New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-30
URGENT NEEDS OF CITIES.
ASKING THE LEGISLATURE TO ACT.

| TIE REMEDIES PROPOSED
A special meeting of the Chamber OF Com
,ocree was hcld yesterday to action by the Legs
lare upon tie report recently submitted by the com
mission APPOINTED TO devise plan for the government OF
cities In this STATE The Chamber was largely repre-
scncd Among those present were William Allen Butler,
Simon Stcrue Elliott L. Shepard Royal Phelps George
| T. Hone Ambrose snow, J. M..3rown @. W. Lane, A. b.
Miller Seth Low, and many others. The Prosident' .
d. Babeock stated the object Of the meeting and added
that the Legislature had provided for this city complex
and cumbersome form OF government which had reS'od
I'm rolling up debt and 1t was incumbent
upop them as citizens merchants, and taxpayers 10 use
their best efforts to bring about change which would
| insure economy Unless the community acted promptly
there was chance Of getting anything done py inc
present Legislature.
Mr. Rutcr then spoke Of the OF the commission,
Of which he was member He said that the cohs'i'u-
ona amendments proposed were based on the prllclc
OF local sefgoycrnment, regulated as TO the distribution
and exercise OF its powers by the organic law OF thc
state Tho necessity OF amending the Constitution Ill
order TO provide elements OF stability aud a1na-
nencc in the government OF cities he said was coheeded
by all who had given to the subject any Intelligent ateh
ton The members OF the commission, after giving the
questions which engaged their attention the fullest CON
sderoon decided unanimously that the existing evils
Of municpa governments could be removed in no other
way than by exrpating far rs possible thelr mann
sources mischief and building on tie sure foundation
OF constitutional law. The main purpose was 10 give
to every CITY governments HtN anu Puii"""N"' W.
ucnts Of local sefc0ntrOl under adequate s'Ie-
cu.ris speciallv directed against thu destructive
debt and expenditure which hdd
proved disastrous in the past 1t was then propoSeu
TO vest executive power in the Mayor ana III such
executive department and officers as might be created
by law-te Mayor to be in fact as well as IN name 'ne
chief executive appointing the other principal executive
officers che chief fnan nal and law officers to be con
frmcd by the Board of Fmance), and with the power
aIso Of removing his appointees, subject however,
the approval Of Governor. The plan also propoSeu
board Of aldermen, clothed with all legislative
movers except such relate TO tax ton ana eNpeho
turcs aud elected by the people ~ at present Its neX
and most important feature the creation OF DOaid
Of finance to be elected by tax aud rentpayeF5 SO rs 10
be fairly representative OF those who bore Inc
burdens Of debt, expenditure, ana taXatoh
This body was TO control the amount OF the
annual expenditures of the city 1t was 10
haye no patronage and governing power. Ii must
raise in each year every dollar requisite for the ezpend
ture of that year all city purposes, appropriate the
same raised to the various objects Tor when thsy
we're required, realizing, by rcieYymg OF any
deficiencies ia the collection cf tho taxes OF the
preceding year, sufficient 70 cover all appropra
tions the city being thus made to pay as 1t goes"
stringent provisions against borrowing money or
mourning OF any kind supplemented the prescribed
duties OF the Board OF Finance and furnished absolute
safeguards against municipal extravaganza II sueh
instructions could have found place in the Constitution
of 40 when clty debt less than sl2,UOOOO0
would no have reached its present aggregate Oh
Sll3 100000 than the national debt could nave swollen
10 the gigantic proportions of to-day without SIX years OF
civil war As the apparent restriction OF the I1ght OF
suffrage in making the Board Of Finance elective by Inc
votes OF taxpayers and rentpayers, the report OF the
commission very clearly showed that what 1t proposed
was no innovation novelty.
