The New York herald., 1875-11-17

the Mayor yesterday by Comptroller Green pre-
served in the following
FINANCE DEPARTMENT CoMrrRoLLER's OFFICE
Cry NEw YORK, Nov. 10, 1875
| Hon. WILLIAM II. WICKHAh Mayors
SR-Under date OF September | addressed you n
letter asking your aid In arrestng 'the enormous ex
pendture OF public money for the prosecution OF street
| improvements and other public works which are at
| this time premature and entirely unnecessary"
To this letter have received from you no reply
have any measures so lar as am aware been taken
by you in furthe.ance OF the views therein exprcssed
/ Mr. Fitz John Porter, the Commissioner OF Public
Works, has however, thought 1t necessary to sign
communication to you on the subject OF my letter,
| not at all attempting conrovert its statements,
! but in effect, alleging that the cause Of all
these ouays, that voted for them years ago when
i Commissioner OF the Central Park Ia the early part
! ofths century, when-the settlements on this island
| reached up TO and about the City Hall Park, and
when the population was less than so 600 1t became
apparent to intelligent minds that New York 10 be
come great city and that its future growth ought
DC gusded BY an Intelligent plan Measures were taken
to this end and IN 1911 plan Of the city from Houston
street TO l35tl street was adopted, upon which the
Iututo -ree,s avenues ana places We're dellnea,ea.
Tenth avenue only was laid down above l55th
strce Otherwise this portion OF theisand was left
| touched
The plans having been made the next step their
execution and this was originally intrusted to the Park
Commissioners who began upon such works seemed
at that time desirable. Ii not expected pro
posed that the whole plan should be carried mme
datey; only such main works were to be undertaken
as the progress OF the city from time TO time required.
The plan OF the Commissioners of 1907 had been sixty
wears in process of execution and even then less than
one half of it had beun carried out The plans of the
Park Commissioners WERE iii like manner designed for
the future development of the city, to be carried out
gradually and carefully required during succeeding
periods of the Guys growth.
No one then dreamed that inaccessible avenues,
neither then required by the needs OF the
community, would be pushed forward in order that
The necessities of political jo0bers ami spectators
might be accommodated at the. expense of property
owners and taxpayers at large.
Before these measures consummated, however
the management and control of the improvements thus
projected passed into other hands aud became the
fruitful source Of official jobbery and plunder The
adherens OF the Ring began TO speculate IN Riverside
and Morningside lots: Hugh Smith, James NJ. Sweeny
and William N. Tweed Jr, appointed by Judge
OF that period Commissioners to value the land and
Spectators municipal thieves and others wearing the
garb OF vanished responsibility held high carnival over
the prospect OF plunder.
The application TO take the lands of Riverside Park
was made November 2s 1865 The value OF these
lands as estimated by experienced before the
ings protracted and delayed until August 1872
nearly four years and the value of the land including
me IN - cost @ OF taking it, was finally reported at
So 3620 50, or more than four tunes its value
originally estimated.
The Ring had observed with. jealousy, early
1865 the increasing public favor which attended the
movements OF the Park Commissioners In those days,
as is well known, this Ring making rapid steps
toward supreme control in the city. 1t by its
power the Legislature able to keep in the Park Com
mission cunning and corrupt trepresentativc-Thomas
Q. Fields, who was efficient aid TO the Ring its
protracted and continued contest with the Park Com
mission
The cnarter OF 1870 gave legal form and
the Ring, confirmed 1t in the government or the
quered city and divided patronage and punder among
! its triumphant leaders
70 Tweed given Department of Public
Works, with enormous powers made up by an unnat
ural combination Of the functions OF previously
existing departments.
70 Sweeny was handed over the Department of Parks
with all the powers of the Commissioners OF Parks
Associated with him were Henry Hilton and Thomas C.
Fields, who together forming majority, absolutely
directed the operations Of the department. Sweeny
had also the control of the Chamberlanshp. From
this time had neither control influence in the
affairs Of the parks Of Of the works Of the city
Expenditure riot plunder triumphant and the
park organization, which had required twelve years
1 10 perfect, utterly demorazed This state OF
things lasted for eighteen months, until the fall cleo
tion of 1871
The reforms 1871 did not however, Immediately
reach the country districts with sufficient force TO dis
lodge the allies Of the Ring, who held places all
the state; consequently through the Legislature the
creatures and near friends Of the Ring continued to
hold their positions be iInpediments to the proc
csscs OF reorganization.
The struggle for reform has indeed been
tnued contest for the last hXe years One Official in
trenchment after another has been recapturcd, but
where the Ring either IN the persons or its Immediate
members or in the Legislature, has been desig
its SUCCESSORS has pcrpctuated its methods
this day and complete settlement OF affairs will
be accomplished till those who sympathized with these
methods of the Ring are wholly driven out
In the Legislature OF 1872 the Ring influences being
still dominant an act was passed, ostensiby relating to
the Croton Aqueduct but containing clause of few
lines transferring all the powers and functions OF the
Park Department outside the Park TO the Department
OF Public Works. Thus centred in that depart
ment not only the unlimited powers that Tweed had
given 1t in his charter, but nearly all the system or
powers and duties that had been conferred upon the
\
These powers were exercised just might have been
expected On the lst Of March, 1885, they fell into the
hands Of Mr. Fitz John Porter, through your appoint
ment him as Commissioner of Public Works.
Mr.. Porter IN his letter ntinaes, and leaves IL TO
be understood, that had responsible agency in the
expenditure of some SIS 600 900 in the early develop
ment Of these works. This is Misrepresentation.
Mr. Porter should have been more careful III adopting
the statements OF those who got up his letter The
amount OF expenditures made the improvements
which lie mentions the date | ceased hold any
controlling power IN relation to them was within u
1 q rera am "A half wear
Mr.. Porter says lie only continues works that were
commenced when he took Office. This is true to some
extent, and 10 IL is not. So far he has
any discretion in what works he shall prosecute
that discretion has been unwlsey aud inudicIously
Z exercised; and. as TO those works which he does
continue continues not only the works but
\ the methods IN which they have bocn
4 Quoted by his predecessors. There IS improve
ment and reform. ON the contrary the number
OF men employed by the day on the uptown WORKS has
been actually increased by hundred since Mr.
Porters accession TO Office, aud new gangs are being
continually formed. There were Immediately before
election nearly three thousand three hundred men
ploycd on these works there being conicsscdly less
work to do than at the same time last year, when Dut
I 2, 700 were employed.
4 During the fortnight ending Saturday prior 10
election there added 10 the rolls nearly four
1 hundred. Perhaps some explanation oi this state Of
things may be found in Mr., Porers testimony
before the Senate Investigating Committee where he
Says
i questioned whether it advisable when came
tem which previously cntailcd upon the de-
thought to change system suddenly might 6e just
ageous the city continue il Ii is rather
que connected with the employment of days labor
whether would work badly politically. and badly
against the laDoring people themselves.
Whatever may be the value of these political consd.
eratons which Mr. Porter blings up reason why
the days work system snoud not just ut that time be
changed Is fact that the works conducted have
become public scandal, and that the methods by
which they performed disgraceiul 10 the de-
/ partncnt responsible for them.
They have become subject Of grave complaint
the part OF such prominent citizens aud taxpayers
| Messrs Jackson s. schultz William H. Macy John H.
EHprAa IQl 10 So puaIn
investigating Committee and ia the daily press.
Let us now look little further into the manner Ia
which the affairs u this department at present
Quoted There ninety three contracts for
sewers paving regulating and grading, tagging. &c,
under which the work is going on, at total estimated
cost of { / 600 900, and on these there employed
I.a AI...D