The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-14
Struggle for Reform In our city
Expenditures.

A Struggle for Reform In our City
Expenditures.
The taxpayers of New York will thank
Messrs. Vance and Wheeler for the firm stand
they have taken in the Board of Apportion-
ment in favor of full public exhibit OF the
expense of governing the city, with view to
compelling proper economy in all the NUM-
cipal departments, and affording the people
an opportunity to discover how their money is
expended. For nearly three years nothing has
been known of the financial condition of the
city, or Of the manner in which the finance
department is managed, except SO tar as Mr.
Green has chosen to give information, not
always of reliable character We know that
the city debt has increased in that period
more than forty million dollars, for we are
paying three million dollars more for interest
now than we paid in 1871; but we receive
nothing in explanation of this increase from
the Comptroller except deceptive e1plana-
tons and confused and intricate calcula-
tons. 1t is notorious that one of the
main causes of the increase has been the
ruinous policy of forcing all public credit
ors who do not find favor with the
Finance Department into vexatious litigation;
yet, in spite Of Legislative requests for infor-
nation, no person outside of Mr.. Green's
Office knows to-day how much of our in
creased indebtedness has been due to legal
costs and unnecessary interest on contested
claims. 1t is notorious that we have liabil-
ties in the shape of unsatisfed claims to the
amount of millions. some of which may be
fraudulent, but most of which are collectable;
yet the Comptroller refuses all information as
to the extent of this floating debt and has
never suffered the people to know of its ex-
istence. When an annual budget has hitherto
been made Mr.. Green has dictated to the
Board of Apportionment what to do, and it
has been done. Thus it has happened that
departments of the city government and
public officers distasteful to Mr.. Green have
been grudgingly doled out appropriations in
sufficient tor the proper discharge of their
duties, at the sacrifice Of important public
interests, while money has been recklessly
lavish d on departments in which Mr.
Green's ''incompetent friends find an
asylum at the public cost. Bills
VIGOROUSLY fraudulent, and exorbitant have
been paid by the Finance Department for
friendly commissioners, while scrubwomen
and laborers have been kept out of their
wages. The Comptroller's Office, run at an
expense largely in excess of the most cor
rupt days of the Tammany rule, has been an
asylum for lobby lawyers and needy Bo-
hemians who, in the capacity Of spies and
detectives feed at the public crib. The per-
nicious practice Of allowing Mr.. Green to
run the city government at his will and in
secret manner, has occasioned all our present
evils. We have criminal extravaganza where
economy should prevail, a parsimonious
Gripping of our public works where iber-
atty would be the best economy and scan
dalous discord and inefficiency throughout
the whole city government
Messrs. Vance and Wheeler have resolved
A law was passed by the last Legislature au-
thorizng the Board of Apportionment to re-
open and revise the annual estimate for the
purpose of cutting down the heavy expense
of governing the city wherever it was practi-
cable to do SO, and thus decreasing the enor-
nous rate of taxation. As members of the
Board of Apportionment Messrs. Vance and
Wheeler consider it their duty to scrutinize
every item of expenditure in every depart
ment, in order to ascertain where saving can
be made. Mr.. Green desires to keep all in
formation from them and to compel them to
vote just such appropriations to each de-
partment as he may dictate. In his own
loosely managed, inefficient and extrava-
CANT department he impertinently refuses
to make any revised estimate, and
contents himself with adding a small
amount to his old salary list and telling his
associates on the Board that this is the sum
he requires. He demands twenty thousand
dollars for experts and detectives and with
holds the names of his amateur force and the
amounts paid for their questionable services
But he now finds that the Board Of Appor-
tiOnment will not any longer take the respon-
sibility of voting away the peoples money
without public statement Of the manner in
which it is to be expended Mr.. Green OBJ
jects to furnishing the taxpayers with the in
formation. It does not suit him to lay open
the management of the Park Department,
which he runs, or Of the Finance Department,
which he is paid for running. Messrs. Vance
and Wheeler refuse to vote an appropriation
until all the departments are laid open to the
eyes of the people in the light of day. Hence
there is deadlock" in the Board of Appor-
tionment.
If the present estimate should not be cut
down at all, and the rate of taxation should
remain as it was prior to the passage of the
reopening law, Mr.. Green will alone be re-
sponsible. Secrecy is not consistent with
honesty. Mr. Green is voting awav the peo-