, 1876-01-05

tho Stato Board Increases tho aggregate tax |
pnid for city, county, md town purposes,
but it confirms tho inequalities 80 they can.
not be rcsnedietl, occording 10 Mr.. County
Attorney RouSrnEE's dictum.
--.-.-----
THE HAsCALLY 01L-LAMP JOB.
Tho communication Of Comptroller HAYES
10 tho Common Council announcing his de-
termination not to sign tho dishonest consraet
for 2 1000 or moro oi.lAmps for the prairfcs
was received by the Ring Aldermen with n
howl of anguish. Their job vanished into
thin nir upon the merciless exposure which
tle Comptroller mado Of It, aud they en-
leavored to take their revenge out Of him by
indiscri,ninato and incoherent vili1casion.
All this will not avail In hiding the rca1 ras-
cality Of tho ease from tho indignant public,
as these are SO fully and plninty stated by Mr..
IIArEs that lie who runs nay rcad. Aa ana-
lyzc1 by lin, tho contract proves to have
been n deliberate effort to betrny Tho in-
terests Of tho city to tho extent Of at
least $4,000 year, and perhaps much
more, without any of tho safeguards
which It is nsual to provide even In caso Of
necessary and proper expenditures It was
m effort to add $4,000 On tho taxes Of tho
citv without anv other return than Tint
which certain scoundrelty Aldermen wero to
receive for selling out tho interests contidel
to them.
This contract did not limit Tho number Of
oi1-lnmpB TINT might 10 erected on wooden
| posts ut tho rato Of S4{ a wear each in tho
thinly-pcop1od and uninhabitcd districts Of
tho city hit II did nror;te Tint tho nGioho
Cas.Linht Company" whoever tlcy arc,
should begin to drnw INV for tho 1000
lamps after d certain dato. whether
tho city uscd thnt number or not,
The contrnct would hayo covered 40 miles of
suburban gtrce,s, Mr.. HAYES says, If placed
| only los foot apart, md 80 miles at 2f0 feet
anart: but tho contract did not stimulate how
far npart they should DO, md they might i,avo
bccn SGT up within five feet Of each other
No quality was stipulated in the contract rs
to tho light which was to DO furnished, and il
t it were no better than a tnllow-dip the con-
tract would hayo boon binding ali tho same,
mud the city would ha.o boen obliged TO my
tho Ss8, 900 yoarl Tho contract was mado
without providing for nny bids, though it is
notorious that tho naterial could bo fur
nishel at tens of thousands of dollars less
thnu tho figure ut which it was contracted,
No cuarRuteo or security was reuuired from
the contracting PARTY for thc performance
of his lob. though this ia ono Of
tho most common provisions of all city
mud other public contracts, In word. tho
contract was simply M crnpty form for vot-
ing away tho sum Of s;ss, 600 ut least, and
dividing It botyoen cortain Aldermen md tho
"Globe Gas-Lieht COMPANY" Il WIS rushed
through the Council on tho previous question
without examination, amendment, or dobato,
and hur,iedly signed by Mayor GOWN, in the
hope that it would 70 through before tho Job
could bo cxposed by tho press or arrested by
the Comptroller. And Cu11En7oy ind H11-
pnErn writhcd in agony 10 find TINT the
COMPTROLLER Ind tho power and honeaty 10
stop tho yill.iny.
II the Couucil vero disposed to servo tho
publio half az well as thoy serve themselves,
they vou|d ta]to measures 10 reduce the m.
preparation for lighting tho streets by $685.
COO n ycnr instead Of adding TINT a1nouut
to It. Tho expenditures for this pur.
poso have been nearly doubled with.
in tho past two or tlrco ycers. m.
til thew now annount to oyor 970o. noe
! | nnnna1fy MT nnn of the nfnrs anorestni
, | in Mr.. HAYEs' communication w]creby tht
Gas expenditure could 10 reduced has eycl
received my honest or earnest consideration
from Tho Council Ring The number ol
, | lamps havo boeu rocklessly increased without
|