The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-28
THE OBSTRUCTIVE GREEN.
A Little Dodge TO Prevent City Employees and
WOrkingmen from Getting Their
Pay Promptly.
The Mayors Determination to Give the Citys
Creditors Fair Play.

mptroller Green Is again on the rampage. He
seems never to be so happy as when he Is dong
some foolish act, which can have for It's object
nothing better than the bringing about OF q dead
lock between the various departments, aud, con.
sequently, dead loss in some way to somebody
other than himself. 1t will be remembered that
when MT. Havemeyer was Mayor Mr.. Green did
pretty much as he pleased. the good natured old
gentleman being mere putty In the hands Of the
willy Comptroller. One OF his fancies In Mr.. Have
meyers days to send all the warrants that
were made out In favor OF parties to whom TINS
city owed money over to the Mayor Tor MIN to
sign, before they we're even registered, dated or
numbered. BY this means, when they were re-
turned to the Finance Department, he was ena-
Dled 10
HOLD BACK ANY WARRANT
ne saw ft for any length OF time he deemed sum-
cient to make poor devil who had a lew dollars
coming to him feel that Andrew II. Green was q
man to be bowed and scraped to. This was the
real secret OF the difficulty SO many people had to
encounter before they could get money justly due
them during Mr.. havemeyer's time. Before q
warrant is registered, dated and numbered 1t Is
OF no value; and as no record OF the warrants
signed by MIR. Havemeyer and sent back TO the
Comptroller In their incomplete form was kept as
the Mayors ONCE, wnen any one called upon
the Mayor to know II he had signed a
warrant In his favor he was unable to state
whether he had not with any degree OF GER
tainty. When Mr.. WicKham came into office his
experience as q business man indicated to him at
once the necessity OF
INAUGURATING REFORM
in this warrant business. Considering his sigma.
ture as a counter signature necessary, OF course,
to make a city warrant OF value yet Is sigma :
ture which really perfected the warrant, he nat
uraly decided that before warrant lett his hands
signed all other necessary signatures should pc
formally aaxed to t. as %s s as the
letter to Comptroller Green on the 7th OF January
telling HIM that the warrants must be dated,
registered and numbered when sent to him. and
in order that perfect tally Of the warrants he
signed should be kept in his (the Mayorsl office,
book IN which the number OF all the warrants
signed by him should be registered, with their
dates, the amounts, the name OF the payee, &C.
when a city creditor should apply 10 the ONCE 10
informed on the spot without being compelled to
ROAM AROUT THE CITY HALL
from department TO department Tor weeks before
troiIer. when he received the Mayors letter Ia
January, Of course kicked little, but the Mayor
sent ali warrants over TO the Mayors office duly
registered, dated and numbered. The wisdom OF
in favor with the Comptroller personally VINO be-
lore were never able Tor weeks at
time to learn whether their warrants had
Guilty whatever under the new system.
This, OF course was calling to the Comptroller,
simply because ne was no longer able to crafty
his spite against certain creditors by Keeping
them In ignorance as 10 the CONDITION and where
abouls OF their warrants; but ne nursed his wrath
to keep it warm doubtless, watching. day afTer
day, Tor some good opportunity to give 1t Iull
vent. The opportunity came on Friday last 1t
appears that some twenty warrants were received
from the finance Department on That day by tAe
Mayor, who after giving tnem nasty exanina; ma,
Tor what services, signed them Just as he had
signed the last Of the batch he discovered that
nsrah OIsfp n
and on glancing over the rest he found that they
were, one and all. in the same incomplete condl-
ton. He at once sent them over TO the Comp
trolier by clerk, with the request Ihat they
should be dated, numbered ana registered, SO
that the clerk could take copy OF the dates,
numbers and registrations, TO De recorded. as
usual. In the Mayors warrant book MI -1aarle,
the Deputy CompIroiiei, 10 whom Ine cierh naac
this reasonable request and VINO, ever since ne
took upon himself the onerous duGy OF reviewing
in pubne print Gee sIons given against 5 sne
got TO be nnated with his own
importance the Comptroller himself, hatly re-
fused to comply. On being informed OF TINS the
Mayor had the warrants returned to him, when
he AZ once cancelled his signature on every one OF
them. lie alterward sent a letter to Mr.. Green
calling his attention to the letter he (the Mayor
had sent to BIN Oh the 7th OF January, In when
he had insisted upon 1t that all warrants should
be dated, registered and numbered before peing
CoUNTERsIGNED BY THE MAYOR,
and that since tnat time the warrants had come
to him from the Finance Department In proper
form. He also called his attention TO the TACT OF
his having Inadvertently signed the warrants he
Friday when they were not dated &c, and TO the
refusal OF the Deputy Comptroller to nave them
perfected.
And thus the matter stands and wriggle as he
may Mr.. Green IN this matter gives but another
Illustration OF his intense ambition IS an oostruc-
ZIONIST, which has SO often created CONFUSION IN
the public departments to the detrlment OF the
pubic interest.
So II the first Of the month comes along and the
pay roll warrants and others should remain
unsigned because OF the Comptroher's determln-
atom to have his own way IN this warrant bust
ness regardless OF the public interests people
w " O unld reSnOu slhle.