In 1852 New York City (one of the first American cities with a "council") acquired a City Council that established a very special record; it was the most corrupt in the city's history, and perhaps even worse than any that came after. So many things were done so crookedly that it has been known as "the Thieves".

The Council at the time was made up of a Board of Alderman, which were in effect petty despots. Each alderman appointed the police in his district, including all precinct officers. He licensed the saloons. With his fellow aldermen he granted all franchises. There were all sorts of conniving and fraud.

Finally, the alderman received no salary --- a holdover from the days when public service was considered a proper duty for the well-to-do, who theoretically had no need for extra compensation. Among the aldermen of the 1850s, this was a virtual license to steal. The post of alderman was greatly coveted.

One of the council's first acts was to purchase land for a potter's field, (or burial ground for paupers). A reasonable estimate of the value of the desired land, located on Ward's Island, was $30,000. The Council decided to pay $103,450 for it, and the recipient obligingly kicked back the difference to his distinguished benefactors.

Another example of how the spirit of largesse infected even the smallest of affairs occurred on the Fourth of July in 1852, which happened to be the seventy-sixth anniversary of America's independence. The aldermen paid $4,100 for fireworks whose estimated value was $500. A day or so later, money was appropriated for cigars and liquor to be available on a boat carrying dignitaries escorting the body of Henry Clay from New York City to Albany (the State Capital of New York); the bill came to $1,400, and another $2,500 was spend decorating the boat with black and white bunting and small flags. MULTIPLY BY THIRTY TO ARRIVE AT AN APPROXIMATE COST AT TODAY'S DOLLAR RATE. There is little doubt that much of the excess, while modest, found its way into aldermanic pockets.

But that was small change. Franchises and street improvements were bigger game. One applicant for the right to operate a ferry between New York and Williamsburgh (a community later annexed to Brooklyn) was told he would have to pay the aldermen $5,000 to "get it through" and then was outbid by another who readily forked over $20,000. Bribes to obtain the franchise for the Wall Street Ferry were similarly increased from $5,000 to $15,000, but then were settled at $20,000, which was offered by Jacob Sharp, who had many "friends" on the Council. And untold thousands of dollars were reputedly paid by applicants for the right to build a streetcar line on Broadway, although the line was never built due to sustained opposition of the department store magnate A.T. Stewart.

City-owned land could be sold, too. A nice parcel was occupied by the Gansevoort Market; it was said to be the single most valuable piece of real estate in New York. The city received bids of $225,000 and $300,000 for it, but "the Thieves" decided this was excessive and so parted with the "City" property for a mere $160,000. It was sold to a person, who after an investigation, turned out to be a fronting for a group headed by James B. Taylor, a good "friend" of many aldermen, who undoubtedly rewarded the group members for their "thoughtfulness". Ten years later, City Council, with a new set of members, saw the error of the transaction and bought the land back --- for $533,437.50.

Sometimes the "distinguished" aldermen needed some quick cash without the waiting required to enact needlessly time-consuming ordinance bills. In such cases, they would resort to what was known as strike legislation. A phoney ordinance bill, ostensibly meritorious but conveying the possibility of a financial loss to someone, would be introduced and the so-called "injured party" would complain to the Council. "Oh, I'm sorry," an alderman would say. "I tell you what. Just give me $250 and I'll see that it gets killed in committee." Money would change hands and the ordinance bill would vanish.

[ This goes on today with so-called "ZONING CASES" and/or with "ordinances against certain businesses".. Council members shaking down persons for cash. Recall or look-up Bannwolf's shake-downs]

While "the Thieves" were siphoning money from the city they were also eating well; they had taken care to vote themselves an official "tearoom" where they could refresh themselves. After one particularly grueling meeting they submitted a bill to the Comptroller which was duly analyzed by [newspaper editor] Horace Greeley and his mathematicians at the Tribune. It was an open question as to how much padding had gone to the bill OR to how much to the waistlines of the aldermen, for it seemed that at ONE sitting EACH alderman had consumed (a) eight pounds of beef, (b) a chicken and a half, (c) 225 oysters, (d) one pound of suasage, (e) two pounds of ham, and (f) more than three loaves of bread, all followed by smoking of (g) one hundred cigars!

When revelations of this kind began appearing in the press, a ground swell of indignation rose against "the Thieves" and, more to the point, against the system that made such transgressions possible. A new reform movement sprang up whose leaders urged amending the City Charter so that, for example, work and supplies contracted by the City would have to be awarded to the lowest bidder and franchises to the highest; while bribery was to be punished severely. The changes were officially adopted by the electorate in June 1853, and later that year most of "the Thieves" were voted out of office.

WE HAVE MANY OF THESE SAME PROBLEMS WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL TODAY. I POINTED OUT TO OUR MAYOR AND COUNCIL that while the "lowest bidder" had been previously awarded a contract, the mayor and city council were abusing the public monies by awarding contingency after contingency ordinance to pay the contractor more and more.. so that in the end.. the contractor would get paid MORE than the highest bidder -- as had been previously been bid prior to the project. And this was carried out by our mayor and council on many projects. RISE UP.. stand up San Antonio.. rise up for your rights! Your taxes keep going up because of the "tax and spend" local government administrations!