- that paper ard the city.
,oN The Tribune rendered q bill of $14 900 n
l. than was 10 to 1t, as by some carelessnes
or Is their accountants that amount Of bills, WI
ware had already been paid, appeared In I
ford, statement OF Claim. 0n being shown I
,rsey receipts at the time Of payment, they at {
hich deducted this amount from their bill, and
ainst balance, some SIC, 900, was allowed and p
st on The bill OF the San was made up 80 cart
Oyed Iy that out of over SIS, 900 deduction OF
did $3.50 was made, and that was for matter
ourt had been ordered to be published without
d al, per authority.
,e eff In the Times bill of over R23, 900 it
found that one item Of o2,400 was for al
I ipr veFtlsement inserted by the State DepartI
road without legal authority, and this was dsd
not ed. A b0Ok-keeper's error OF " 800, ~
'efln- was at once corrected, also appeared, and
ment 81 200 which was to be paid by special
{ the Tba Ga,n nr,sresaI 1desyfissr has great
Is Ior Guilty in getting up its accounts. 1t first
tnat sented a claim for $50, 900, and then add
81 il enough to make il over $50, 600, but on
{" Vi amIning the Controllers books il was di
,n,oh cred that numerous items, amounting to
road than $50, 900, had already been paid