New-York tribune., 1901-10-23
REPLY TO THE CONTROLLER
HIS oUIBBLING OVER THE SHOWING
OF TAAIdANY'S LAVISHNESS
WITH SALARIES.

Officers Of the Republican County Committee
authorized a statement last night in which MI.
Coler is taken TO task for trying 10 throw on
the State Legislature the responsibility for the
tremendous drains on the city's treasury which
have been made by Tammany Hall during the
administration Of Mayor Van Wyck. In
statement given out by the committee last Sat
urday figures We're produced which showed an
increase Of salaries amounting to Ss5ll'a33.
The figures were then shown to Mr.. Coler who
acknowledged that they were correct, but said
that the differences. which the fusion leaders
drew. we're erroneous.
The statement issued by the committee last
night is follows:
Controller Coler in the clermont Avenue Rink Rink
70 explain away the increases of salaries under f
the statement issued last Saturday amounted IN
the last four years 10 the enormous sum OF sS5noo
asScs VI was Woluntarily distributed by the Van
Wgck administration 70 the snecure holders II rs rs
retUue his arguments specifically: because II Is
refuge in technicalities. BY adrotly grouping the
figures and by specious argument the SonTolieEE
budget accounts were not manipulated by ram
many TO maintain an army Of workers at the pub
The Controller did not make good his promise to
tory, which, If true. is sad commentary on Tam;
nanys management because the IegisaiuTe d hSq or
supplies for and maintenance of public institutions,
Sucn as hospitals anO pTlSOiS. II AuS
had taken his 50 per statement and divided
the said appropriations for salaries and main
disproved the argument he made on Monday night;
The Controller himself :, issued 81 Stafememt @ dgnf IN
is compulsory but the s. per cent includes the cost
Of supplies, etc. That statement might have been
used proof in contradiction Of his assertions on
Monday might The Controller however; ehGse Ss nOs
Controller does not deny the accuracy OF the ng-
He disputes the deductions made from them and
draws conclusions satisfactory to himself out
20 show that Tammany had paid out of the budget
and out of bonds in 1859 about 81 per cert in sal
aries and in 1900 about IS per cent out Of the
budget and bonds for salaries. What was reyela-
zion 10 the public was the showing that in ADDITION
10 the enormous gratuites out OF taxation. Tam
the sum Of S2,7sOss2 in 1889. and the sum Of SOO6
To these indisputabe facts and figures the Con-
troller replied by saving that bonds have been 9
could not remember IT," and that permanent i'm
provements had been paid for from the bond ac-
count and also that out of the proceeds Of the
sales of bonds the wages OF those employed on
This is an evasion 1t is true that bonds for pub
lie improvements have been issued for generations
past. but way and for The same
purpose that Tammany is issuing them. What are
Iaducts. parks, new public buildings, hospitals
the layirg out Of bouleyspds and st streets @
ment Of last Saturday were not used for these
Ii IS true as the Controller says. that the Rapid
Transit Commission. the Dock Commission and the
proceeds Of bonds, but the Departments OF High
ways. Sewers, Bridges. Public Buildings. Ligntins
and Supplies Parks Health and Water Supply are
supposed receive all their appropriations from
the budget-that is. the levied for taxation
and expended for the current needs OF the city.
The issue Of bonds for other than PermanenTt Tim I'M
prOVements is abuse fostered by the Van Wyck
administration. and cannot be compared with the
issues Of bonds so long ago that the present gen
tion, Tammany had to go TO Albany every time an
issue Of bonds was needed. The present admin
istration has the larger power conferred upon II
by the new charter of issuing its own bonds, and
il has done TO the extent quoted above
The Controller tries TO make much out of
printers typewr!ter's error in the statement
last Saturday II said that in 1899 the proper
zion OF salaries paid out Of bond issues was %
per ana the proportion of salaries paid out
OF bond issues in 1900 J6 per cent. The
sentences should have read paid out of bond and
buGget accounts The words and budget" should
have followed the word bond TO have read
''oIt OF the bond and budget accounts" The
budget figures and bond figures which make the
aggregate - and IS per cent in the years named
were given in the same paragraph. The Controller
could easily have supplied the omission and made
Instead. he declared that the correct figures OF
salaries paid were something less than per cent
and 3l2 cent, respectively just about one-elev
enth much represented TO be.
Another way the Controller tried to cover the In
creases was by saying that the actual total Indi-
Vldual salary increase during the last four years
(outsde of the Board Of Education and the changes
IN grades of the Police and Fire departments which
have been required by law) had been S405,407 u,
instead Of S4.000000 The Controller asked whether
he had changed his mind and whether the figures
of last Saturdays statement, which he said were
absolutely correct, had all at once become wrong,
said he meant TO say that the S4O5407 II repre-
sented the actual increase OF salaries OF old en-
plOyes, and that the other S3.J00.000 not in
Is very clever way Of lodging the question. The
fact that the essential parts Of state
rnent issued last Saturday remain uncontradcted.