New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-30
pHlT VR. THOMPSON WINrED.

Tho COmmi SsiOncI of Public " OTk5 has Decn
urgent with the Board of Estimate and APP
portionment for liberal allowances. He in
sisted on the need of $i5O,GOO for rcpaving
streets, and declared chat the $4,000
which the Board was willing to allow was
wholly insufficient. lie seemed 10 be cS-
Dccially anxious that S2jO,OO0 should be
allowed for checking the waste in water.
Without any unfairncss, Mr.. Thompson may
be characterized rs a political Commissioner.
As n skilfnl user Of patronage, rs an expert
handler of wires in Assembly Districts, ~
composer Of clashing interests in his faction, he
is cOnspicuyusly successful. He is constant IN
season and out of season, at tho surface
and under the surface, in his political activity.
His peculiar talents and his energy have made
him more Of q force in the County Democracy
than men Of bigger brains and broader views.
As n slapcr of platforms and far-sightcd
director of party policy he does not shine
before men, but when it comes to a question
Of getting out the full vote in an election dis
tIict, or when the division of spos i, the
matt in hand, he takes rank among the
ablest politicians Of New-York. lie has never
been accused of uwillingncss to get down
low enough to win. There seems 30 be
the County Democracy that if there Is any
work TO be done about which it is desirable
that the public should know nothing, any
thing which If brought to light might not add
to the reputation Of the party, there can be-
no safer hands than those OF Mr. Thompson
TO which i. may be committed.
SO mach for Mr. Thompson rs a successful
politician. As a Commissioner ol Public
WOrks-wcl that is an entirely different mat
teri Or, at least, it ought to be. But there
is a prevalent conviction that the Commits
sioner never allows himself TO forget the poll
tcian. There has been good deal of COM
plant this year about the manner in which
street repairs have been made aud the feeling
has been growing wider that if Mr.. Thompson
would devote AS careful attention to the work
of bis department as he has given to the in
teresis Of his political allies aud the strength
ening of his faction il would be better for the
city. When Governor Cornell vetoed the
New Aqueduct bill last summer there was
good deal of disappointment felt by
people who were impressed with the
need of more abundant water
supply Much of that disappointment was
worn away it became more thoroughly
derstood how great were the powers which
that bill gave to the Commissioner of Public
Works, ana as those interested in the public
welfare became more thoroughly acquainted
with the excessive political activity of the
Commissioner. 1t was feared that new
aqueduct would not only be an enormous
drain on the city treasury at best but that
the patronage would be used with an eye
single to the Strengthening of the County
No., Il Ia. ;c,r,,, r.
Th0mpson's political power. Unfortunately
the administration of the Department has
not been such as to forbid the suspicion
that work on the aqueduct would be
pressed forward with ,prodgous activity as
elections drew near, and that the pay
rolls would be swollen immensely with
the names of labOrcrs who could be depended
upon to vote the right ticket. If Mr.. Allan
Campbell were still Commissioner of Public
Works. the community would feel much more
confident that appropriations for streets, fer
big pipes, and even for Il new aqucduct,
would be spent judciously and solely for the
benefit of the city.
The Board of Estimate and Apportionment
fortunately has not been too generous with Mr..
Thompson. Many streets need repaying, but
$4,000 should not be spent on them unless
the work is to be better done than that in
Madson-ave. this year. 1t is important that
the waste Of water should be lessened, but to
give Mr.. Thompson $2j0,000 to spend as he
pleased, without specifications as to the number
of additional men to be paid, the patented in
struments to be used, ard the methods to be
employed, did not commend itself to the Board
as "a prudent and sagacious proceeding. FAX
payers generally will agree with the Board