New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-25
tNOTHER BAD DEFENCE.

d;ctment OF Corporation Counsel jerks. Ac-
contine its ver.itn of the confidence game WIN
strncs. loose knots and nooses, which had been
nlayed upon Mayor Body by the light-hnsereu
Cornoration Counsel we felt impelled to point
ont that high price was paid for honesty ana
;rteority when an officials capacity for behS
sbeenishly duped and grossly misled was de-
ronstrated. 1.-THE Eagle is always on the
defensive when attacks upon public men Ill
Rrooklvn are made from this side OF the river
r. ;caously guards what it considers 70 De ns
exclusive privilege of telling the truth ABOUT
scondals in municipal government. But wheh
:, ossumes the offensive itself it makes most
formidable assault We hardly believe that
:. f,,II. onnrcciated how acrd and destructive
,,.os ;ts account of the conspiracy OF the
d" scriyener ink tank" and the "errand Do''
IF q combination Of political and railroad spec.
uIotors, against the credulous and easily dupe"
Uovor We can frankly say that its work was
81 thoroughly done that we were almost coh-
trained TO believe that the Mayor, whom we
h,d never believed to be knave, must have
rIovcd the FOOLS part in being so grosSl! ue-
ceived
Rut "The Eagle" now complains that we
have Interpreted its picturesque and luild con
.,;racy tale too literally. and have illustrated
,ro,v the faulty of outside critics in OVERRIDING
and overworking their comments on Brooklyn
,frors II does not consider II necessar! I'd
conclude that the Mayor Is weak minded ana
utterly lacking in the qualities required fcr 'he
discharge of his public duties merely because
the CORPORATION Counsel has imposed upon MS
confidence. tricled him with string win
loose knot and shunlod all sorts OF surprises
into a report as easily " aS one miSh' >h'''''o
seven aces into pack OF cards" II calls our
attention 10 It's own assumption that MAYOR
noody has been injured by Corporation Couh-
sol Icnks alone. and that his experience WIN
Tho rost of his Cabinet has been remarkably
,lc,sant and that he has got on very amlcablI
with the Aldermen. only one of his veloeS
having been ovcrriddcn by nhcm. In order To
sustain its inference that the damage 10 the
N,y,r's administration by the Law Depart
meut !, exceptional The Eagle" comments Ill
detail upnn hi, intercourse with the Aldermen,
the Civil service Commission. the Registrar ol
Arrears the Collector of Taxes. the Depart
mcnt of Buildings the Commissioner OF CITY
Works. the Polce Department. the Excise
Commi. soncr> and other departments. whose
relations To him have been those OF loyalty ana
fidelity.
We must lemind orr esteemed critic whose
candor and public spirit we have often com
,,onded that il, conspiracy tale bore a> heavily
against the Ahcrnanic "errand boys oi
continuation of political and lailload specu-
I,tors" a. il did against the Corporation Couh-
MAYORS amicablc relations with the Aldermen
dominated b, the cool thirteen 1t - de-
Tending him in a susl iciouS way. II harmony
and fricndIinc,s in tho>e relations be proof
of the personal loyalty of Il pack OF m'lnlcipal
iobbcrs and ,ricksters whose public acts have
been condemned within eight months by two
Grand Jurics. il is alSo an indication that he
gets ON with them altogether too wen. II
would be more 10 his credit il there were loss
omicablc relations between the Mayor and the
Aldermen. The same comment may be made
upcn the lea,ant feeling existing between the
Mayor and the heads Of departments. whom he
rc,ppontcd in Difference to the wishes and
practically the commands of the Ring and
Gang There has been no change III the
me,bcds of governing the town under his adj
ministration The same men have renamed
in Office and - harmony" good feeling ana
mutual confidence" have prevailed. Inc
unanimity of feeling was illustrated when the
Columbian celebration frauds were rendered
pos>ible by the concerted action OF the Alder
men. the Supervisors. the county AMI cl'!
financial and auditing officers and the Mayor
The whale with Jonah slowed away in the
interior was not more unanimous than Brook
lyns Ring and Gang are with Mayor Body
in the City Hall.
We always like I, follow 1.-The Eagle" when
!. X uossible 10 do So. but we are bcwildcrcd
his the sophistres of its argument 1t started
out TO prove that Mayor Body was an hon
cst upright man by giving "A highly colorcd
account Of the dupllcty and depravity OF false
advisers. who were dcihcratel, seeking to en-
trap him We were Impressed with the de-
tails of this confidence game. but we could
not forbcar remarlsing that " The Eagle over
worked the argument for if the Mayor could
he so easily imposed upon. and SO bind to
what was going on about him, he must he II
man of low intelligence utterly unit for pub
lie Office Then our esteemed friend and cen
sor comes at us again. II the Mayor were
helpless and weak, it contends, he would he
the victim of all the departments and the Al
dermen as well, whereas he gets on most har-
monously with everybody except the false,
fccting and almost pcrjured jerks. Here
we must draw back again. If MIR. Body
he 50 closely in touch with the "cool thir-
teen" and all the officials forced upon him
by Ring and Gang, he is not the honest, self
respecting, Independent Mayor whom upright
citizens want to have in the City Hall.
SITTER AND PRICES.