New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-23
Bills WHIcH OUGHT TO FAIL,


Among the many bills at Albany which
ought never to become laws, there are three
lust now Jf special concern 20 the taxpayers OF
this city. One breaks up the present system of
grading policemen and firemen and restores the
old rate of pay, 81, 200 for every one, good or
bad, raw or trained, competent or incompetent.
This mischievous measure is now before the
Committee on Cites in each branch of the Legis-
lature. Not one good argument can be set forth
to sustain it. The plan of dividing the police
men and ilemen into three classes according TO
length of service and efficiency is a sound and
wholesome ore. 1t gives new men something
70 labor for and look forward to, encourages
them to loyal and dilgent effort, and is in
every way useful in improving the discipline
and working strength of the force. No one
wants it changed bu. demagogues. We are
paying quite enough for our Police and Fire
Departments. This bill will swell the annual
expenditure for those departments by more
than three-quarteIs of a million OF dollars.
Taking into account the present rates of pay i'll
private business and the cost of living to-day
is not $500 quite enough to pay policeman or
fireman just entering upon his duties, with
everything to Learnt Under the old system
the hard-working policeman or fireman, no
matter how well he might DO his duty, no mat
ter how valuable he might become to the de-
partment, got not ole cent more pay at the end
of ten years Of faithful toll than the raw re-
cruit, awkward, ignorant laundering, just
pitched into place through the influence of a
ward politician. What was there to COM
mend in that7 Governor Cornell last year
vetoed bill just like the present one. Gov
ernOr Cleveland cannot do better than to follow
his example if this measure ever gets through
the two Houses.
4. OF like mischievCus tendency is the bill which
has been introduced to increase the police force
here. 1t has again and again been shown that
by proper disposition of the men at their COM
mand, by a thorough wedding out of incompe-
tent patrolmen and putting good men in their
places, by reducing the number of especial de-
tails and taking the favorites out of the soft
positions which are almost sinecures, the Police
Commissioners can easily and amply provide
for the protection of life and property in all
parts of tho city, and without Overworking
the force either. Until New York gets q Po-
lice Board in whose honesty and loyalty to the
public interest complete confidence can be felt,
no regard should be paid to representations
from Mulbcrry-st. that a larger number of
patrOlmen are needed.
The third bill which taxpayers may well de-
sire to see beaten is that to pay election in
spectors the money justly withheld from them
by Controller Campbell. These men had
failed TO comply with the requirements of the
law. The Corporation Counsel gave an opinion
that they could not legally be paid, but re-
commended the passage of n bill by the Lcgis- |
lature providing for the settlement of these
claims, OH The ground that the irregularities
were technical and injured no one. Mr. |
Andrews hardly seems to have shown his usual |
careful Judgment in this suggestion. In such a |
city as this the only security for honest cleo |
tons lies in the rigid enforcement OF every pro
vision of the law. If minor matters are |
sighted, serious offences are sure to fol- |
low. There is no law in the statute book the |
very letter of which is of more importance to |
the peace and prosperity of our people. This |
body Of registration and election laws is rs a |
wall raised by the honest men of both parties |
against such frauds as those of Tweeds time. |
Make but little breach in that wall and how |
long will tie structure stand9 We cannot |
afford to allow it to be weakened in any way.
The argument is made in favor of these in
spectOrs that they meant no wrong, that they |
blundered through ignorance or negligence. ,
But why should they not suffer the penalty that !
ignorance or negligence ought always to pay in !
such matters as these why should the Legis-
lature interfere to save these men from the lust |