New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-02
COME TO THE POINT.

Come to the point, Mayor Body. william
]. Gaynor has with absolute delinitehcss ana
in perfectly specific terms made number OF
charges against you which, if true, prove you
either the corrupt tool Of corrup'ionists or II
person of such protoplasmic Intelligence as 10
render YOU utterly unfit for tie office which
you now hold and to which yon seek rc-eicc-
ton. How have you answered him!
On Monday evening you took up the subject
and spoke on two minor points, criticlslnS Mr.
Gaynor's figures. In one case the figures 'ised
by him were misquotcd in the newspapers, ana
in the other, figures previously used by you ana
quoted by him had been misprinted. 30 Iar
you were even. Neither point touched the great
question at issue, whether or not you had by
your acts either willingly or blindly aided Ill
the pcrpetration Of wrongs against the city.
Did you 90 on to answer his statements con
corning these various transactions: oh. no.
You began your address 10y saying: "Our OPP
ponents don't pretend TO discuss any questions.
They don't pretend to investigate any issues
They absolutely ignore the administration oi
the government so far as any investigation INTO
any OF the departments is concerned Then
you GO into one Of those raptuTous visions when
so please your ofliccholding listeners. Of the
beauties of Brooklyn. its intelligent people, Its
good water and its increasing population.
Perhaps YOU do not consider that the G'lcs
ton whether or not the city paid twice rs in'ich
for the Twelfth Ward Park rs ii should have
done. and II the extra money went in'o the
hands OF influential politicians. is question
concerning the administration II the govern
cnpsiIpr SItcn "A question
rs an attempt TO pry into private life and rs a
vlliication Of the individuals who received INC
money. Al least you passed over the snbJect
as being 81 no Importance. Maybe N"l h"h
the same views concerning your givins an asset
in the shape Of permanent incom" al S''""
a year to the Long Island Water supply com
pany just rs steps were being taken for me
city 10 buy its franchises and contracts. II ~
lust possible that you regard II rs entirely I'M
pudcnt and an invasion Of The rights 81 IN"
individual 10 ask whether Aldermen ana their
friends drank $500 worth Of liquors ~ The
city's EXPENSE during the Columbian cclcbra-
ton. and also regard 1t as personal viilcaiion
for anybody to question the proprcty Of your
signing bills for that celebration which wrr"
not made out in form according 10 law. some
OF which Wcr" presented ny "hl''Holu'iS VIM
were prohibited by statute from having any
such dealings with the city, and a large number
Of which were pronounced outragcouSy fraudu-
lent by IA Grand Jury. Have you answered cX-
Mayor Lows statements puncturinS your
boasts about the way you had improved the
city more than he did and kept IA lower tax
rate? He showed that he reduced heavy debts
left by his predecessors and paid for his own
improvements while You and Mayor Chaplin
have been piling up vast debts for cxtravagant
administration and charging your public works
on future generations. Not word have You
said about this.
Now, Mr. Body. please answer these charges
frankly Did you sign the Long Island Water
Company contracts, and II so, what possible
construction Is to be put upon your action other
than the one Mr. Gaynor has put upon il: DID
you and your Corporation Counsel try TO uphold
the grant Of the street franchises which JUS
tice Cullen declared void? Do you think the
Twelfth Ward Park transaction was honest.
and il not, were you blind or under durcss! Is
Mr. Lows statement about debts and improve
mcnts true, and was your comparison of your
administration with his misleading: Come to
tho mint