New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-25
COMMISSIONER TH0MPsOPS ANSWRR.


The answer Of Commissioner Thompson to
the charges preferred against mm Ivy the Coun-
ell of Reform il an extraordinary document The
principal accusation made to the Mayor against
him was that he evaded the law which requires
contracts for all work or supplies Involving the
expenditure of more than $1,000 to I've let on
sealed bids and proposals. A charge OF evad-
ingr law, Mr.. Thompson says involves u
concession that the law in question has not been
actually broken A plea of this KIND from
public officer, the expenditures of W hose depart
ment amounted to upward of $5,0OO.OOO last
year, ought to subject him to immediate re-
mOval.
Rnt what is to be said when Mr.. Thompson
aetnally dIstorts decision of the Court of APP
meals in order further To- defend himself7 The
Court has decided that the provision OF the city
charter requiring sealed proposals does not ap-
ply to an oral contract with city emplove for
services at $500 month. Judge Rapallo said
that tins Law "was intended to apply 10 cen
@tracts for particular jobs involving liability
@to pay the amount named, not to SERVICES Tor
an indefinite period, Involving no obligation
"on the part of the city TO continue the ser
"yicer Mr. Thompson in referring to that
decision adds: Under that reasoning IA con-
tact not founded on sealed bids to receive
= coal at $500 a week would be lawful, hot-
withstanding such receipts should continue
"many weeks, provided tnat no part of the con-
tract expressly required that it should he re-
aceiyed for more than one week" But the
Court of Appeals decided that the law WAS in-
tended to apply to just such contracts and mot
to services of a city employee Evidently Mr.
Thompson is III a bad way when he has to re-
sort 10 such a defence as that. He then puts in
the plea that when he gave orders IN one day
| for coal amounting TO more than IL, OOO 1t was
! for coal for two places, and that no quantity
! costing over 81 900 was sent to one place.
! The law makes no such distinction; and MIR.
| Thomson cannot be law unto himself, even
| if he is "A powv rful Democratic boss" The
! Board of Education buys its coal by contract
| and has it delivered at schOOl-hOuses all over
| the CITY at the rate of 81 93 per ton when Mr..
| Thompson by evading the law pays So 81 a
ton. No department of the City Government
apparently has discovered that it is to the In
| terest of the city to evade the law in regard To
contracts except the Department of Public
| Works.
Because Commissioner Campbell in July,
1880, had the Board of Estimate aud Appor-
tionment make transfer from one fund 10
another Mr.. Thompson cites that as a defence
of bis expanding in 1881 the money approprl-
ated for the one fund for work chargeable TO
the other, without any transfer. Again. he
saws that the charges made by the Council oil
Reform have been minutely considered" by
the Senate Committee on Cities. " without as
certainng any injury to the public interests III
violation Of law by me-" 1t requires a great
deal of impudence to make such an assertion
az this in view of the fact that Senator Grady
suddenly abandoned his investigation, in Dur-
suance Of political bargain, and though it was
begun wear ago and cost the taxpayers large
sum of money no report has ever been made tC
the Legislature OF the public. How then does
MIR. Thompson know that the committee did
not find any violation of law or injury to the
public iLteress7
Mr.. Thompson's answer in regard to Other
matters is in the same spirit as that touching
lis coal orders. He divides up work costing
the city hundreds of thousands of dollars into
orders az the rate of 5000 each and calls thai
obeying the law. No wonder his prominent
political associates, who are the principal re-
cipients of bis fayors in the way of orders, ar.
liberal contributors to the expenses of pOlltica
canvasses and are reputed to be rapidly grow
ing rich. And this is the public officer who
seeks to control the expenditure o.
SIS, 900, 900 for new aqueducl!