New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-22
MUNICIPAL REFORM.

Tomorrow a number of our prominent
TAXPAYERS are invited to meet with the Mayor
and Controller in conference over our mar
" cial chaos" and to offer and receive sugSes-
tions for REFORM Our condition is bad enough,
though il presents no new causes for alarm.
Onr plogrcss toward municipal bankruptcy has
been evident for great many years, and 1t
has gone OH not only at a rapid pace but at
an acceleriting pace. Piling up debts until
the ascertained amount equaled One-fourteenth
of our whole property i'll 1870 ana one-nlnth
in 1873. opening the door so wide at the same
time to reckless extravaganza that there Is
literally no limit to the expenditures Tor winch
certain departments of the city government
NAV hOld us responsible and that no man can
tell with certainty the sum total OF our obllga-
tons already incurred, we have been running
bcadlong toward financial ruin. The end OF such
a c,ur,.. has all along been as clearly visible
"A the end of the Rake's Progress. The nearer
we get to destruction, however, the more
easily are we aroused TO the folly OF our con
duct Besides all times OF depression ana
misfortunc are times of self-eXamiu ton and
repentance The merchant who finds the bal
ancc on tho wrong side of his ledger the
sbopkcepcr who cannot pay his rent, the
bachelor who wears his old coat another Win
fer and moves from his comfortable uptown
hotel 10 the third story OF Il Brooklyn board
inc house, has this year new sense OF the
wickedness of municipal waste and realizes
the practical truth of what he has hitherto
accepted merely as an economical theory, that
the tax-gatherer is like death, knocking i'm
partially at the poor mans tenement and the
MANSION on Murray Hill.
We believe therefore, that the discussion of
financial reform will attract just now an atten-
ton which has not been given 1t III former
wears. and that If the new Mayor can devise a
practical scheme he will be enthusiastically
supported in it by all classes OF citizens ex-
cept that small but NOISY class which habitu-
ally lives upon the people. Mr.. Ely, 1t is I'M
derst0od, holds that we have nearly twice rs
many Office holders as we need, and that we
nav even the necessary officers a great deal
more than we can afford. He il convinced that
the working expenses of the city government
can be reduced enormously; and there we sup
pose everybody, except the Office holders, will
agree with him. He insists that we ought
to SOP costly improvements until we have
straightened our cash account; and there too
he is right beyond the possibility of dispute.
II is idle to urge in defense Of extravagant
public works that they increase the value of
real estate and give employment 10 some hun
dreds of hungry voters. AS well might an
IMPOVERISHED hOuse-Owner, with mortgages
three deep on every inch of his estate, deco
rate his front door with Corinthan p0Itico
that he is unable TO pay for, ard Justify his
extravaganza by the plea that it improves Tho
market value of his property. The only way
TO improve the value of the property Of New
York is to clear of the mortgages that are
weighing upon it with crushing force.
The great difficulty in the way Of reform is