The New York herald., 1873-10-09

The citizens of New York will be startled
to-day by the disclosure of the proAigacy. to
call it by no harsher name, with which the
public money has been expended by Comp
troller Green for lobby services rendered to
the Comptroller during the last session of the
State Legislature. The unearthing OF the
bills which we publish this morning calls to
mind the exposure OF the secrets of the old
Tammany Ring two years ago. Under
Tweed and Connolly the squandering Of the
peoples money without the warrant Of law
and the payment of counsel ''for services in
regard to legislation at the extravagant rate
of one hundred dollars day, and from nine
to twelve dollars day additional for ''ex-
penses," were classified under very expressive
heads. We see no reason why they should
not be similarly designated when occurring
under the financial management of Comp
troller Green.
The bills dug up out Of the recesses Of the
Finance Department are those of ''reform"
lawyer OF this city, who appears, according to
his own statement, to have been engaged by
MIR. Green to render ''services in regard to
legislation" at Albany at the modest rate Of
one hundred dollars day and expenses. This
fortunate counsel has drawn out of the city
treasury, for seventy-four days alleged services
the sum of $7,944 rs. The first two amounts
paid to him by Mr.. Green Give hundred dol
lars each) we take to be for ten days. work.
although the dates are not specified in the
bills, and one Of them is not sworn to as re-
quired by law. In the other items the days
on which the services were performed are
specified, and we are thus enabled to fix them
definitely. We find that for March 10, 20, 21
and % the counsel was paid by MIR. Green out
OF the peoples money s448 so, or fee Of one
hundred dollars day and little over twelve
dollars day for board at an Albany hotel
From March "a up to and including May 81
his services" were paid for every day excepting
Sundays, or sixty days. at the rate of one
hundred dollars day and an average Of nine
dollars o day for expenses.
1t is immaterial whether the lobby or legal
services Of the reform counsel employed by
Mr.. Green are worth one hundred dollars or
one hundred cents o day. If Mr.. Green
valued them at the higher rate he was per-
AOSuy az AiDSAoy w Olis5aSS oiiCu, plONiuCo Ao
paid them out Of his own pocket. He might
have retained the whole Albany lobby at his
own expense, to keep himself in Office, to
increase his own powers, and to defeat such
legislation as might be desired by coordinate
departments of the city government to which
he is unfriendly, and no person would have o
right to complain. But by what authority did
| he ba af,,11 ayarhi{opt
expenses for ''services in regard to legisla-
ton out of the money of the people Of New
York? Who constituted him the lobby
guardian Of the peoples interests? He had
no legal right to pay out single dollar Of the
public money for any such purpose. In so
doing he has followed the practice of the Tam
many conspirators who were condemned for
nothing more severely than for their unscru-
pulous squandering of the public money for
services rendered at the State capital.
In the auditing and payment of these lobby
service charges Mr.. Green has shown re-
markable absence of the official preciseness
and watchdog vigilance he exercises over the
payrolls of laborers and scrub women. There
is a. .looseness, rs we'll as liberality, in his
action in regard to the accounts Of his special
counsel which is as novel as it is significant
One of the bills thus paid bears no affidavit
as imperatively required by law. Then the
one hundred dollar fee for 'sservices in regard
to legislation and the accompanying ''ex-
penses" have been paid every day, Sundays
excepted, during period of over two months,
although it is notorious and was well known to
Mr. Green that the Legislature was not in
session at all for many days between March "a
and May 81 The Comptroller recently at
tempted to deprive poor scrub woman Of her
wages, probably amounting to ten shillings
day, because she had not, as he alleged, per-
formed all the services for which she charged.
1t did not occur to him to cut down the bill
for ''services in legislation" at over one hun
dred dollars day for days when no Legisla-
ture was in session and no Services could
have been performed.
A committee of the Reform Association,
headed by Mr. John Foley, waited on Mayor
Havemeyer yesterday to lay before him these
remarkable accounts, as we'll as other alleged
improper official acts on the part of the Comp
troller, and to demand the removal Of that
officer As the Mayor has promised to give
the subject his attention, we place before him
for his consideration certain points bearing
upon the case.
The services in legislation rendered by
Mr. Green special counsel included twenty
seven days in May, while the present charter
was in force.
In article G. section &c, Of the charter it is
provided as follows:-
No ofilcer or department, except rs herein other
wise provided shall have or employ any attorney
or counsel but IL shall be the duty OF the Law De-
partment to furnish to every department and
officer such advice and legal assistance counsel
or attorney In or ont OF court, as may be required