The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-05
Mayor wickham'. Message.

Mayor Wickham's Message.
The keynote of this clear, business-like doc
ument is strenuous assertion of the right
of the city to the perfect control of its local
government, claiming for the Common Coun-
Gil, now reduced to single branch, full
powers of municipal legislation. Meanwhile
he calls on the Common Council to exercise
such authority as the charter gives it. which
is adequate, as he thinks, for establishing
great improvements in the city government
He recognizes ''the present general dissatis-
faction with the management of the depart
ments," and asks the Common Council ito
enact such provisions as may enable the Mayor
to require, and, if need be, compel from the
several heads of departments such an admin
istration Of the affairs of the city committed
to their charge as will lead to greater efficiency
and reduction Of expense" We infer
that Mayor Wickham, if properly sup
ported by the Common Council sees his way
to such control of the departments
as will make him an efficient executive and
not q mere fgurehead. He intends to
require and, if need be, to compel the
heads of departments to discharge their duties,
not according to their individual discretion,
but in compliance with the Mayors judg-
ment We rejoice that the Mayor has taken
this high ground in asserting his just author
ity over the municipal administration, and as
the credit and reputation OF the Common
Council are at stake as well as his own there
is no good reason to doubt that he will secure
their cooperation in reforming the abuses and
curbinp the eccentricties which prevail in
some of the departments. The charter ex-
plcitly confers on the Common Council power
to enact ordinances for regulating, perfecting
and carrying out the powers and duties pre-
scribed to any department Ii any head Of
department refuses to obey such ordinances,
that will be sufficient cause for the Mayor
to exercise his power of removal.
Mayor Wickham does not leave it doubt
full as to which of the departments de-
serves his censure and most needs re-
forming hand. ''The time has arrived
the Mayor says, "when the actual financial
condition of the city should be ascertained
and published in detail It is easy to see
how this reflects on the studied concealments
and subterfuges Of the head Of the
Finance Department, who has for three years
kept the people and the other city officers in
ignorance of our financial condition. 'The
taxpayers" continues the Mayor, ''should be
in possession of the fullest information on
this subject, without which it will be impos-
sible to devise measures of relief" Further
on in the Message, after complaining of the
defective and worthless character of all the
financial reports he has seen, and the neces-
sity of such information at regular and fire.
quent periods, the Mayor adds, "a first step
toward furnishing such periodical informa-
ton is the preparation, at as early day as
possible, OF balance sheet showing the inan-
cial position of the city at the close Of
the past year; and I shall heartily CO.
operate with you in whatever measures may
be necessary to procure such balance sheet"
This is an unveiled expression of want of con-
6dence in the present Comptroller and Of the
hopelessness Of expecting from him truthful
and accurate balance sheet There would be
no necessity for calling on the Common Coun-
ell to exert its authority for such purpose if
the Comptroller were disposed to do his duty.
1t is too evident that the new Mayor and the
insubordinate Comptroller, whom he thus pub
licly puts beyond the pale Of his confidence,
cannot go on together in the same government.
If the Comptroller insolently refuses the cor
rect balance sheet, which the Mayor asks the
Common Council to assist him in compelling,
Mr.. Green will either resign or be promptly
removed. He must already see that it is i'm
possible for him to remain in Office, and he had
better forestan his removal by a resignation.
As the Department Of Finance is the grand
pivot on which the whole municipal machinery
turns we will pursue this subject a little
further before noticing other topics of the
Message; for the Mayor finds it impossible to
lay down q correct policy without a clearly i'm
piled condemnation of the action of the
comptroller at almost every step. The fol-
lowing passage, for example, has no peril
nence except as q censure of Comptroller
Green:-''This legacy of the past can form
no proper excuse or pretext for forcing cur
rent claims against the city to be put into liti-
cation before the creditor can secure the
amount to which he is justly entitled" This
is palpable condemnation of the Comp
troller's vexatious lawsuits The Mayor pro-
ceeds to say that, while he will resist all i'm
proper claims, be will ''secure to every hon.
est creditor a speedy settlement of his claim.
1t shall be my endeavor to see that no un-
necessary delay takes place in passing upon
claims, and as to just claims, ve1atious and
costly litigation will not be permitted" This
assurance can only be regarded as a rebuke
to the contrary practice of the Comptroller
Another part Of the Message which crosses
the policy Of Comptroller Green is that in
which the Mayor favors the prosecution of
public improvements. His appointment of
u axtixa q oxlx issss<