New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-01
especially the Democrats of this CHIEF Wv 'ne
emmy IND BRENNAN

No ann o,r road the open letter of the City
cI,h.s committee to Mayor Gilroy concerning
h;s d;sm;.sal Of the clubs charges against Com
.,';.y;onor uronnan without being thoroughly
'n,.,naod ,h,t rho Nayor did wilful wrong.
This of course is an inevitao'e anu co,S'a"'
condition of Tammany government 10 Dc
ruled by Tanmany means tha' every ",oc'uP'
70 hiring n Tammany oflicchoidef 10 Jus"ce
must fail. Nobody doubts what the chicf fea
con l. why men like Brennan are put into such
..,,;o,, ~ TINT of street Cleaning Commits
';oror Hatualy. then. when the streets are
-. oIo,rod whom tho law is reckles>y violated,
Il is necessary that the Commissioner be protect
ii Tho facts in Bicnnans case as the City oIuo
shows, are perfectly clear. The law Specihcaiiy
requires him to provide an efficient uniformed
force 10 apply the block system, and to com
moi tho oyro,s of trucks 10 take ont permits
rrdor which they can be held responsible for
,hc condition of that part OF the street occu-
Md bv them. Brennan has dOhe none OF lhcSc
things. The law enabled him 10 command an
onpropliation for LOO laborcrS at S6OO each
ncr annum-a force more than ample TO pOt the
block system in operation and to keep me cry
clean. He cot the money, and he put on 61o
more men than he had previously employed
Those mon while fewer in number by 2OJ
than the number which he had been paid to
Get and was by law allowed, were still enough
10 do good work, if they were in actual, honest
existence. and not on the payrollS merely, ana
il they were efficiently organized. But, nofo-
riorsy. the force is not efficient, the block Sys-
tom has not been employed, and the truck
owners have not been compelled to take ont
pcrmi,s. Tho money has gone. however and
Mr.. Bicunan knows too well where ana now II
has gone 10 render il advisable for Mayor 'Il-
roy TO visit him with any ccnSurc or punish
mcnt for his bad work.
In a community which took maladminlsra-
,ion of public affairs seriously, Mayor GlliUy ;
dismissal Of these charges. when everybody
knows they are true would result in his pc
liiicll destruction. But Mayor Gilroy has no
fear Of any such result. He understands New
York. and he understands the power of the
organization which he serves i'll abusing his
uo.ition and in wronging the city. He knows
tina, i; i, only in theory that he is public ser
want. lie is called Mayor o! New York, but
he perfectly realizes that the name OF Mayor
has come 10 be the official designation not OF
a man who administers the affairs OF the city
according 10 law. in the interest OF the people
and with responsibility 10 them, but OF Il man
,.ho acts aS the agent of Tammany Hall Ill
directing municipal affairs. and who Is re-
spon>iblc 10 Mr. Croker. II is not necessary that
Mayor Gilroy should please or satisfy the peo'
Die. The only person he l. called upon 10
llcaSc and satisfy i the head of Tanmany.
and the only care he has 10 take - far as the
public j. concerned is 10 avoid such mon'i-
mental acts Of scandal and oppression As might
,ndanecr the position Of Tammany. ~ course
he knows that in WITHDRAWING Mr.. Brennan h.
ha, excused palpable and agrant violations OF
law. He has held that things were substantially
all right which are nooriou>ly all wrong Bat
he calculates with large experience 10 Justify
him in so doing that the public viii get angry
,o ONLY n slight degree. lie knows that they
will understin the motives which have operat-
I'd with him but that they will shrug their
shoulders and say as they generally do:
"Ths is the Kind of thing we must expect.
IL i, what we always get. il Is 10 worse now
than it always has been and probably always
will be-" And with these philosophical refec-
ton. they will fold their hands and forget it.
When the waters Of public Indignation regis
fer a certain height Mr.. Cilroy will make new
shift. give Mr.. brennan some other kind OF
salary put in is street Cleaning Commissioner
some other tool equally servIccablc to Tam
many and equally regardless of law and duty
and 80 il will 60 OH.