The evening world., 1894-03-31
PENSIONS FOR VOTES.
Platt Said to Be Seeking a Deal
With Our Firemen.
Republican Machine Against Vets
Who Ran with the Machine.
Juggling with the 2 Per. Cent Tax
on Foreign Insurance Companies.

A deal" through which ex-senator
Thomas G. PIatt is trying to get a hold
on the New York city Fire Department
the sam. AZ on the Police department
through the BI.Partisan Commission. IL
said to be pending In the Legislature al
Albany. The negotiations have been con
Quoted on the "bctween you ana me-
plan, but now that the secret is out. MIR
Plat denies all Knowledge of and connec'
ton with the scheme. Despite all efforts
however. to cover up tracks. the politi'
cal footprints indicate Enthusiastically that
II is u Plat trail.
Tn deal Is over the bill Introduce
In tn" interest Of the Exempt Firemen's
benevolent Fund, of his city, giving
mat organization the right to collect
from foreign insurance companies a
per cent. tax on their receipts from pre-
miums ON policies. BY foreign corpora
tons are meant insurance companies or
ganizcd in other state Or nations ant
doing business in the State OF New York
For this privilege they pay a license, and
sine 1870, they have in addition, paid 4
percentage to the iiremcn. The money
thus received was turned into tine fund fDl
the relief Of tircmen retired on pension.
ana the Widows and orphans Of ;iremen
When the paid Fire Department wa
created the Legislature authorized tn,
continuance of the payment Of percent
ages for the benefit OF the fOrmer vol
unte"r fremen and their heirs. Thi.
'aw vas re-enaCted from time to time
and the bill now before the Legislator,
urcyides that the law shall remain II
force Tor ten years more. Thereby hang!
the deal.
Tho paid Fire Department has beer
trying for years to establish a pension
fund for its members like that of the
] Police Dpnl ri mont The pDlirp pDn.fnt
Fund Is supported principally by re.
ccipts from certain permits and licenses
and from iines imposed on members oi
the force. The . pcr cent. tax on pre-
to II great deal more annually than tn
income of the Police Pension Fund, anC
they have come to the conclusion thai
they are justly entitled to It,, and no
the veterans. The story goes that thes
have enlisted the aid of ex-senator
Plntt, and that y promise has been ex
acted from the iiremen. or rather theii
leaders, 10 support tn" Platt candidate
nest Fan If the : per cent. tax is turned
over to the paid hrcmen for a pension
fund. 1t has been represented 10 tn,
llatt leaders that as most of the eS,
CWpt tlremen are supporters of Tam
many Hall the Republicans would b.
the gamers by winning the aid an
friendship Of such powerful politica
factors as the paid firerlen.
The argument is "A weighty one, as l
Is well known that II candidate for {
local Office who has the police and fire
men opposed to him, stands a poo
chance OF being elected.
The amount at stake is worth fight
ing for. The payments on the . per cent
tax have increased from $4,000 in 1850 L
$4,000 In 1898. The vets are puttinl
the influence they can command to re
tain the income. ON the other hand
the insurance companies have tried Il
escape the imposition of the tax. The,
tpgfpl the LEGALITY nf the tax and II
1859 the Court of Appeals rendered a de
cision sustaining. the fremen. An ex
tract of this decision has been printed
in circular form and sent to ever
member Of the Legislature as an appea
for his vote for the men who ran will
the old machine. The decision, writ
ten by Justice Finch; Is r strong tribut
to the old 1iremen. He says in part:
The question was not one mer'ly Of sentimer
or charity. We're was a body Of men ~intruste
with important public duties, upon whose cn
depended, but who were to he obtained "i;ho,
the aid of salary or pay. and mus be drawn int
service. not only by motives Of duty or love
danger, but by jniicious and even gratet,
treatment and recognition by the state.
out Of this existing relation, and from a cot
sItsra,ion of the puhltc welfare, sprang the az
Of ls", nsssed as a public act md dictated by
clcir and definite policy. So the state, In contii
uIng the Appropriation to the Nrcmcn. when the
services were no lnnVe. required. recognized a
honorable obligation, founded upon their past Sc
vi.es and the injuries and suffering whica the,
NNl '' "sNnPl' JuS' MS IpllCS ms nten adOpt'
az to exemptions.
They were continued after the services ende,
AMI when the volunteers were dtsSlndei, withol
their faNlf AMI 10 make room Tor a paid s,rvlc
'iStire anil good faith required that the sta
should rc"oFnis" IFS honorable obligations to ke'
M the fund. rs II had duH' for so many year
INA state did 50. and u" are concerned only wi
II" true character Of It's act The character
IA" obligation must not he mistaken or misunde
stood.
c~oncnrrel nv the whole Court, except Andrew
+, who was absent
The eHemnt firemen say that the
treasury would he depleted II they al
deprived Of their income, and. as n +,
suit, untold suffering and hardshi
would be sntniled on many poor widow
n sick and disabled veterans who Il,
pend for their existence on the dom
tions and pensions they receive. 7
show that the disbursements for eigi
years exceeded the receipts from II
tax. Clcrk George r. Patterson rs
prepared the following financial stat,
ment for the information OF the Leg!
lature.
nial prxa,,an,