New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-03
T4Uu1NY,S FINANCIAL JCGGLERY.

TAMMANY'S FINANCIAL JCGGLERY.
Novor Stronc's message to the Board of Alder
men ON the financial condition Of this municipal
fly Is = document which intelligent citizens need
not be urged TO read attentively. 1t sets forth
facts which hitherto have not been known In de-
tail and therefore have not. though often sub
stantaly asserted on ample evidence, produced
the profound impression which such an exposure
Of financial trckery ought 10 produce In ms
official form. attested by the city's responsible
financial officer and appropriately characterized
by its Chief Magistrate. they will be accepted AZ
| at once authentic and startling. The persistent
purpose and endeavor of the Tammany govern
ment for years before its downfall were. flrSt 10
spend public money proiiigatcly for the strength
cning of the machine and the enrichment OF lis
favorites and second. TO beCuile the coInintnl'!
into believing that its huge revenues We're 50
employed as to enlarge the citys fame ana pro
mote the common welfare This object IAN
many leaders sought 10 accomplish in various
ways-by impudent reiteration on the stump ana
through their newspaper organs Of falScho'dS
which could not be Immediately refut'u D.!
elaborate eulogcs in more serious publicalohS'
by attaching to their service men whom II WAS
difficult TO suspect either Of ignorance or OF ds-
honor. and so presenting their Jealous support
as evidence of probty and efficiency i'll the al
| mnistration OF municipal affairs.
In recent wears wellinformcd citizens hay"
known that Tammany rulers had added to these
| methods Of obscuring facts and averting JudS-
ment the device of an essentially fraudulent tax
| rate The rate was reduced, and the reduction
| was officially proclaimed as conclusive PROOF
| Of rigid economy, perfect honesty ana Shiilu'
| management This process eliminated when inc
| fax rate for 1894 was fixed at 1.I9, ana the lax
| novers were adjured 10 believe that IN" con
| demnaton Of such government was aboH-
| inabv ungrateful and wicked The opponent :
| Of Tammany Hall had no difficulty in showing
| that this low rate had been attained largely by
| ,ncrnas sing assessments and was therefore Il mere
| trick The disclosure is confirmed 10y the Mayor
| message but This is not all nor the worst OF III"
shabby and dishonest business which that docu
| ment. employing the Controllers official hgureS
reveals. Mr. Fitch shows that there relnali"i
unissued on December 81, 1894. Of bonds author
| ized to be issued prior to that date an amount
| exceeding S7,0OO,0OU; and that the liability oil
the city on January /. 1895, for public works ana
improvements 10 be paid for ont OF the proceeds
Of bonds then unissucd amounted to nearly
$4,000 900 excluding other authorized eXpcndl
lures which cannot be estimated. In Drief, ram
many has been deliberately deceivinS the people
as 10 the extent Of the municipal debt. seeking 10
dolude them. as Mayor Strong says. in order "to
"nro,luce n political as well as hoped for bench
"cial moral effect" and leaving "to the future
"the realization and burden Of the actual cond
"tlon Of the financial affairs Of the city. To
lnll the apprehcnsions OF taxpayers, 10 inspir,
III fol
fool them into giving successive votes Of conf
dencc 10 Tammany Hall the municipal authori
ties have employed "every technical subtcrfuge'
TO defer the authorization Of bond issues, and
have maintained a general System Of financial
iugglcry" These the terms used by lh'
Mayor, Il man of large experience In practica
affairs and Of proved sagaciy TO describe The
conditions and methods Of administration whicl
the Controllers figures have officially brought Il
his knowledge.
IL this exposure were only melancholy recorc
Of DAYS that are past and doings that may never
be repeated il would be sufficiently oppressive
reading But 1t suggests very serious cOnsidcra
tions for the future. What will be its effect will
reference to public works Of great importance
which are In contemplation or already undc
way? The hitherto unacknowlcdged magnitude
the execution Of the Rapid Transit Commits
son's plans and defer indefinitely the attainment
of an object 50 vital to the public welfare thu
the people have been willing TO cxpcnd S5O.0Oj
600 upon IT, And there are other sautary enter
prses of municipal Improvement which hi
revelation Of amazing chicanery may bring TO
halt. All its possible consequences cannot b.
Immediately determined. but it is absolutely Ger
tain that Tammany has not only inflicted gr0s
outrages upon the city during It's long term o
mower. but imposed heavy burdens and sacrifice
upon the future The Mayor Justly says, as h
had said before in a rcmonstrancc sent To Al
bany. that mandatory legislation compelling
large municipal expenditures is a menace and III
Injustice 10 New York. But il is 10 be rcmcn
bered that mandatory legislation of this sort II
wears past could have been prevented by a wor
from Tammany. but was in fact procured 70
their own purposes by the leaders Of that con
spiracy
in conclusion. we deem ii not improper to OK
press our amaZcmcnt and Indignation that Cor
trollcr Fitch, a man whose personal honesty In
never been smirchod should have prevailed upo
himself to consent, at least by silence, 10 III
practices which his books reveal. He knew we
what financial jugglery and subterfuges wer
being employed 70 deceive and virtually 10 swif
die the people. long before Mayor Strong extrac
ed from him the facts which are now matters G
universal knowledge. That Is his condemnation