The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-13
GREEN ON THE WARPATH.
A CRUSADE AGAINST TIE PARK
COMMISSIONERS,


Accusing Commissioners Martin and Wet |
more Of Pushing scheme against the Pub |
lie Treasury-The Other side Of the story.
Comptroller Green yesterday procured
the publication OF a letter addressed by him to
the Mayor, in which he accused Commissioners
william X. Martin and w. c. wctmore OF tho
Department Of Parks OF endeavoring, to the
clty's detrment and Illegally and unjustly, to
have the owners of certain land about one hun
bred acres) selected in Harlem In 1879 for mill
tary parade ground compensated for the same,
although the land not suitable for the pur-
pose was not favored by the military. and was
inferior to sites that could he obtained for much
| less money while tho proposed payment would
| require an expenditure Of s1,5O,0JO, and would
| entail an annual payment Of interest and other
| expense OF about fl25,0O0-an expenditure
which would be seriously felt In the present
| over taxed condition OF the city. Messrs. Wet
more and Martin were accused OF being person.
| ally Interested In the land in question, and OF
| representing, or until recently having repre-
| scented, some OF the owners IA counsel and read
| era we're left to infer that some Of the land adj
| joining the parade ground belonged 10 messis.
/ Wetmore and Martin personally, and would ne
| largely benefited II the parade ground were pa'd
| for and turned to actual usc and occupalun.
The letter sets forth That IN 1919 the grOuni IN
| question was selected under an act OF tue beRls,
| lature (Which Mr.. Green SAYS was passed ID lsii
| corruptly and with view To- SPECULATION ana
| plunderl IA a parade ground, and man nled
| Soon afterward Mayor llavemeycr protested
against the purchase Of this property and In
| 1874 the Department OF PARKS, acting upon his
| protest decided to discontinue the proceedings
| they had taken, which w to that time consisted
| In the appointment OF Commissioners TO ap-
| ur Use the value OF the land. The Commission-
| ers OF Appraisal opposed the .ulscohVnuance'
| hut the courts approved Of IT.. MIR. Wm X. Mar
| tin, as counsel for some OF the owners OF the
| land also appeared in oppostion 70 the ulscoh-
tinuance. In January, 1870 Mr.. Martin was ap-
| N "a "A
pontment he tried TO reopen the parade ground
business, and procure the appointment 9i new
| Commissioners Of Appraisal. This second enort
was brought 60 "A stpp 10y an adverse decision OF
Judge Barrett In May. 1875. In June. 1870 a
third effort was made In the Park Commission
to procure payment for tho parade ground, not
witnstandng Judge Barretts decision. Mayor
Wickham and the Common Council expressed
their disapprovdl, and tue matter was again
brought to u stop.
Is again set on foot. On the I'D OF June last the
Department of 4 rks y ssed resolution TO the
effect that certain ground on the Harlem river
was appropriated April 3, 1873. under the act OF
| ISL, and that no power existed IN the Depart
ment OF Parks 10 recall that step that 'ne OWL
efs Of tho land were unable to dispose OF II AS
long a. that incunbrance rested on II that the
Legislature had filled to relieve them that
they wero therefore entitled to cOmpe Isition
Tor IL; that for this reason. without expressing
any opinion AS to the eligibility OF the land or
the wisdom Of selecting II, commissioners ought
to be appointed with a view TO AWARDING such
compensation TO- said owners. me solutIoh
then calls upon tho Corporation Counsel TO pro-
coed IN conformity with the views therein ex-
pressed. -
Mr.. Green says that "a a matter of law II Is
now too late to take such action, and It will be
illegal. As matter OF equity the owners OF the
land are not entitled e. II. because they bought
the Land as a speculation. 10y which they hoped
to reap unjust profit from the CITY, aud they
should therefore carry the load the best way
they could until the Legislature relieves them
by repeating tne at under which thelr iani was
selected: but the selection should not be con-
nrmed, nor the land paid for
Mr.. Green closes by SAVING that Ia ~ Henry
W. Genet conveyed about 100 lots adjacent 10
o. ptrnde Ground Joseph III. u olMlu. VINO
conveyed y r. OF the tract q few days later to
bvnlt Am m wstm sIe E in the sane once
aud lives In the same house VITA william q
wetmoro, and that william NJ Martin Is lsw-
yer. aud has an one at Pine street, where Mr.
WetmOre has his ohce.
THE OTHER SIDE.
Inquiry at Q Pine street elected the fact that
Mr. William NJ Martin and MIR. William G. We.
more were both out OF town. The Office OF
those gentlemen IL occupied by the firm Of Wet,
more & BOVINE. MIR. william c. wetmorc is the
head Of the arm. MIR. benjamin c. wetmore
and Mr.. William ". Martin are junior members
: MIR. II McCanerty answered for those gentle
men. lie said he bad read Comptroller Greens
letter. and that It was tissue Of misIe presenta
= tons and perversions from beginning 10 end
. Mr.. wetmore would reply to II IN full immedi
atey upon his return to town. Meantime, how
n Green had been. For instance, be TOOK 200
: care not to explain that MIR. WIN NJ. Martil
i Commissioner, William Il. Martin. They wer,
= not related to each other In ihe remote,t de
. we're not even acquainted. Yet Green Ia,
e spoken OF a sails to Mr.. VIM VI. Martin OF Liant
adjacent to the parade ground, as though IA
y were the Commissioners and had allowed thu
. reader to infer that such was the case
snd many rssdsF' mad draT s1se mat 81. IN
4 Mr. McCarerty. " He's the most disinsenuou
II business with min. and never saw a man who
= couid make a statement more ingeniously cal
{ can tell white lie with mOte ease than an
n man know Of Now as To MI. Benj amin {
| Han l. IA enu a. W a.
o tnat Mr.. Is. Z. wetmore and MIR. william
y winch Harry Genet mad before that cold to
" man named Goodwin. But Mr. W. {, Wetmor
m whatsoever tn he did Of being Pre- ,idcnt o
d the United states. That WAS three years as9
le ayear. And that land which was so bought 70
a. Mr.. Benj amin {; wetmore ana Mr. Martin Is u
is ago, partly IN exchange for certain property a
Fifty-fourth street and Fourth avenue. lnste.
connection with tue Park Del artmept, they -
$1,000 less for the land tnan tne
Is they bought it. And so falls the whole story {
g. Their interest IN TINS parade sround bushes
nj property there. do net know whether he
" been counsel for any Of the owners Of the parad
er ground, but 1t would be strange II no badn
,n been. There is hardly II large real estate own'
OF dealer In the cir, for whom he has not bee
titioner at the BAR. lie has been Hfty years
,o practice here aud be Is at the head OF the RET
De estate law business OF New YORK. Bur II doe
II. not follow from that that he is influence
10 Thereby in his action Ms Park Comml
rs slonrr. lie viii answer Green's let.'
IL SAT- .factorlly rs soon Ms lie retun
Green mas assailcd him because he will not
everything u suit the tomptr0ller's wishe
He has assaicd Commissioner Martin hecaus
there Is "a deadly night betwe N those two. NJ
r., MARTIN has caught him in number OF lies an
| INTERPRETATIONS, ana has publicly expose
him.
A. Mr.. william X. Martins orice, No. /
Broadway II was lsCCrtalned that he, too, ",
out of town. but wulld do justice to Mr.. Gree