New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-23
THE BORDERLINE OF BRIBERY.

The docks investigation has already brought
to light great deal that the public has pro-
found interest in knowing, and if 1t can be
carried through to the end with courage and
skill is certain to be memorable among munlc-
ipal exposures. 1t is unfortunate that faction
rvallies are being manipulated for the purpose
of bringing discredit upon the inquiry. 1hey
ought not to succeed, and thus far we nave
seen no indications that they will. Only
very small minority of the people OF New-l orh
are averse to having the whole truth exposed
though unfortunately it is probable that large
majority of them feel as yet only langnd IN
terest in these revelations. The fact is, that
the citizens of the metropolis are so accustomed
to the idea of having their municipal affairs
mismanaged to the verge of corruption or Dc
yond it; of paying three times as much IN thelr
corporate capacity for having their work badly
done as they would pay as individuals for nav
ing work of equal magnitude done well; OF
seeing their property and opportunities wasted
and their revenues squandered; of being taxed
enormously to provide cOnvenienceS OF civil
ization which they never enJoy-they are 50
used to all this that it requires colossal dls-
closure of incompetence or iniQuty to startle
them.
Of course when the responsibility for the
continuous existence of such state Of affairs
is traced back far enough, it is found to rest
upon the people themselves This reflection
is suggested in the course of every inveStlga-
ton into local abuses, and it derives fresh sig
nifcance from the current exposures mo
actual disposition of the 81 5000 contributed
by the oystermen for the purpose of procuring
legislation to promote their interests is prob
lem which has provoked much curiosity Every
body who has followed the inquiry up to this
point, except the raScals who divided this large
sum of money, is anxious to know what became
of it. Such solicitude is entirely proper, but
how about the oystermen who subscribed the
S13, 900 and consider themselves the victims
of "bunco" operation? Haven't they earned
a little public attention on their own account
No doubt most of them are industrious, we'll
meaning men, who are quite accustomed to
think of themselves and to be thought OF as
good citizens But how much doubt is there
that they are all contributors to what they in
tended to be bribery fund? Probably they
did not use the word 'bribe' in discussing the
business. At the time they spoke of it as an
efficaoious means of smoothing the way at Al
bany, though we observe that some of them
are now disposed to regard it in the light of a
counsel fee" OF course, the fact is that they
expected it to procure the law they wanted, and
did not care just how it was applied to the OBJ
ject they had in view.
This instance of the employment of large
sum Of money in secret manner to procure a
private privilege through public channel is
striking example of the practices to which
respectable citizens in almost every avOcation
resort more or less often. The lawyer who
wants process served promptly and the mer-
chant who has business with public depart
ment expect as rule, to pay to some subor-
dinate, not only the proper fee for work done,
but bonus to insure zeal and expedition They
would say that they were practically compelled
to do So and they would consider bribery" a
harsh word to describe the transaction. Per-
haps it is, but they know, when they stop to
think about it, that the abuse has reached great
and burdensome dimensions, and that the sys-
TEN is far removed from an ideal or even an adj
mirable public service. The point is that they
ought to stop to think about it oftener and to
resolve to have done with it forever.