The New York herald., 1877-03-07
Remedies Proposed by the Plan Of
the Commission.
ADDITIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION RECOMMENDED
Expenditures and Taxation To Be Con-
troI|ed by the Taxpayers.
AN EXHAUSTIVE lNvES TIGATION.


the Legislature in May 1875 which has been SO long
anxlousIy expected was presented to-day to the Sen
ate and Assembly OF the State 1t Is signed by William
n. Evarts (Chairmap) f. l.. Godkn, John A. Lott,
Simon Stern james c. Carter, Oswald Ottendorfer,
william Allen Butler, Joshua NJ Van Colt and Henry
+. Dimock. Another OF the Commissioners, Mr..
Samuel Hand expresses his concurrence In the report
except as TO the qualification Of voters tor the Board
OF Finance and The powers OF that Board appoint the
law and financial officers He thinks that the qualin-
OF voters for tho large cities should be the
same those prescribed for the smaller cities and
that the Board Of Finance should have no appointing
power.
The report is an elaborate document, covering over
seventy printed pages, and deals exhausively with
the subject Of municipal government. 1t begins by
describing the origin and functions OF tho comms-
sion. Briefly stated tho commission started into ex-
istance pursuant TO concurrent resolution OF the
Senate and Assembly passed May % 1875, 10 devise
plan for the OF Cities and to report tho
samc to the Legislature This action OF the Senate
and Assembly grew out Of special message OF the
Governor calling attention to our municipal systems
and the necessity OF adopting permanent and uniform
plan for tho OF the cities OF the State and
recommending the appointment of committee to
consider tho subject. Twelve persons were up
pointed by the Governor under the con.
commission, and all OF these with the exception Of
President Martin b. Anderson, OF Rochester, accepted
the duty thus devolving upon them. Under tho
luton of tho Senate and Assembly, the Committee on
Ways and Means was charged with providing a suit
able appropriation for tho actual expenses Of the COM
mission, subject tho audit Of the Comptroller, pro
vided that the commission should receive no compen-
sation for their SERVICES" The commission organized
Immediately after their appon ment; the first meeting
was held on December 10, 1875, ana Mr. William NJ.
Evarts was chosen president Mr.. Sidney De Kay, OF
New York selected to I'LL the oice of secretary
THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION.
Tho work OF tho commission. the report states, was
begun by assigning the several members the duty Of
making Investigations and reports upon particular
branches Of the general subject Of municipal govern
ment. The commission, IN defending their own func-
lions, think that the purpose OF the Legislature IN
passing the concurrent resolution 'seems plainly
have been TO submit the whole subject Of the local
government OF TO that deliberate review which
can may 10 supposed, be best gwen 70 1t oy small
number OF persons specially delegated Tor that pur-
poso to the end that somc plan Of administration may
be devised which may commend itself rs furnishing
the promise Of q permanent Improvement"
The evils existing in the government OF cities Is the
nrst subject TO which tho commission, according to
their report have devoted their attention, for they
.hink that clear perception OF these evils and OF their
srgn causes connections and results Indispensable
10 any useful contrivance tor their redress
ACCUMULATION MUNICIPAL DEBT.
The nrst point dealt with In the report Is the
mutation OF permanent municipal debt, the rapid ad-
vances in this direction mado within recent years
bcing quito alarming The enormous debt Of the city
OF New York Is specially referred to- Is at present.
the report states upward OF 000 after deduct
ing the sinking fund, and $l40 600 without that
deduction. The most alarming feature, however, the
report goes TO say Is the rapdlty OF It's recent in
crease and in support Of this proposition these statis
tics are supplied
In sto the de debt Of the city was about $4,000 c In
about twenty DER cent. In 1850 II was upward OF
upward OF x7sooo an Of nearly four bundled
and in the sx years which have since elapsed Il
1t proper that this last increase large
na dae of rom Ike e"rruS as "ys
thrown In 1871 and which. of which ought
added to the amount OF the debt above stated 1870
INCREASE ANNUAL EXPENDITURES.
After glancing at the poverty OF the results exhib
itcd the for prodigious expenditure, the
report deals with the Increase OF the annual
expenditure for ordinary purposes, and on this point
refers especially to tho example OF the metropolis
1t is deemed that there Is particular fitness in this
reference arising IRON the that New York city
embraces one hall of the urban population and some
thing approaching ope-half IN value Of the entire
properly of the State Any remedy, therefore,
that might DO devised ior improving the adminlstra-
ton OF cites would be wholly insufficient un,ess II iur-
nished reinedy Tor the abuses OF misgovcrnment IN
that city. 1--WE are say the comm sson. confronted
with the alarming Iact that the increase IN the annual
expenditure since $780, as compared with the increase
Of population, is more than 400 per cent and as COM
pared with the increase OF taxable prop
erty more than 200 per cent Some allowance Is doubt
less 10 be made Tor the more complete provision now
made Tor he public wants and ior the lneror value
of the currency in which oar present expenditure
ated but this consideration does not arcct the ratio
o taxation the value OF the properly taxed de-
icat the conclusion that we have during the past
twenty five years not only made wide departure from
the economy OF earlier and better days but have out
run all former examples OF waseiulness. extravaganza
and corrupt administration"
CAUSES OF THE EVILS.
Incompetent and unfaIthiul governing boards and
officers placed ut the head of the list OF cvis under
which our municipal administration labors The
public service thus tiiled numbcress, but they uni
Iorny present the feature OF Increasing either
debt or taxation. Uotn. Great weight 100, Is laid
the that the exclusion OF positive fraud anu cor
ruptIon from civil business Is by TO means sufficient
10 secure good adm nstration tor the necessary
iitons OF Thrift IN pubic as well as private business
eel that their personal interests arc directly involved
N It's successful management
Another evil which the report strcnuousIy condemns
the introduction OF state and national politics into
municipal affairs THIS practice Is held 10 stand next
igned this distinction, not much because IS an
wi IN itself, but because IN the mischIevous use
which is madc Of it--a use which cannot re pre-
icnted--lt becomes the most potent means uy wich
VI efforts TO improve the charac er OF the municipal
crvce at popular elections are frustrated IL ~
eened the most fruitful source Of the prime evil
amely the presence the civil service oil
Incompetent and unfaltniul officers The motives
ihicn led the pushing Of the general political dvls-
,ns to their present mschicvous extremes are can
assed at some length, aud then the report deals with
10 third evil 'thc assumptio by the Legislature oil
nc direct control oil local affairs" which intervention,
says has necessarily involved disregard Of Que of
,e nOst princ pies OF republican govern
ent. The Conclusions OF the commission on ibis
pint that the original election or appointment OF
! local governing bodies, the duty OF watching or
Ieck ing them, and duty OF providing, or The ds-
elton vi Withholding the supplies necessary Tor Their
,erattops should rest not with the central Lcgisla-
re, bat with the people oi the locality.
REMEDIES THx EVILS ENUMERATED
The report takes up the specinc task sot before
g cominIsslou-namcy, the methods oil redress and
IN doing SO II processes To narrow
G Icd OF inquiry by excluding those schemes OF IN
ovemcnt sometimes suggested which oher no as