Year: 1873

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The Frauds Upon the Brooklyn City


Treasury.


In the case of the alleged frauds upon the
Brooklyn city treasury by the Deputy Treas
urer, M. L. Rodman, we see again the evil con-
sequences of placing too much trust in any man
who handles vast amounts of money and of the
easy. slipshod way in which both city authori-
ties and large financial establishments too
often allow their affairs to be managed. The
complaint of Mayor Powell, calling for q
warrant of arrest for Rodman, and the warrant
issued by Justice Delmar, accuse the Deputy
City Treasurer of embezzling and appropriat-
ing to his own use a hundred and forty
thousand dollars of city money. Yesterday,
in default of fifty thousand dollars bail, he
was committed to Raymond Street Jail This
is the beginning of the investigation, and
there is no telling what developments may be
made if the inquiry be searching one But,
apart from this actual defalcation, it would be
interesting to know how much Rodman or
his associates made or lost by using for several
years the millions of money belonging to the
city. So irresponsibly did he act, no one
attempting to control him or to look into what
he was doing with the money, that he was
allowed to use the city funds just as if they
were his own personal property. But whether
man be successful or not in making
money out of speculations with funds that do
not belong to him and are only held in trust
the crime is the same. Most Of the defalca-
tions discovered are brought to light by
losses in speculation. Criminal as Rodman may
be, the other Brooklyn officials who neglected
their duty in not protecting the treasury can
scarcely be less 80, though the law may not
reach them. There is good deal of talk of q
ring and damaging exposures to be made, and
there is, to say the least, o bad look about the
whole affair that gives cause for much suspi-
cion. 1t is but short time since the most
astounding frauds were exposed in this city,
and now the same happens with Brooklyn. In
Washington city, lately, and in other cities,
especially in some Of the Southern States,
fraud among officials and their allies has pre-
vailed to an alarming extent. Then, how
often have we to record the robberies perpe-
trated by cashiers of banks and other institu-
tons, or by others in authority. The COM
munity becomes demoralized by such crimes
in high places. Defalcations can be traced, in
most cases, to the overconfdence and want of
vigilance in the managers of financial or great
business establishments. This Rodman case
is an example. Let all such establishments
look sharply after their books, and keep o
watchful eye over those who handle their
money, and there will be fewer entertainments
and less temptation to commit them.


The Operatic eason-Paris and New


York.


As the fashionable season at the seaside and
great summer resorts closes the interest in
music, and especially in the opera as the
most delightful embodiment of music,
deepens until it becomes the most absorbing
topic among society people. A brilliant
operatic season is the bright promise Of
summer garden within the walls of the
Academy. Never in the history of music in
this city has this promise been more brilliant
than at the present time. Miss Nilsson comes
back to us in the fulness of her powers,
and with her fame broadened and deepened
by her great successes since she first captivated
the American people. She will be supported
by company as fresh in voice as in reputa-
ton, and we may at last expect what the
HERALD has always demanded-a perfect
ensemble All these conditions fulfilled, it
could hardly be otherwise than that we shall
have an operatic campaign as brilliant as any
ever seen in Paris. Indeed, we seem to be
taking the place of Paris in musical culture
and iberality. Such growth is mar
vellous, but it is demonstrating itself
more Enthusiastically every day. In other times
it was Jenny Lind or Sontag or Grisi only
who conquered We once put prima donna
surrounded by automata upon the stage and
called the entertainment Italian opera.
But now, while we honor the
prima donna as much as ever, we
insist upon it that she shall be supported as
well as the leading actress in one of our lead
ing theatres is supported. That this has been
conceded to our people is due to o great
extent to the policy of the HERALD in demand
ing it and insisting that the people will
recognize and reward it, New York is at last
to have opera, as we trust and believe, pre-
sented in way worthy of a great city and the
metropolis of the American Continent
Strangely enough, just at the moment the
Academy OF Music takes its place among the
opera houses of the world the famed homes of
the lyric drama in Paris are closed and silent
A year has come which brings greater mis-
fortunes to Paris than that of Sedan-greater
CONSERVATION than the Commune. winter
without the opera, without reigning prima
donna, without an opportunity for the
critics and feuilletonists 10 REGULATE taste in