Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-03-17
Free Tickets.


New York is and always has been the
strongest Democratic city in the Union,
made SO not so much by the foreign
vote as by large corruption fund the
Odlice holders fitch from the people and
spend in keeping up political clubs and
in purchasing votes. The Republican
Legislature of New York is now engag-
ed in an investigation of the plans by
which this large corruption fund is
raised and have presented several bills
with view of saving the tax payers
from downright robbery. These in
vestigations show that though the sala-
ry of the County Clerk is So, 800, the fees
he receives for searches which are
provided for in the laws run the
amount up to $50, O59.Sl-
The money thus received is required to
be turned into the City Treasury, hut
the evidence taken by the committee
shows that the clerk during the past
year retained for his own use not count
ing his salary, $1S, 1862. To this add
the salary and it will be seen that the
clerk received for the year $l7, 81.
The previous clerk, Mr.. Butler, retained
during his term of three years, $685. G2O
that did not belong to him.
The committee found things no bet
ter in the Registers Office. The Regis
ter is paid entirely by fees, and if these
fees come in the whole year as they did
during the inclement month of Janu-
ary, when none but actual necessary
work was done, the fees the Registers
salary, would amount to $4,000. The
Register had forgotten" whether he
spent over or above $50, 900 to secure the
success of the Democratic ticket and
his own election. The whole net in
come of the Office amounted to cOnsid-
erably over 100000, but making the
liberal allowance of $4,000 for clerk
hire there was still left the nice little
nest egg of $4,000 for the Register,
which of course he is expected to dizzy
with the political organizations that
helped to elect him. He could very
easily give $4,000 each year to the po-
litical corruption and still have snug
little salary of $50, 900 year left.
The Surrogate office was found to be
little less than a lazar house of corrup-
ton, where an organized system of col
lecting illegal fees from the people was
kept in vogue. The workings of the
Office were so intricate and so past find
ing out that the committee had no ex-
act data to show how much money was
annually tilched from the people, but
there was no question Of doubt that it
amounted to tens of thousands of dol
lars. The committee We're so indignant
at the wholesale robbery they had I'M
covered and brought to light that in
their report made to the Legislature
last Friday they strongly recommended
the indictment before the courts and
the punishments of the guilty parties.
But it was in the Sheriff's Office
where fraud and corruption seem to
have run wild. There it was shown
that the work of filling in printed
blanks, and which can easily be per
formed by one ordinary clerk at sala-
ry of not more than 81, POO or 81, 800 a
year, was performed last year by the
Sheriff at a cost to the city of $26 200.
The Sheriff is allowed by the Aldermen
ca reasonable allowance for convey
ing prisoners from the city prison to
and from Blackwell's and Randalps
Islands. Evidence shows that all these
prisoners are transported by the Sheriff
in van, which with the horses cost
under 81 900. A driver and one or two
deputy Sheriffs accompany the van to
and from the prison whenever there are
prisoners to carry. This service in
Guiding horses and van could all beper-
formed for sum under s., 900 and the
allowance would be liberal, yet the
reasonable compensation" allowed by
the Board of Aldermen to the sheriff
was during 1888, s23, 100.
The distance from the city prison to
these islands is only five or six blocks,
and the allowance is $l.75 per head.
Again, the Sheriff is allowed by the
Aldermen rs cents day for boarding
prisoners or 1925 week, which
amounted, during the year 1888, to
Sc, 900, more than half of which was
undoubtedly clear profit. 1t is made
the duty of the Sheriff to serve notices
upon petit jurors in the county for
which he is allowed 80 cents notice.
For this service he received $6,672. In
addition to these liberal allowances the
Sheriff is allowed a bonus of $500 for
every person he hangs, which is indie
pendent of other allowances to meet the
expenses of an execution. We may
well suppose that the Sheriff Of New
York would hardly be found favoring
many reprieves and pardons by the
Governor. To sum up the Sheriff was
allowed as ga reasonable compensa-
tion," $50, i19 for his services in 1888.
On par with such gigantic frauds
and stealings, is the manner in which
Ludlow street Jail is kept. An investi-
CATION by the committee shows a most
revolving and incredible state Of affairs.
The drunken and brutal keepers are
permitted to pursue thorough system
of ext0rtion and blackmail imposed up
on those prisoners who are too poor to
pay for favOrs. The bills presented to
the committee have for their object the
eradication of these abuses, and the es-
Establishment of a local city government
founded upon honesty and humanity.
Such state of affairs is foul blot up
on civilization and morals.
But just by these means New York
City is made the great citadel of the
Democracy of the Union. Throu q.
this very corruption fund the city is
made to give from 40, 600 to $4,000 Dem
Ocratc majority at Presidential cleo
tions. Through this immense Demo-
cratic majority, bought up and manu-
featured from the gin slums of the city,
New York State is expected to cast her
vote for Democratic President With
out New York the Democrats cannot
elect President, and without this cor
riIntion fuul tn corruDt the DeODle and