Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-21
POWER OF NEW YORK.
Already the Master of the Admins
trations at Washington,
HER INFLUENCE GETS STRONGER.
Annexation Will Soon Make Her the Third
City in ALI the World.
TIE PATRONAGE OF MAYOR GRANT

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATCH.1
NEW YORK, September 20.-Sitting in
the Office of the Mayor of the City of New
York the other day L could not but reflect
upon tine formidable power in the hands OF
this particular man. 1t is a very modest
Office and Mayor Grant is a very modest
and uupretentious individual. There are
many Governors of States with more pre-
tentIous surroundings. Scarcely one could
be mentioned with as little local magnifi-
cence, certainly none with as little red tape
hedging him round about in his official
capacity. Yet no dozen Governors can be
named who WELD together politico-oficial
patronage equal to that in the hands of the
Mayor of New York City, or are together
responsible for the expenditure of half the
sum of money at his disposal.
A single one of his appointees enjoys a
salary only exceeded by the salary OF the
President of the United States. The city
Chamberlain is a bureau all by himself on
SIS, 900 year The Governor of Pennsyl-
vania gets 1000 year. Mayor Grant
receives the same amount. But there are
halt dozen heads of departments who get
quite as large salaries, and more officials
get from 81, 600 to $1,000 year than can be
found at such figures in the gubernatorial
patronage of the whole country put together.
FACTS AND FIGURES.
The iudgeships alone in the city of New
York beat even the Federal patronage in
the gift of the President. The seven Su-
preme Court Judges get 81, 500 each year
as against the SO, 900 a year of the Supreme
Judges and $40, 500 of the Chief Justice of
the United States. Six Superior Court
Judges get $4,000 a year each, while six
Judges of the Court Of Common Pleas re-
eeive the same. Here are IL men overtop-
ping about every Federal appointment save
tour first-ciass foreign missions at S17 500.
Five Judges of the City Court draw $40, 900
each and four OF the General Sessions get
away with S12, 600 a year.
The Attorney General of the United States
gets S. 600, but our District Attorney makes
light OF his S12,0 600 year. We have Sur
rogate at S15, 600 and County Clerk at the
same amount, while Register comes in at
81, 600 year. 1t is hardly worth while
mentioning six Assistant District Attorneys
al s., 800 year each and half dozen depu-
ties at SO, 500 and 81, ,OOA There are Is Po-
lice Justices at $1,000 each. however, who
are not 20 be sneered at alongside of Cab.
net ofncer or the Vice President of the
United States at the same figures. When it
comes to official and political power these
Police Justices can knock a simple Gov
ernor of State silly.
THRIVE UNDER A MACHINE. |
OF course not all of the above come under |
Grants immediate authority of appointment |
some are elective-but as a rule the polit- |
ical machine that creates the Mayor of New |
York also creates them. Let us go further |
-.or the further we go in this comparison |
the more interesting the subject gets. How |
many Federal Icivil appointments are there, |
not specifically mentioned above, exclusive |
OF recompense by fees, where the salaries run |
from IS, 600 year upward? Just 80! And |
how many New York City local appoint |
ments are there of the same kind? Just 20! |
Did YOU ever think of that? In the local |
appointments here are many who are paid in |
fees. These are not included. Nor are they |
included in the count that are specifically |
mentioned in the above comparison
The Federal Presidential appointments
running from $1,000 a year up are largely
foreign missions and frst-class consulates.
And look at the character of the service.
The officials in the Treasury Department |
drawing $1,000 year are the First and
Second Comptroller and the Comptroller of |
the Currency. The Commissioner of Inter-
nal Revenue gets $4,000. The Treasurer of
the United States, with a fabulous bond, |
gets Sc, 600! The Mayors secretaries get |
S, 600 each. The Clerk of the Common |
Council receives the same.