The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-03

The OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Green's In-
tormeddling with Othsr Peoples
Business.
Mr.. Andrew 81. Green is Comptroller of
the city. The business of his important de-
partment is so loosely and incapably man
aged that neither its head nor anybody else
knows to-day the true condition of the public
finances. Nearly two years ago the Commits
sioners of Accounts examined the Comp
trollers books and found his office to be ut
terly destitute of system and his accounts in
comprehensive On looking over the securi-
ties of the sinking fund they discovered one
bond for hundred thousand dollars bearing
date fifteen months after the money had been
taken from the fund for its purchase, and an
apparent deficiency of other bonds called for
thousand dollars. It was afterward
alleged by Mayor Havemeyer that
these missing bonds had never been
issued, but that the receipts representing
them, which were the only vouchers and Sc
curities the sinking fund possessed for the
amount, were, at the time of the examination,
Lying outside the box" in which the bonds
and other securities were kept year ago
last December, in making his annual balance
sheet, the Comptroller, either through blunder
or design, represented the outstanding bonded
debt of the city to be six hundred thousand
dollars less than it actually was, and under
stated the amount of outstanding revenue
bonds nearly ten million dollars These
facts, Joined with The further fact that every
person who has transactions with the Finance
Department is subjected to annoying pro-
crrstination, are sufficient to show that the
business Of the department is either IN inca
pable hands or is shamefully neglected
Mr.. Green's indiscreet friends are now ac-
susing some of the Commissioners of the Park
Department of manifesting ''unreasoning
hatred Of Mr.. Green" in their official conduct
in the Park Board. 1t is alleged that they
are constructing and disorganizing' Mr..
Green's arrangements in the Park Depart
ment But Mr.. Green is not Park Com
missioner and cannot legitimately have any
arrangements in the department or any share
in its patronage and management Any inter-
meddling on his part must be Of an illegitimate
and pernicious character. BE was for eleven
or twelve years connected with the depart
ment, and managed to draw from its funds
from ten 10 twelve thousand dollars year for
his services. But he has no official con-
nection with it now, and, furthermore,
as the auditor and comptroller of
all city accounts, he occupies a posi-
ton which makes any undue interference
with any other department than his own an
improper and suspicious act 1t is well known
that be has attempted such interference and
has established ''spy" system in the depart
ment which has been denounced by some Of
the present and former Commissioners as in
consistent with its proper management and
injurious to the public interests. If the
Comptroller would attend to the duties for
which he receives his liberal salary, and keep
his medd,esomo fingers out Of departments
with which he has no business to interfere,
his retainers would not be led into the blunder
Of supposing that the official action Of
Park Commissioner or q Dock Commissioner
could be induced by "unreasoning hatred of
Mr.. Green"
The ComptroIler's Office is necessary to every
government. We have it in Washington, in
the State and in all our national and munich
pal systems. It's function is expressed in its
name-to control the expenses Of the treasury.
II il monitory, almost Judicial Office, and in
Washington, where the rage for political
patronage has brought nearly oil offices
within the disposal Of parties, the Comptroller
ships have been generally regarded as some
thing above party The 0omptrollers of the
Treasury are, we believe, men who have long
held their functions. They are appointed for
their merits, and kept in Office during good
behavior Their duty is to sec simply that
the law is carried out in the disbursement Of
the public funds This is the duty Of
the Comptroller's Office in Albany; this
was the function of the Comptrollers Office in
New York. But the leaders Of the Tammany
Ring planned their gigantic raid against the
treasury. They added 20 the Office Of the
I Comptroller executive and, We might almost
say, judicial power. Therefore, from being
simply q monitory department. watching the
disbursements Of the treasury and checking
extravaganza and violations Of the law, it
slowly rose into an imperial, absolute power,
combining legislative, judicial and executive
functions II was thus under Connolly, and
when Green succeeded to the Office his power
was strengthened by the remarkable order Of
/ Judge Barnard, which made him absolute
/ master Of New York. BY the terms Of this
order the whole government Of the city Of
New York hinged upon the will Of the Comp
troiler. he was above discipline responsible