Simon Strrne, also member OF the COMMISSION
was called upon to give his views the proposed amend
mcns. He approved the explanations OF Hr. Buter
W. ought not be mislcd," he said when politicians
tell lis they will pass IA law which VIII lave an eteci
such AS j, asked for IN constitutional amendment, for
when they are on high tide Of prosperity they forget
AL about the taxpayers. despite their promises OF re-
form" necessary that :he present Legislature
should pass the proposed amendments, for II they
were allowed go til next year, delay ct TWO
years in their final adoption would be caused
seth Low offered the following resolutions:
Where's In month OF May 1870 the Legislature Of tlis
crd $50 nsase, created commission to devise
Plan essernna Of cities and -, .n,,oor, and .,ie
both roHr a parties duly reporisd S t G l' 10
~ 90 maj in ihe oriron OF ts Chamber the import
ac q ts neti evidenced py t4e financial burden. Of
Proposed amendments enboplss a1 trey 40 tne e =; I'm
thought OF commission SO a5ontoS laliy nosiile viz
aGe t 9T r ri pS iea at the earnest "' '' '' w.
f'o-SJ Th hls Chamber does hereby earnestly urge
nry present Legislature (" take suGi ac,i "l @
81 re l0 lr uo;nsri amendments snail brnZ uch III duo
course apr,,s briore ,r neAt lie ,ls'adnr 70 ot
d, hc . e, H., senate ti,f 81 anil n As enJ u the State
Mr. Low said would only speak briefly concern
ing what some IN. ght deem the nOncomnal character
of the resolutions For himself he was heartily III sym
p5y with tie report Of the commission Bat IL seemed
probable that OF the members OF the Ciihper
might not We, be 20 familiar with the report of the COM
mission a. 10 care to commit themselves AT this time to
t merits OF tie question. Upon tine ground taken Ill
the resolutions however that ha report OF the cohms-
sim was for every reason entitled to immediate cOnsid-
Grafton by tho Legislature. it Thought that there
could he difference OF opinion Inc eN-
istruce in municilal governments OF uShg eVil3
calling for correction could rot be aus STONED Inc
urgency of the needed reform two years ago seemed To
Gov Ti'den great as to call for special message sG
ae.og the creation this commission and the result OF
lis laors as the Ouiy practical measure before tc puo
lie IF a com TehrHaiyc character WHICH oOked 70 GeI
ucut rreI from existing VIZ sprlh%hs l"h COLUMNS
sion - nguahcd Tor ability and character, anu a-
uointi marked manner. certainly deserved 70 nc
Submitted io the people for adoption err rejection Without
,,eG -. 49, Tie members III TIE present Legislature
,y simple iuaCOu could rCiard Ibis measure $50 years
b,ypud ~. BY mCetms The question s4uafcy as II
osnt 70 Sc met and placing the suggested amendments
t. tho tuiun 10 due form Ior consideration Ny tc
dirpsson is IMPORTANCE demanded. but which would
only &c gwen Ia r. iIying Issue.
Elo, T. sEepari in seconding the resolutions, spoke
in part as follows:
The report prepared by the commission contains ihc
be-, afldcut which ho advanced IN support Of these
amendments, and ought 20 be printed ana scat
nome In Tie state. II the people Of this State
know the trusted citizen members OF THIS coihmls-
Dion wei a. tue residents Oi lHe cues IVih when
they selected know ihn they VIII itqlit no IuI
iner inrt mcut Of the PROPOSED reform but % accept
and adopt II b. toe requisite lcSisidNe alu citcpiaI
acton The terrible real estate and hnanll drp'essloh
from which city has been long suffering has arisen
from the tremendous burden Oh taAii9h "ieh leE III
Irstrcs an Lave been called uOh 10 cidutr
II never was known in the world that city of lOOOOOD
population could be subjected to an annual daih upon
is assets of T3J,OOOOUO is has been our caste ana
continue to flourish Thirty N.Y. dollars every year loi
every man, woman. aud chLd among us, mas Oeeh
eXared ruu We have not Dcen able Ia stihi H. anu