Year: 1873

| represented his fifteen millions in gold and re-
ceived therefor q formal receipt; still his
conscience is now clear and he may be glad
that he is so well out of the difficulty There
is one pleasing feature about this payment of
cash, or, as the reports call it, this ''event of
| great national importance" feature which
will crafty everybody and on which we con-
gratulate all the high dignitaries engaged in
the transaction-no speeches were made. For
this at least we may be thankful even if we
snap our thumbs at the amount Of the little
bill which we have received after 80 much
haggling and delay.


A Model Financial Omcer-Comptroi-


ler Grscn's Remarkable Municipal
Reform.


1t has been claimed for Comptroller Green
by his friends and by himself that he is an
unexceptonably honest man. The Diogenes
of municipal reform has been searching the
city with his lantern for two years and has
been unable to discover any honest man within
its limits except Comptroller Green. We
have heard SO much during the past twenty
four months OF the unfinching integrity of



of his determined opposition to corrupt claims
against the city government; so much of his
wonderful enonoiny, that we have been led to
expect an enormous decrease of debt and taxa
ton under his management and financial
exhibit that would be model of perspicuity,
frugality and prosperity The hopes that
grew out of the transfer of the management of
the Finance Department from Mr. Connolly
to Mr.. Green did not fructify the first year Of
the latter's rule. The people found
that gangs of laborers who had per-
formed honest days work for the city
were kept out Of their pay for two or three
months while their families were starving;
that clerks and others, who had been faithfully
dischargng the public duties imposed upon
them, were unable to obtain their salaries;
that few night watchmen and scrub women
employed in the public buildings were
"docked" of their wages if they happened
to fall sick or to be prevented by accident
from attending to their tasks for one or two
days in month; that every city department
controlled by officers distasteful to the Comp
troller was crippled, blocked and opposed in
the performance of it's legitimate work; that
every claimant who was not on friendly
terms with the Comptroller was driven into
the courts to recover the amount honestly his
due; but all this did not seem to them to be
like the reform they were promised. especially
when the expenses Of the government were
increasing, the debt of the city growing
larger, the interest account swelling and
the taxes becoming more and more oppres-
sive. Naturally enough the people began to
doubt, to question and to grumble; but they
were met by the plea that we were paying off
the stealings of the old Tammany Ring; that
the burdens left as a legacy by Tweed and
Connolly were pressing heavily upon poor MIR.
Green during the first year of his rule, and
that we should receive grand and gratifying
instalment of solid reform at the close Of his
second year of Office.


We have now an opportunity of judging
how these promises have been fulfilled. Mr.
| Green has made his report Of the operations
of the Finance Department for the year end
ing September l, 1873, as required by law,
and his additional report for the month that
has Just closed These documents afford in
disputable evidence that the Comptroller is as
laundering, incompetent and dangerous
financial officer as could well be placed in
charge of the Finance Department
of city government The character
for honesty which has been shouted
from the housetops and sounded from scores
of brazen trumpets may or may not be right
fully his due; but at least he has proved him
self man utterly unfit to manage the fnan-
cial affairs of o great metropolis. For year
past he has been free from all the encum-
brances left by the Tammany Ring, except
those which he has chosen to retain about him
in his own department. Every public Office
outside his own bureaus has been in reform
hands, and friendly Legislatures have passed
for him such laws as he desired in order to
enable him to enjoy entire control of the city
finances. He has assumed power where his
authority has been doubtful, until he has
drawn within his immediate grasp super
vision over all the coordinate departments of
the municipal government. The present
Comptroller is, therefore, far more responsible
than were any of his predecessors for any ex-
travagance or incompetency that may exhibit
itself in the management of the city finances,
because his positive and restrictive powers are
much larger than theirs We find that last
year, under MIR. Green's rule, the public
debt has increased about twenty million dol
lars. This increase has been gradually swell
ing month after month, and continues up to
the present moment In May of the present
year there was an increase in the debt of more



of nearly million and half over May; in
July On increase of more than two millions
and half over June, and in August an in
crease of nearly three millions over July
This rapid and steady accumulation of debt