The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-15
NEW YoRK's CORRUPTION.
Report of the Legislative Investi-
eating Committee.
HOW THE CITY Hs PLUNDEREn
BE IRREsPONsTBLEP PERSONS.

NEW YORK, March 14.-Mr. Roosevelt, chairman
of the New York Assembly special committee to
investigate the various departments Of the Local
government of the city of New York. presented a
yOlum.nous report at Albany to-day.
he report says that the committee found many
abuses, due not to the existence of bad laws, but
to non-executon. evasion violation of good ones
To remedy this the committee agreed to report
nine bills which in their opinion win do away with
the gross abuses they found to exist, and to make
saving of at least $200,000 per annum to the CITY,
The committee investigated thoroughly the Offices
of register county clerk sheriff and surrogate and
partly investigated the departments of PARIS, taxes
and assessments and of law and in hardly one office
or depa tment, irrespective Of the political aflia-
tions of incumbents, did they find both honesty and
efficiency. Indeed the whole government of the
city, far the examiners could see seemed to be
in condition which is absolutely appalling. The
report says: "rhe testimony taken in relation to
the alleged details or arrangements by which the
present mayor. and the acknowledged details or
arrangements by which the present president of the
board of aldermen, attained their respective posi-.
tions casts curious sidelight upon New York
politics and shows with startling distinctness that
under the present system, men who nominally hold
Office not the ones who really exercise the
power but hat the latter, on the contrary, gem
orally outside parties who cannot be held re-
spo si5le to the people for their deeds and mis-
deeds
ALBANY, N. Y, March 14.-The committee
recommended the Indictment by grand jury of the
clerks in the surrogate's Office. VIII have illegally
cOl1SCLeO J6fS III lle Snti1u OlucS. LUG report
says that the abuses disclosed toe numerous to
admit of more than cursory mention. IN he civil
branch of the sheritfs Office they found repeated
and fragrant instances Of blackmail and charges
for tral sporration of prisoners in SS3 which
showed that more than half of the amount charged
was clear profit. Summing everything up, they
find the sheriff in 1883 received $85, ,119 for his
Sc vices; therefore the committee report a bill
making the Office salaried one and fixing the
amount of salary at 900 per annum. The evil
dence taken shows that the sheriff has in his pos
session moneys to which he has no possible title,
and which had been taken from he treasury by
of fraudulent vouchers, by sheritfs' subordi-
nates In conclusion the committee say that in
formation has been furnished them tending to show
that some o. the remaining departments in New
York are in condition July as bad as those ex-
amined.
NEW YORK, March 14--In the measures report
ed in the Legislature to-day by the Roosevelt in
vestigating commit ee for correction of abuses in
the New j ork city government are provisions fixing
registers salaries at $4,000 per annum, that Of
sheriffs at $4,000 per annum, and insisting upon
the deposit in the treasury of all fees collected also
for adjustment of imprisonment for debt.