The New York herald., 1879-03-13

yention OF contrivances for increasing them
Syva Sy increasing the services. But would you
services performed for private parties without
quirng these parties to pay for them Perhaps not;
to the treasr the w & Rn'a Won s maKs sa
1nat the sums are truly accounted forY
the question implies distrust of official honesty.
wnch Is perhaps justified by the frequent breaches of
Irust. Dishonesty. however. is not universal nor do
think It is general Whatever there is of it can be
which could be readily adjusted to any Of the SER
vices in public offices. For example. stamp might
ment Of an action and o sos aae or oths
process and ON every deed left for record and on
every requsition for a search.
JUST COMPENSATION.
iass o. she rules with which started requires
anaa such compensation shall be given to the person
pioyments. As general rule this would be Just to
him and Just to the public. Public officers are but
moral or legal to give more for public service than
they would have given for the like service for them.
ments must know that when pan1c Ssy emp1y ;Se
more than an equivalent for their services
1ney rv 6eSome 6ea participants in public robbery.
or nation comes out of pockets directly or indi.
rectly. No man can escape the payment who hires
house or room, or wears coat or a meal Is
Is not the landlord it is not the rich man who paws
the taxes in the long run but he who eats. drinks.
wears clothes and finds shelter. All the citizens
then rich and alike have interest in reduce
ing the public burdens TO the lowest practicable
led to so much wasteful expenditure
In political science there are two schools-one
which teaches that the State should do the least pos
siDe and the other that 1t should do the most This
club no doubt belongs to the former and with rea-
son. as think The province Of the State is to pro-
to keep the peace We hold self-evident truths that
men have inaenable rights to life liberty and the
pursuit OF happiness, and that to secure those
rights governments are instituted among men," To
spend money, to extract it from the people that it
may be spent for other objects is contrary the
principles we profess as it is ruinous in conse-
quences.
1t fs not my purpose to go further into details Of
salaries or wages. limit myself to the rules
cordinE to which those details should be arranged.
1t may be instructive however to compare the cost
OF the police OF London and Paris with that Of New
York The pay, OF London policeman is about
consisting of force OF 1856 agents, including 6SO0
common policemen. costs IL. 16S, $50 francs about
s2433.770. 1t is enough say that every rule that
have sought to prove is violated here.
We do not employ the best men; we employ moro
men than are necessary to do tho work required;
We employ many of them for uncertain terms Of
service and at unfixed rates of compensation; we
have system Of fees for the most coveted places,
and we give higher compensation in q great many
instances than the persons compensated could obtain
in other eployments And yet reform is not difficult
ii the will be not lacking; rather should say If
we could have the concerted will OF rev disinter
ested persons the reform might be secured. 1t cer-
tainy is for tho interest of the whole community
that it should be brought about, and am confident
that majority may be made to think So When
point there will not be much difficulty
atom will Venture to indicate pne Of e
ways. Fix the limit of expenditure in every depart
ment or subdivision of department., and tell the
officers in charge that If they do not peform the
service, and by performing mean we'll performing.
they must give way to others. Every departments
and every subdivision of department should be
subjected to this trial, even those which sup
posed to be best conducted.
hope that the members of this club have many
such and that they may find in what have said
something to incite them to begin the work, which
they cannot begin too soon.