Year: 1873

to the business and government on tne Guy
are TO be published daily in Tho CITY Record,
of which copies are to be furnished to news
papers and public institutions, and SOLD 10 INC
public Any taxpayer may inspect the pooAs
and papers of any bureau or departincp'
Except that of Police), and may obtain copies
of the same on payment OF five Genus ior
every hundred words. Officials, clerks @c''
may be examined before a judge as 10 tic
proper performance of their official duties'
or any alleged irregularity in any of the pup
lie departments.


The most important section OF the Char'ci
however is that relating TO the levylns Vi
taxes 1t provides that estimates Tor every
department shall be presented once year W
Board of Estimate and Apportionment' COL,
sisting of the Mayor, Controller, PresidenC VI
the Board of Aldermen, and President OF the
DEPARTMENT of Taxes and Assessments. IhiS
Board shall thereupOn make q provisional es-
innate in detail of the amounts required ior
the next fiscal year, including payments Oh
the public debt, and submit it to the BOaru vi
Aldermen besides publishing 1t In 1he O'V
Record. The Aldermen are allowed hiteen
days TO examine it, and return it to the Doaru
with remarks and suggestions, but they nave
no authority to change any of the amounts.
When the estimate has been finally adopted
by the Board, the Aldermen, sitting as super
yisors, are required to raise the estimated sum
by taxation. TO guard against any expendl-
lures in excess of the appropriations II IL en-
acted that no contract Except for work to DE
paid for by assessments on property Denenteu'
shall be valid without tho certificate OF the
Controller that there remains unexpended ana
unapplied o balance of the appropriation SUI
ficent to pay the estimated expense.


A consideration Of these features which we
have indicated will show why the Custom
house faction is so bitterly disappointed at
the Legislature's work. Mr. Murphy and his
associates intended TO secure not only the en-
tire political patronage of the departments,
but q free admission to the City Treasury. II
they had carried their scheme OF confdlng the
appointing power to the Board OF Aldermen
they would have put their own men In all the
executive departments, and thus would nave
made their own estimates. The Board OF APP
nortionment would not have interfered with
them. because three out of its four members-
the Controller the President of the Depart
ment of Taxes and Assessments, and the



have been their creatures or allies. Inc re-
tention of Mr.. Green ruins that plot, for tho
Controller and Mayor together can defeat any
plan of robbery, even if the other two mem
bers oppose them. AS financial partnership
we may therefore look upon the Murphy King
as thoroughly and disgracefully beaten. They
had made, as they thought, a COM
pact with tho Van Mort party, the
Henry Smith party, and the Delafeld
Smith party, for the assistance OF
those three distinguished patriots IN push
ing their Charter through the Legislature; but
there seems to have been very little con-
fidence on either side, and the Smiths and
Van Mort soon found out that their interests
carried them in another direction. Neither of
them would have chance of election to
Office by the people; neither OF them could
hope for nomination by Mr.. Havemeyer,
and neither of them apparently was willing
to trust Mr. Tom Murphy for an appointment
by the Board of Aldermen in case Mr. Murphy
got things fixed to his liking. So when the
compromise scheme appeared in the Senate,
and the three patriots were promised their
places during the full term for which they
were appointed, on condition that they would
assist Mr. Weeds Old Guard in laying out
Murphy, Mr.. Hank Smith and his associates
threw all their force against the Custom
house, and Murphy, Davenport and Bliss
were laid out in the handsomest and most
expeditious manner Whether the victOrs
after all have secured what they bar
gained for is, as we have said already, q
doubtful and very curious question; but
about the discontinue of Murphy there is no
nnesfinn at all