New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-17
ANOTHER CITY SCANDAL.
DIRTY WORK IN THE DOCK DEPARTMENT.
REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE ELECTED IN THE
HEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSIONERS
OF ACCoUNTs-sCENEs AND INCIDENTS
IN THE EXAMINATION.

| HEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSIONERS
| OF ACCoUNTs-sCENEs AND INCIDENTS
IN THE ExAMINATIoS.
II has been frequently observed by those phioso-
piers who have made a study OF human nature that the
defence usually offered by men who in the wrong
IS an attack upon the motives of those who call
them to account During the progress of the lnvesti
CATION now bel conducted by Commissioners Hoahan
ana Barker into the administration OF the Dock
Department. this theory OF defence has been strk-
ngly illustrated. The most dsgraceful abuses have
Oeen unearthed the Dock Commissioners, present and
past, have been exposed faithess. careless and
stupid officials loose and irregular methods have been
discovered actual frauds laid bare, and to all these
wretched disclosures the reply is made that Tam
many Hall is engaged In effort to capture tho
Department OF Docks.
Messrs. Hoahan and Barker are. In one sense.
Tammany officials. They were made the Commits
sloners OF Accounts by Mayor Grant In fact and IN
theoy they his personal represent atives. and he
Is Tammany politician Of the intensely partisan
stripe. 1t Is likely enough that he would like 10
capture the Dock Department in the interest OF him
self and his organization. But this fact cannot be
worked into excuse for neglect OF duty and blind
mismanagement the par, Of the Dock Commissions It
doesn't rsors the taxpayers the tens of thousands
OF dollars deliberately stolen from the public treasury
| by reason Of their accommodating blindness. IL
doesn't render them one whit filter for public trust
! than they have been. In word. II is not to the
point
Moreover Messrs. Ho'ahan and Barker not open
to charges of partisan other malice. Their services
to the city have been OF the highest value. II they
have suppressed any Tammany misconduct. that fact
has Yet TO be shown. Certain IL Is that
they have made their office, for the first
time since Its creation an effective agency
IN the detection Of public abuses. Every attack
thus far made by them upon any department has been
fully just fed by the evidence adduced to sustain It,
and at the same time they have been animated by fair
ness, impartIally and apparently high sense Of
duty. They afford to the charge that they
are serving tools Of Tammany by pointing to th3r
record, and before such . charge is worth consider
Ing anyhow, 1t must be made by others than scOrched
officials and accompanied " III clear specifications.
For ten years, at least, rumors have been ahoat in
and about the City Hall Park Of queer and crooked
work in tho Dock Department. When II
tablished in 1870, II was se-operating self-cOn-
uoled machine, empowered 70 spend the public funds
almost without limit. and entir,ly without super
vision Three years later. with the hard lessons Of
the Tweed Ring experience fresh IN the city's
memory a reform bill dragged through the Legis-
ature bringing the municipal departments TO their
expenditures under the absolute control Of the Board
Of Estimate and Apportionment, than which wiser
or useful law ever was passed with regard TO
this city. But for some wholly absurd reason. con-
ceived, beyond a doubt in devtry, the Dock Depart
mont was excepted from this rule and the law was
continued By which 1t directed to turn in all its
rece pts TO the credit Of the Sinking Fund, and
powered 10 issue bonds chargeable against the Sinking
Fund to mot its expenses. This left the door open
70 all kinds OF corruption. Only thing
needed TO render the Department entirely safe against
punishment, no matter how rotten It should bcome
and this supplied when the Consol dalton Act
was passed in s52. The way in which It was supplied
Is particularly striking instance Of legislative
calty. In those sections DEFINING the duties powers
and responsibilities Of the Dock Department there IS
Section ia with regard to construction and
repair II Is In this of work. Of course, that the
Dock Department spends It's money. Over 5000 900
spent last year under tn, authority conferred by
this section. After directing that the work shall
be done according to general dock, pier and bulkh ad
plan. the section, originally drawn, went thus
- Tho work Of such construction. under said plan
plans shall be perform d follows" and then was
detailed admirable scheme for the letting OF all
contracts But somewhere along in the bilPs progress
through the Legislature this incorporation worked
into it Just after the word "pans7: unless
ordered to be othcrw 80 performed by the
Affirmative votes Of all the members OF the
Board)s so that when the Consolidation Act be
law the Dock Board were I'm Unrestricted control
Of their expenditure and might give out their work in
|
there was no Just proper for such provisions
They were made In orler render jobbery safe and
easy and that obbery has gone on IS therefore only
natural and consequential.
But although stories have been in circulation for
years concerning bad and dishonest work In the De
partment, nobody has seemed 10 be able to get at IT,
Time and again the newspapers have called attention
10 suspicious surface indications and several legislative
Investigating committees have come down here from
Albany and have pol5rd around I'm the Department.
but Just when they seemed TO be getting upon the
track OF something they switched OH, withdrew thelr
probes and went elsewhere. Within month or TWO
the watchful reporter would tot down in his notebook
the appearance Of son, or brother, or brother
in-law Of one or two OF the Senators or Assemblymen
who had been engaged in the investigation. as dock
master or other empoye Of the Department What
that meant was OF coWsc as plain as the nose on
a mans face.
Last summer the Commissioners OF Accounts began
one OF their ordinary Investigations into the DOCKS
and accounts OF the Department These COmfhlssloh
ers are perennial investigators. They are IN theory
the Mayors official eyes supposed to be kept at all
times peertnr Unto the methods and work
ngs OF the various departments lhey
have the power 10 take testimony under oath to com
pei attendance and the production of books ana ae'
counts. Before they had got very FAR INTO "cir
examinations they found that I'm some cases inc uo'
masters or persons employed by them as assistants We
themselves coverly the 4ssees Of pers 10 whlch 'nI
we're directing much busness-that Is the doo NiI"'
would have a dummy in whose name the uo'"n''s ,
ter would lease pier and to that pier he Wouiu s''
dlscharcing vessels the fun limit OF us 'ap","'
and not to the public piers the wharfage dues unus
accrung to him Instead Of TO the city. Ihey caine
across a case Of this kind and across man
curious arlthueiical facts which seemed 10 sno" aie0
frauds upon the departmental revenues ana III
tlon With expenditures also. II was app"Io'' -
fu f,cts ,roud hest be elected BY an open lnVes"Bd
,lor and aftor spcudtpg months preparing the way
for disclosures and arranging against blockades 'ney
opened the attack Oh November T. pacAeu " WV
CORPORATION Counsel as their inqusitor ...,-,o,
II cannot be said that Mr. CLARK was uI'''"-a .''.
al the bar when he became Counsel 10 me
He was partner Of Mr. Bourke COCHRAN a." o w" A.
there was any shining q be done y! -. ,,on