New-York tribune., 1901-11-09
IA TAulfANY"SNAPS" INDANGER
MAYOR LOW WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO
Use THE PRUNING KNIFE.

There is widespread belief in the city that
Seth Low as Mayor will run businesslike ad-
nlinistratfon which will reduce the expenses OF
civ government Every well informed man In
the city knows that the present Tammany ad-
rninistration has been squandering the city's
money in every department by making places
for political workers. who are worse than use
less as citv officials 1t has been the regular
practice of Tammany heads Of departments
to make places with fat salaries for their
favorites
The attention of the public has been called in
the columns of The Tribune on several occasions
TO the enormous increase in the number OF city
employees in the Tammany administration II
has been pointed out that in all of the admin
istrative departments there are too many clerks.
messengers and private secretaries drawing sal
aries altogether out OF proporton 10 the "oLA
they have to do. Tammany heads OF depart
ments as a rule have not spent much time IN
their offices attending their duties 1t mas
been notorious that when newspaper men van
ed to get information from them and sougnt Ior
them at their offices they seldom found them
there In most cases. too, the heads OF depart
r,ents have been unable to give information
about the affairs of their departments III mas
been the rule for them refer newspaper men
to some of the hard working employees VINO nave
had long experience and small salaries
In the pursuit of information the newspaper
men have learned that a commissioner ana MS
highly paid deputy are IN offlce NANNY 70 aI@~ S
salaries. They depend upon few men OF - -
parience who have been in the departments Ior
wears Associated with the men VINO 90 the
work are many political workers who nave peen
nj aced in the departments as private secretaries
clerks and messengers. and are merely IN the
wav Some of the private secretaries are absent
from, the offices much OF the time Many OF tiis
messengers spend their time in making up pr
vate srrapbooks for the commissioners II Is
s.fa 10 saw that the commissioners appoIiitsu
bv Mr. Low could discharge so per cent OF the
annIoves in the departments without lnterIel-
;n+ win the work of the departments BY cut
ting Off the official heads of such useless city
euoIoves a saving of more than 50 per cent IN
the saIarv list could effected, for IL has been
tbc Tammany way to give the largest salaries
to the employees who are of the least use TO the
city. - -.
In more than one department OF the city gov
arnnant there have been reports that the men
hoI5inr- offices known soft snaps paid por-
lions Of their salaries to the commissioner. and
that they borrowed money from other en-
nIoves and failed to repay it, The practice OF
borrowing money has been regarded as method
of Shaking down employees without political
influence 1t will be stopped by the discharge OF
the borrowers
MANY of the useless officehoders in the de-
nartments believe that they will be protected
bv the Civil Service regulations, because they
were fnducted into office through the Civil Ser
vjce Commission. The regulations however.
will not interfere with any head of department
ia businessIike administration who wants to-
get rid Of useless timber.