New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-08
.GRACE'S OWN" SCHOOL,
RISE OF THREE TRUSTEES IN POLITICS.

. vorxG PRINCIPAL WAS APPOINrfD-IN-
GREASE II STREET CLEANING tXPENsEs.
The Gibbs Committee met yesterday morning. al
the Morton HOnse and was not nnch over ma into
bour late IN getting TO work II hrst inquirer mo
fine methods adopted by the Enc kallroa1 m us nS
efforts 10 be released from the payment Oh @llVOVV
prce,ved t,tiug that cx-Mayor EdsOni with the ald
of his brOtheT-In Law, Colonel T.. l. N..oq' Hau
been trying to help the railroad peope, 1rt ,'o
t,mony Icted yesterday ca not lehI +, htoN
thot there had been any undeTh, nd WofK ABOUT H.
and ex- AiayOr Edison, who had been snhp@hacd, was
told that his Testimony would not De r'Qulrel'
Tornorltion Counsel LacOmbs said that Mr. Edison
had ONLY once spoken to him about 1t and that in
a casual way. The papers IN tue 9ult IN equity
brought by the Erie Railroad Company against the
city 10 set aside taxes IN June, 1880. had bech
referred 10 the Finance Department wueLe they
have remained since July. MI. Lao9mDe ga 20. 20.
know the cause of the delay. He understood th!t
MIR SchwarZ, IN the Controllers once, lad the
papers LAWYER Miller said that Mr.. SchwaZs
name did not appear the payroll nor IN the Con-
tr0Iler's estimates, aud would like to know what
right Mr. SChwarZ had to handle pnbhc papers; NIl.
Laconbe suggested that the Controller could oeSt
Colonel y. j. Wood was questioned as TO how he
had used his political pull and whether ne na,l
made any money OUT OF u, b,m S ~ use his inilu-
once with Mayor Edison TO secure thelI hpPoist
ments He had RECOMMENDED some ol ,llcn ~, ioo
Offices but had never been offered any money loI SO
doinq nor had lie ever accepted any money lOr MS
30 Stnnhen A. Walker. President of the Board
of FducatIon estimated that there were be-
tween seven and eight thousand children VINO were
unpravidel with school accommodation III tuG us
tricts in which they lived Ihe schoVr laGhii ib
were most deficient III the Twelfth ward ne
Nineteenth and twenty Wards also nceued
new schools. In the lower part OF the city th1re
was some excess of school accommodation. we
have been cut down in the Board OF AppoT1lohineut
since 1876" said Mr.. Walker " If proper ioreslght
had been exercised in reference TO TINS mattcr we
would never have got into the scrape that we are
in now. An appropriation OF three OF Iour nuiulou
fbousaud dollars "a year for the SPECIFIC purpose
of erecting school buildings continued
from 1879 down. W T%Pa ho nsf that It
wond require abOnt CT zoe, 600 to bring the school
accommodation on q level with the demand. lie
told how political influence h'Id once oGen uSeu III
the appointment OF a school pIl"cipai. mere Is
school uptown he said, at Srcond-aVe. ana sew
entieth-st which is known as Grace'S own III Is
net open vet, bu; At rs daisy school. Inc trust
ees of that district we're all PLAIN citizens Whch
they were made trustees, but three or thetn nave
s,rce deyeloD.d into full tlcdged politicians.
Ablam powGney is IN Congress, Charles +. SIM
mons was madc a Charity Commissioner, ana J"Seph
Koch wa appointed 10 the DOCK departments
These three instituted majority OF the !Ocal
board and they secured the nomination OF J"hI
Hardy. who mad only reached tue grade OF sec"hd
assistant and was q tutor III the fanny OF one OF
our commissioners, j. Edward simmons. Ihe
NOMINATION was carried through the Board OF
Education by influence IRON tno NY
Hail. There were twenty-five, vlce-prIhSl-
pals IN TIE city Who by al h tnS r9 S,s
Young man." Mr. Walker said that tins was the
only instance he knew Of III which political IN
fucnce was used TO secure tire appointment ol
school principal.
Deputy Controller Storrs testified that he knew
nothing about hos Mr.. SchwarZ came TO have such
influence in the Finance Department..
lommIss iouer of Accounts w. L. Shearnan pre-
aruted "A statement showing the comparative cost
OF cleaning the streets in 1879 and III lSNh In
1879 tGere was appropriated for that purpose
100000, and IN 1854 81 ,O50OOO.
Is4Nw