New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-04-22
MR.. MURPHY,S NEXT MOVE.


charter and the substitution of one which
curtais the civil powers of the new King
Gf, indeed, it does not make Ring impossl-
ble), Mr.. Murphy goes to Albany breathing
threats of vengeance. 1t is rumored that the
cohesive power of the Federal patronage in
tho State is to be tested, and that
Senator Conkling, with whip and lash,
is coming to drive the refractory Repub-
leans into the CustOm-house ranks once
more. The threats are idle; the de-
feat Of the Ring is too overwhelming
to be retrieved by single blow, and the
character of its leader too disreputable to
admit of his ever rallying the broken forces.
1t il no secret here what the Ring is dissat-
isfied at, and what power it now seeks to re-
cover by few amendments Of the Charter.
Lest, however, the Legislature may not per-
ceive what is aimed at, we may explain that
Mr.. Murphy and Mr.. Van Mort, having failed
to capture the treasury entirely, are now
seeking to obtain control Of the finances of
the one department in the disposal OF the
patronage of which the Ring ~ absolute, but
of whose finances it has only indirect control.
1t is with the clause of the new Charter
which restraints the Department of Public
Works in its expenditures that Mr.. Murphy
and Mr.. Van Mort are most dissatisfied.
Under the present Charter, Mr.. Van Mort is
a member of the Board of Apportionment ).
but if the new one becomes law in its pres
ent shape he will no longer have authority to
say to what departments and in what amounts
the public funds shall go. Section 112 names
the Mayor, Controller, President of the De-
e and hcan am
the President of the Board OF Aldermen as
the new Board of Estimate and AppOrtion-
ment With q President of the Department
of Taxes of the same character as Mayor
Havemeyer and Controller Green, wasteful
expenditure of the public money would be I'M
possible; President Vance would be the only
representative of the Ring in the Board which
is to supervise all expenditures, and he, even
if he could then be counted on to represent
the Ring. would be powerless.
Against such restrictions as this 1t IS natu-
raj such managers as Mr.. Van Mort and MIR.
Murphy should rebel. We hope it is not neces-
sary again to show the Legislature that
public interests require that such restrictions
should DO established against such men as
Mr.. Murphy and those whom he leads. lie
has the patronage of Mr.. Van Norris depart
ment, which Of course he will misapply. 10
give him, even indirectly, voice in the ex-
pendltures of so extensive department is
simply to put premium on corruption. AS
it is, he will devise some means to make the
power he has yield him profit. AS an illustra-
ton of Murphy's ingenuity in this way, Mayor
Havemeyer lately called attention to the
method employed in increasing his awards III
the Madison-ave. extension, the frauds OF
which we had previously exposed by fac Simite
prescriptions from the Ring books. 1t was
shown by them that after the surveys of this
avenue were completed and small awards made
to unknown owners" Murphy. as partner of
Tweed and Connolly, bought up about score
or so of lots of these unknown or rather I'M
named owners, and had the awards increased
in each instance. Here are two transcrptions
from the books showing tho method OF this
fraud in which Murphy was engaged with the
Ring, represented in this instance by Walter
Roche, whose initials verify the entries in the
book reproduced as they stand: