New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-29

An instance of the difference between the adj
ministraton Of Mayor Low and that of Mayor
Howell in Brooklyn is furnished In the report Oh
the Fire Department. There were sixteen poll
ticans employed in the Bureau Of Combustibles un-
der Mayor Howell and their salaries ranged from
81 900 to 81 800 each. In 1881 they collected al
together license fees to the amount of $3.50. I'm
der Mayor Low five fremen do the work at an an
nual saving of 81 $50 in salaries and with an in
crease Of about fifty per cent in the amount OF
license receipts. That is the difference between
reform administration and the kind the politicians
seek in advocating the election Of Hendrix.
The Board Of Excise has acted in characteristic
manner in its treatment Of "Shang" Draper. Not
withstanding his wel-knOwn character as burglar
whose picture adOrns the Roguos' Gallery at Police
Headquarters he given a license by the former
Board of Excise to open a liquor shop in Sixth-ave
The law does not permit the Excise Board to issue
license except to persons Of I" good moral char
acter," and the applicant is required to give bend
for $3.50 that he will not suffer his place to be dis
orderly. "Shang" Diapers place was always @
resort for thieves and was known to be intended for
that purpose when the Excise Board licensed 1t.
But when the burglars Irving and Walsh were killed
there aud the character Of the place was fully ex-
posed in the press 1t appeared though the Excise
Board would be forced to revoke the license and
forfeit the bond. Draper was cited to show cause
why his license should not be revoked. But he is
Democratic politician well as q burglar. The
case was adjourned from time to time, and finally
put over until after the election which will prob
ably be the last that will be heard of it. In the
meantime thieves cOngregate as usual at Diapers
liquor shop, and political excitement runs high In
that neighborhood 1t is amisdemeanOr for the Ex-
else Board to issue license contrary to the pro-
visions Of law. The Mayor should take action at
once.
Speaker Chaplin doesn't begin to be as handsome
as he was before Controller Davenport sat down
upon him. But he knows more. n. S.-YOu will
not forget, Mr.. Chaplin that it was million copies
Of Mr.. Dayenport5 letter that the Democratic State
Committee was to print. And they were to percolate
through every school district" you remember. 1t
is nominated in the bond
1t is not crcdtabc to this city that thousands of
children are annually refused admission TO the pri-
mary department Of its public schools. The number
is not large il was two or three years ago.
owing to an increase in the uumbcrO Of schOOlhouses.
Bat during September 1902 children were turned
away for want Of room. The parents of those chill
drcn are, In nearly all cases, unable to pay for
tuition at private schools hence the children run
on the streets without instruction. 1t seems like a
farce to have statute requiring compulsory at
tendance AT the public schools, and to be paying
runu officers to enforce that law and yet to fail TO
provide accommodations for the children. The per
capita cost Of the public schools Of this city is much
greater than that of any other city in the country
but the taxpayers will not begrudge the money
necessary to provide room and instruction in the
primary branches for all children that apply That
ought to take precedence of the nautical school or
other expensive uppcudagcs TO our public school
system.
Toyle rcmiuds MS, Mr. Chaplin, that ofall sad words
of tongue or pen the saddeSt these: "lmade the
trump myself and I've got euchrcd.7 lP. s.-Parties
ordering 100000 copies of Mr.. DayenpOrt's letter
are entitled to Il handsome discount from regular
rates.
Resides the $50 600 which the Park Commission
asked OF the Board of Apportionment on Friday for
a propagating house in Central Park-which Is not
nccdcd-thoy ask for $3.50, 900 for the three items
of Central Park Constructions" Central Park
Transverse Roads" and Park Paths" In addition
To much heavier amounts for drainage, surveying
salaries "maintcnancc,' maps and other vaguely
defined purposes. II would be interesting to the
public and il ought to be interesting TO the Board
of Apportonment TO be informed whether any If
this $3.50 900 ~ intended for opening surface
road across the Park above the Reservoir. Stakes
are in that region apparently to show the course
OF some roadway which is to be cut through the
tree borders of the secluded meadow which has
become 50 vol known. Ii the transverse road"
referred 10 include this one if 1t Is concealed
somewhere in Central Park Construction" or
" Park Paths" the money should not be granted.
IL is not maintained that the road system of the
upper Park will never need any revision nor adj
dition. But certainly no such modification of the
Parks design should be tolerated unless IL is en-
trusted to some one who Is known to have an in
tellgent sympathy with the work. Messrs. Olmsted
and Vaux have both boon driven away from the
work which they created, and no one pretends that
there is in the employ of the Board any landscape
artist capable of designing any new plan Tho
Commissioners themselves have openly proclaimed
their contempt for skilled talent and there was no
need of their late performances to demonstrate their
own lack of fitness for service of this sort. The
Park is Il consistent work of landscape art, and il
will never do to allow any jouneyman to SET
about improving its plan.
thoughtful Syracuse reader, of alien politics
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PERSONAL.