New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-25

I The MunicipaI AsScnDTy
| TO one body, the Board Of Aldermen. with the
| borough presidents It's members shou i9 20, o
| compelled to attend its sessions. ana snoula lie
ceive $1,000 a year salary. 1t should r nan
| mower TO originate and to amend imporlant
| measures The power to grant all PERMITS s
! should be restored to the Mayors once M M
| clerk Of the Board Of Aldermen should ne tle
| city Clerk. who should take up the Work ,u nov
| confided 10 the Bureau of Municipal Sta'lsucs'
which should be abolished =, ,,o,, ,ooa,
! Methods should be provided by Whlch loCai
! boards. the Municipal Assembly and Its mem
! bers NAV obtain all desired Information OIL ut
! partment plans and objects. ana eacn poroueH
! president should be entitled to the services Vi
| an engineer. 49,, ..,
| We reiterate our former plea that everythihs
| Is to be gained by Identifying and enlarglng the
powers OF local boards and borough pres,uen I've
reached without absolute impairment OF consoi-
| idation.
! Mr.. Moss refers to the proposed Charter Re-
vision Committee in these words:
We hope that the coming Legislature so con-
| stituted that IL easily enact law. VIII not
defer these important matters 10 future time
in which conditions may be different Those
who are anxious TO maintain the present In
effective provisions OF the charter with their
golden opportunities will do their best to split
the succeeding Legislature into opposing bodies
The responsibility for the correction of funda.
mental errors surely rests now on the unified
Legislature which is Of the same political COM
plexion as the body that enacted 1t.
THE HUGE LIST OF CITY EMPLOYEES.
Referring to the huge increase Of city en-
ployes since Mr.. Croker reassumed control Of
the city. and to the apparent mpossibility Of
getting anywhere a correct list of these feeders
at the public crib the report says:
We recommend the prompt enactment Of a
law requiring each head OF Office or depart
ment in the city and in each county included
therein. to furnish to the Mayor in the first
week Of each month statement OF the number
OF employees and the amount OF the payroll IN
his office or department for the preceding month,
and all increases and decreases Of salaries. and
names and salaries of those discharged and APP
pointed, and requiring the Mayor to obtain such
reports and to the printing thereof In
The City Record" in the month Of their receipt
by him; also Of law requiring the report by
the Controller to the Mayor each month OF the
city contracts outstanding. and the amount
thereof the total payments made. and the pay
ments made during the month, to be published
in the same way; also law requiring that In
the submission Of departmental estimates. and
the fixing of tie annual budgets, the amounts
asked and the amounts allowed for salaries be
separately stated
The Legislature may be able to save some
money by consolidating several departments as
recommended. by abolishing deputy commits
sioners in Manhattan and by adopting simpli-
fed plan for the rural boroughs, but ii is evil
dent that the great swelling of salaries is due to
the discretionary acts of commissioners and
other officers which is beyond the control OF
the Legislature If 1t intends to leave the people
OF New-York to govern themselves
All that IL do to affect this matter In a
large way is to make these officers directly re-
sponsible all the time to the Mayor and to send
him before the people for their approval with
reasonable frequency. The people must be re-
lied on to influence and control the Mayor. and
II they can not will not, the fault will not
be with the Legislature, for IT has not the rem
edy for such conditions.
EVILS OF THE BOSS SYSTEM.
Mr. Moss then devotes about ten pages OF his
report TO the evils Of the boss system exem-
pfed in the person Of Richard Croker He
begins this part Of his report by saying:
This statement Of some OF the evils and diff
cultes In the city Of NewYork that are shown
in our testimony, would not be complete nor
would we comply with the Assembly's direction
II did not more directly and distinctly show
'the influences affecting and controlling the
officers" as those influences have been revealed
by evidence. In the first message OF the Mayor
this significant language:
Fidelity to the pledges upon which the suffrages
Of citizens were asked and secured demand that
we demonstrate the advantages Of responsible gov
for which great political party stands sponsor
H eS e amy amy 10 of G
lie confidence. including in this designation not
neffclency but also any want OF Industry and any
Indifference to the safety. comfort and convenience
Of the public.
The Mayor conceded that this sponsor" was
the organization whose general committee meets
at Tammany Hall, but he declared that he con-
trolled himself made his appointments by him
self, and, though he had talked them over with
Mr.. Croker had determined them himself.
Mr.. Croker freely admitted his leadership OF
Tammany Hall, identified the most important
officials who had been appointed as being prom
inent In It, and said he was the leader and they
were his friends, and he would stick to them.
He said he had given advice In the political mat
ters of the city; that II would not do to have
divided counsels at the head.
Q-For that reason, when the party is dominant
the who put into the city offices admin
lister the affairs OF the city ought 70 be in such
orally considered by the organization to be the
proper thing? Ave agree on that. We believe 1t
Is right. Yes. sir.
Mr.. Croker admitted that he had a powerful
influence over the Tammany legislators at AL
bany, whose actions he advised, and that he ex-
ercises the same influence upon local officials
He acknowledged the issuing of warning TO
members OF the Municipal Assembly, and be-
lieved that after his warning they attended 10
their duties better" He readily conceded that he
Is the most powerful man that he knows Of.
Speaking of judicial candidates, he admitted
that they were assessed In their districts and
that they are selected by the Executive Com
mittee and the advisers of Tammany Hall and
are expected to pay part Of the organization
expenses. Some Of the most eminent Of our
| judges testified to direct conversations with Mr.
| Croker about their election contributions and
| that they went 10 him to secure their nomina-
lions or the nominations Of their associates by
| Tammany Hall. knowing that its nomination
was almost equivalent to election
Mr.. Croker freely claimed to be entitled to the
patronage Of the courts for himself and mem
Ders or the organization. one Judge Daiy) was
! refused denomination because he would not WELD
this patronage Mr.. Croker claimed that Tam
many was entitled to the appointment Of refer
ees and street opening commissions, etc
MONOPOLY OF JUDICIAL SALES.
appeared mat Mr.. Crokers firm gets the
lions share Of judicial sales, and gets ali the
auctions ordered by the city departments
IL appeared later that nearly all bonded city
eHpioyes ana nearly all pawnbrokers and a
majority of city contractors are handed e., ,ha
| United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company
or which Mr. Croker's friend Mr. Freedman is
the leading spirit-that Mr.. Croker was taken
! into II 10 get bis influence n that 1,r..1l