The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-29

scarcely be said that the figures are fictitious
and deceptive. The question was as to the
salaries paid in the Finance Department
at the present time. The expenses of
the department in 1871, as given by
Mr.. Green, are made up of items outside the
salaries which, if now included in Mr.. Green's
estimate, would produce very different
result
In opposing the proposed reduction in the
Park expenditures and the motion to pay all
salaries of employees, except laborers out of
taxation account and not from the proceeds
of bonds, Mr.. Green quoted the practice pur-
sued in the Department of Public Works
of paying salaries of employees in street i'm
provements out of bonds, and not out of taxa
ton. The argument is too shallow to de-
ceive any person. In the case of street inn
provements the bonds issued are assessment
bonds and are paid by the property owners In
interest 1t the employees were not paid out
of the proceeds of those bonds the expense
would be included in the taxes and would fall
upon the whole city instead of on the. prop
erty owners. In the construction account of
Central Park the bonds become a pro-
ton of the public debt. The practice
of paying out of these construction bonds
portion of the salaries of officers of the de-
partment, architects, engineers, paymasters,
clerks, &c.-is, as Mr.. Vance says, of doubt
full legality and vicious in practice. If such
salaries are paid by taxation the people know
their amount Paid, as they are, out of the
IL, 6 Loc Il, 1xn,
secret of the department. and no person
outside knows anything about them. Mr..
Green, while Park Commissioner, drew
salary and extra allowances averaging over
ten or eleven thousand dollars a year for some
twelve years out of these construction bonds,
and the fact of the 'grab' was unknown to
the people until quite recently. This is suffi-
Gent to prove the evil of the practice Mr..
Vance has vainly endeavored to bring to
close.
The obstructive course of Mr.. Green and
his Mayor renders it likely that the new
budget will fail altogether If so, the respon-
sibility for the high taxation will rest on those
two members of the Board Of Apportionment.
Cheat the Law.
1t is proverbial among jailers that guilty
person is seldom found in felon's cell.
Many Of the gentlemen under temporary re-
straint admit that they may have done some
thing technically at variance with the re-
quirements of the law, but large majority Of
them are prepared to prove to you their inno-
cence in so positive and satisfactory q manner
that it is marvel how court and jury could
have been SO ignorant, SO prejudiced or so
unjust as to place any restriction on their
liberty. The Police Commissioners who were
last week convicted, after a fair trial, Of o
misdemeanor in violating the Election law
they were sworn faithfully to administer are
no exception to the rule. Having been de-
clared guilty by jury and sentenced by the
Court-too leniently, as many people think
they hasten to assure Mayor Havemeyer Of
their entire innocence and Of the virgin purity
Of their official lives.
No conviction ever had in court Of justice
was more just than that which stripped these
Police Commissioners Of their offices as q pen
atty of violated law. The Election law is
designed to protect the purity of the ballot
box, and is carefully framed to guard the
rights of minorties. Its main object is to
keep the inspectors of election non-partisan
by dividing the inspectors and poll clerks
equally between the two great political parties
of the State. In order that this may be hon.
estly and fairly done the law provides that the
appointments shall be made before the end of
| September, and authorizes the demo-
cratic members Of the Police Board
to name the democrats for appointment
and the republican Commissioners to select
the republican. In order to guard against any
trckery or fraud by political majority of the
Board of Police Commissioners it is posi-
lively required that except on the actual day
OF registration or election no inspector, after
having qualified and been sworn in, shall be
removed except for cause, and then not until
he shall have been served with O notice of the
intention to remove setting forth the reasons
therefor, and been allowed an opportunity to
be heard. The two convicted Police Commits
ors in accordance with it's provisions, and
/ within few days of election removed such
I as they desired to remove without giving
them the required notice, and appointed such
inspectors as they desired to appoint in their
places. The act was as dangerous and repre-
hensible as ballot box stufing. If permitted
to go UNPUBLISHED there would be nothing to
prevent a Wholesale removal of inspectors on
the eve of an election and the appointment Of
the tools of a corrupt Police commission to
take entire control of the ballot boxes.
The Police Commissioners have no more
right to resign than convict sentenced to the
State Prison has to demand that his cell door be
opened and that he be allowed to go free. The
| convict has forfeited his liberty MS the Denoltv