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The Common Council refused to be guided by the mayor, and to give out the work to the lowest bidder, but passed the resolution. over his veto; and, as a matter of course, the bills for publishing the Manual amounted to about $60,000.

This job was attempted to be put through in 1867, but it was prevented.

The leasing of a few rooms of Fernando Wood in his building in Nassau street for ten years, at the enormous rent of $18,000, when they were not worth more than $6,000 per annum.

In 1865 the Legislature appropriated $160,000 for printing and stationery for Common Council. However, in that year the Common Council spent some $315,000 for those items.

This is one instance of the many in which the Common Council has exceeded the appropriations.

ANN STREET MATTER.

A resolution was passed in the Common Council, on the last day of its official existence in 1865, directing the Corporation Counsel to take proceedings to widen Ann and Fulton streets. This alteration would have destroyed over 400 places of business, thrown over 3000 persons out of employment, and have cost millions of dollars. Fourfifths of the surprised owners of property on the line of the proposed alteration, used every argument and presented every remonstrance, but without avail. The Common Council, however, was forced to rescind its action.

Such is the insecurity of the tenure of property in this city that a man may go to bed at night believing himself safe in the enjoyment of private property for many years, and making plans for its future improvement, but wake up on the morrow and read in the morning paper that it has been secretly confiscated by the Common Council, to furnish jobs for its dependents, and the corruptly interested railroad corporations, which desire to have a wider thoroughfare.

The well known Fort Gansevoort swindle, by which the city paid some $500,000 for its own property. The above are a few instances. only in which the Common Council has of late abused its trust.

The association has observed with pleasure the efforts of Mayor Hoffman to check the reckless legislation on the part of the Common Council, although it regrets that those efforts have been ineffectual.

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

The Board of Supervisors has of late abused its trust in the following instances, among many others:

What was paid for enrolling the militia of the city?

In 1864, on the plea of correcting the enrollment of this city, so as to reduce its quota under the national drafts or conscriptions, the Volunteering Committee of the Board of Supervisors set about making up a new list of persons liable to military duty.

When it was done peace was declared, and it was utterly useless; $800,000 had been wrung from the tax payers and thrown to a horde of hungry office seekers.

But this was not all. The committee of the Board of Supervisors resolved that Mr. Blunt had so efficiently served the tax payers, that they must pay him something more. So they voted him a service of plate worth $6,000, and they voted him a purse of $50,000.

The service of plate was given him.

The $50,000 was given him.

In December, 1865, the mayor sent the following veto to the Board of Supervisors:

"I return herewith, without my signature, a resolution of your Honorable Body, directing the Comptroller to draw his warrant in favor of the New York Printing Company for the sum of $1,500, for printing five thousand copies of the 'New Election Law,' and for printing and delivering circulars to inspectors and canvassers.

"I am constrained to regard these charges as grossly exorbitant. Five thousand copies of the 'New Election Law' can be printed at a fair profit, and on as good paper, and in the same style as those furnished by the New York Printing Company, for less than $250, 'eaving an extra gain of over three hundred per cent.

"The printing and delivery, by messengers, of the circulars alluded to, amount to $500.

"These charges are equally excessive, especially as I have learned from the police authorities, that the circulars were not delivered by the messengers of the printing company, but through the agency of that department.

"Only two thousand copies of the 'New Election Law' were received at the police headquarters, and I have reason to believe that not more than half the number of copies charged in the bill were printed."

"C. GODFREY GUNTHER, Mayor."

Notwithstanding this expose, the board took up the bill and passed it over the mayor's veto, without explanation, as appears from the following extract from the published proceedings:

Supervisor Roche moved that the resolution, adopted November 28, 1865, and vetoed December 12, to pay the bill of the New York Printing Company for printing the Election Law, be taken up and considered; which was carried.

"The same was then adopted, notwithstanding the said objection, by the following vote:

"Affirmative-Supervisors Fox, Roche, Shook, Smith, Stewart, Tweed and Willmann-7.

'Negative-Supervisor Ely-1."

Therefore, under the provisions of the act, passed April 15, 1857, relative to the Board of Supervisors of the county of New York, the same became adopted.

The County Court House job, by which over $3,000,000 have been squandered in this building, which does not yet approach completion. This scheme is too familiar to the public to need particular mention.

For armories and drill rooms in the first eight months of 1867, the Board of Supervisors spent over $200,000, and this was spent chiefly for fitting up the armories with the most expensive carved

and gilded black walnut furniture. The following is a specimen of the expenditure on the Fifth Regiment armory alone, as follows:

1867, April 13. Ingersoll, Watson & Co., 71 Bowery, furnishing armory Fifth Regiment, Hester street, near Bowery.

For repairs to ceilings and walls, and furnishing and rt. painting same in Board of officers' room,..

$529 00

Two hundred and twenty oak cane-seat half-arm chairs for use of four companies' rooms, with extra heavy double front rounds, at $7 each,

1,540 00

For seats and settees on three sides of room, Board of officers' room, seats and backs upholstered with velvet carpet,

1,329 00

Four walnut tables, with drawers, finished all round, and walnut desk, for colonel's room,

288 00

For repairs to water-closets, and glass lights put in front

door, plate glass, ..

207 00

$3,893 00

1867, June 18. Ingersoll, Watson & Co., 71 Bowery, furnishing armory Fifth Regiment, Hester street, near Bowery.

For building partition for rooms for two companies,
doors, &c., complete,......

One black walnut desk, for presiding officer,....
Two black walnut large pigeon holes and extra cases;

desk for quarter-master and adjutant, at $168 each, One black walnut large book case, with double glass doors, for books and papers, pigeon holes, &c., .... One walnut secretary desk, extra pigeon holes, &c., for adjutant,....

$943 00

237 00

336 00

310 00

177 00

One large fine table with drawers, and finished all round, for Board of officers' room,

162 00

Forty-eight walnut large chairs, upholstered in green rep, and brass nails, 5th Regt. carved on back and gilt, for Board of officers,.

Four walnut large tables with drawers, for companies' room, finished all round, $71 each,.

2,208 00

284 00

One black walnut large high case with double glass

doors, for colors of regiment,

Repairs to wood work in officers' and company's room,

and replacing front doors with sash doors, &c.,.... Thirty-six cane seat double front round chairs, for room, at $8ch,

Painting and graining wood work in officers' and companies' rooms, &c.,...

$376 00

684 00

288 00

357 75

$6,363 25

1867, June 19. Ingersoll, Watson & Co., 71 Bowery, furnishing armory Fifth Regiment, Hester street, near Bowery.

For building and fitting 13 large cases for muskets, &c., of black walnut, 10 for companies for 100 muskets, with closets under each, locks on all doors, 2 small cases between large center and side musket cases with closets underneath and locks, &c., and one large high case in center to contain drums, bugles, &c., for drum corps and field music; center cases extra high, all cases with glass doors, &c., complete.

Ten cases for muskets, at $677 each,

One large case for center,.

Two small cases between center and 10 cases, at $240

each,

$6,770 00 736 00

480 00

$7,986 00

1867, July 9. Ingersoll, Watson & Co., 71 Bowery, furnishing armory Fifth Regiment, Hester street, near Bowery.

For building and putting up, complete, lockers for 10
companies and engineer corps, &c., of black walnut,
locks on each locker, the whole being 198 feet
long,
Six black walnut tables with drawers, finished all round,

...

$3,080 00

for use of companies' rooms, at $76 each, Six long settees for new company's room added to

456 00

armory, at $78 each,...

.....

486 00

Thirty-six cane seat chairs, extra heavy double front

rounds, for company's room, at $8 each,

306 00

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