New-York tribune., 1901-01-28
REVISERS ON THE MESSAGE
MEMBERS OF THE CHARTER COMMISSION
DISCUSS GOVERNOR ODELLS
RECOMMENDATIONS.

Colonel Franklin Bartlett, OF tne ODaIleA iNS''
sion Commission in referring to the speciai me-
sage of Governor OdelI in sending the Commission
report 10 the Legislature, said 10 tribune re-
Porter the other day:
haven't any criticism to offer on the governor
message Perhaps It Is nm qioF oPenublican leaders TO
discourage any effort to pass the ChaTter enn
to be the purpose dig out from time 10 ume qreg
few nuggets to be passed in the shape Oh H"s-
The responsibility for the increase In the salaries s
State Legislature il is a well known fact that in
every session Albany scores of bills are rf pre-
increase af of salary for city oeias Albany this
increase the nav of various city employees. do not
believe there will be found an" dispositio3nn, at
Albany cut down the salaries OF city qffelais, ,
and believe that any reliance on any such lesls-
lative relief will be futile. - ...,,,,,,,o o,t,
that there should be increase in the number oil
ing eVh might be Ghecked puI ia,,re liner
now passed an application TO the Legls%siure % i
tbst II is safer to reiv for conservative action
rnen aco5 ~ cboten nv the electors of this city
or authorities Of the city. like the Board of Esti-
mate and Apportionrnent. than it is 10 rely on the
State Legislature. If fixing of salaries is to be
left TO the Board of Estimate and Apportionment-
a board which now is made up OF men either
elected by the people at large or appointed by me
be composed entirely OF elective oficers-it is safe
TO say there would he eXtravagant or wanton
the whole city or by the various boroughs thereof
would pToha bly, be men Of character ana IorCe ana
pies money IN unnecessary appropriations Ior 'he
Under the charter revision it is made the duty of
the Board of Aldermen. on the recommendation of
the Board Of Estimate and Apportionment TO nx
the salary of every officer or person whose COM
s + Psa sH Sn 6e G5 Be Tg Of
reduce. but may not increase. any salary recon-
ment, Thus the initial suggestion of salary to be
paid is left to & the Board Of Estimate M and APpoF o,
10 the Board of Aldermen. Personally. should be
willing 10 leave the fixing OF all salaries to the
Board Of Estimate and AppOrtiOnment alone, hut II
would seem TO me that on any proper theory OF
10 be paid by the taxpayers should be left TO the
me x1 Of 9IF 6o9 b aha m iot tbe 5 Sa
Board of Estimate and ApportiOnment alone or,
termination Of the Board OF Aldermen. acting on
the initial suggestion of the Board of Estimate and
!, It has been urged that such power cannot safe,
the sctor oF ~ 1S "a "a ~ % 80 - ,ettS.
any hope of safeguarding the city's interests. BE
can be jusiied that proceeds on the fEeery that
governed by men Who should not hold office. and
who should not be elected to our local legislature.
We must proceed on the theory that in the future
good men or a majority of good men. will be
city there viii be less DANCE ~ b 1in IN nf ts
cessive salaries than if such determination were
left wholly to the State Legislature. Men elected
guided by the wishes of their constituents and by
the general desire in favor Of retrenchment and
lature.
q
be fixed by the Legislature, and that it is the Leg
islature's duty to rectify existing evils I do not
tion recommended by the Covern"r If Iii neI M ae
radical departure in direction. and a de
parture from such legislation has been passed
The repeal of the Davis School law was provided
Tor by the Charter Revision Commission. and such
Nothing is said in Governor Odells message in
does say that the liking Of Salaries should he e}
20 te 1S P sehoG boards suoJect to revision by the
Education now in favor Of reanng MIN DCafo oh the 1
statute BOOKS the Davis Law. which has Increased
One of the features of the Davis law is that
fund of an amount not less 80 tbSn ne d mis- Tsh0G
every dollar of assessed valuation OF the city's
lahaole property This fixing Of an arbitrary
minimum to go into the Golfers OF the Board OF
snIted id III the accumulate of several hundred
thousand @ dollars In the present year The valua-
result OF this absurd and arbitrary provision will
o 1be Board of OF money in the hands
from the taxpayers, and offering only an encour-
This provision Of law least should be repealed
If no ether relief from the Objectionable features
aure While the Davis law remamDs m unTebeas5 begts
on every dollar continues TO be- in force % II iG9T is S
worth while 10 expect lower taxes in the city Of
Governor Odell objects TO the portion of the re-
nised eharter a which permits the Board Of Alder
teachers, because the schools will be thrown into
see how the fixing of the salaries of these AnoHe
should throw them any more into politics than It
would throw employees of other departments into
politics; Nor do believe that the Board of Edu-
cation is sufficiently conservative in it's estimate
as 10 the proper compensation of teachers In gen
era " 80
The school teachers are sufficiently I'm potics IN
form great organized cohesive force i'm favor of
the retention of the Davis law 1t is a singular
TACT fhat no matter how good how worthy the
the moment their self-nterest IS concerned and the
question arises whether the salaries paid 10 then,
AMI their associates shall be increased or diminished
ihelr mental vision seems to be just obscure as
who pursue a less exalted calling
Alexander T. Mason, Republican district leader.
and one of the Commission said:
Governor Odel it seems to me- has treated the
recommends tiOns OF the Charter Revision Commis-
we hardly met expectations with reference IN re
trenchment. / say that the Commission CON
stantly kept In mind the need OF effecting econ
omies wherever practicable. We Increased the Con
trOler's salary from $1,000 20 sl5 900 hut recon-
mended that his fees amounting TO something like
34O.bg year. he turned into the citv trea sury
Inc Inc lnance departments of the Police Board and
Board or Education were restored to the Con
troler's office. doing away with number OF s,,ner
nuous positions, and I'm doing away with separafe
borough departments Of highways. sewers street
ana supplies many salaries done away with
altogether. The grea test retrenchment feature
recommended by the Commission IS the repeal OF
the Davis School law, which il is believed would
mean a saving Of several millions of dollars
annually.
Deputy Controller Levey. of the Commission
said:
cannot give an approximate estimate OF the
saving which would be effected If the Charter Re-
vision Commissions report should be adopted in
us entirety but Il would amount TO nearly 50 900
w: ~. ne princi2ai economy feature was the sug-