New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-29

GJLROY CALLED TO ACCOUNT.
FEW POINTS BROUGHT TO TIE MAYORS At

| TENTIoN ABOUT HIS FRIEND MR. BRENNAN.
The City Club hq, sent tie following letter to
Mayor Gllroy in reference TO his dismissal of the
charges made by the club against Street Cleaning
Commissioner Brennan:
April o. 1893.
| To the Mayor Of the City Ct Ncw.Yofk.
Dear Sir: We have not lccn honorCd by any com.
munication from you but have been appriScd Of your
decision in the public press OF the 18th OF April; we
GLADLY adopt the theory upon which you have proceeded
In thus publishing decision, for W" understand ii
to constitute admission that our charges. though
brought in form Mr.. Brennan before you.
understood by you be brought in fact before the tr
una Of public opinion You nave stated Case TO the
| public we beg state ours
The charges urged by against Mr.. Brennan that
he had failed comply With the plain provisions Of the
law which he appointed 10 execute the carrying out
of these provisions Of the law was in way affected
by snowfall climatic conditions the contrary, they
entirely independent OF BOTH and were briefly a.
| follows:
1t Was made his duty b. the law # April o. 1892.
first, to provide efficient uniformed force: second. TO
apv the block system third by seizure and II necessary
by sale to force the of trucks t, take out permits
under which they would BE- held responsible for the
Of that part Of the street occupied by them
under the permit The plain question before y was
Had Mr. executed these provisions 81 the law
or not7 If he hSd were justified in dnssine these
charges; II had not, you not justified in dis
missing them.
An efficient unformed force. You that no all.
Three produced by us in support OF this
charge. Mr. Brcnnan's counsel asked TO have two OF
these the extremely technical ground that
they referred Investigation made subsequent 10 the
date charges How the fact that the date OF The
investigation before after April aiecod the
issue not able TO understand you, however eX
cludcd andays upon the request OF Mr. Brenras
counsel technical or other could be FOUND
either by him or you rr excluding the affidavit Of Mr.
Newbourg Of April H. relating to observations made March
II; this affidavit contained specific statement upon this
point and was contradccd neither by Mr. Bfenn1n nor
his counsel Moreover. II there had not been single ALL
davt produced TO support charge woman
and child including yourself witness to the IN
efficiency Of Mr. Brennans socaiei uniformed force and
vet You hestated - state that you dd not hnd
this charge sustained
The block system For years every expert ana every
officer Of city government who has had TO do with
street cleaning has agreed in the conclusion that tho
streets NewYor could only he cleaned on the condition
alotting each sweeper fixed area OF street suace
for which he could held responsible The difficulty Of
doing prior ApIil 0. 1892, was simply one OF eX'
pense but by the law Of Apl 9, 1892, the commissioner
was authorized increase his force sufficiently to effect
this and call upon the Sinking Fund commissioners
for special appropriation therefor; Mr. Brennan did not
delay hour in asking TO- the additional appropriation
On the o5th Of April Commissioner Brennan submitted
10 the Board Estimate statement Of the additional
appropriation required This statement contained the re-
quest for aborers at 5000 per annum. TO wit
5000 The board did delay IN granting this re-
quest the 9th OF May 1892, the board appropriated
5000 O0o This increase Of so3 over the existing
force for the number cleaners employed before
the passage Of this act was not more than Co1 the
answer Mr. Brennan 20 the charge OF not having
applied block system Is that nc did attempt TO apply
It on the 1st Of July 1892. To quote his own words
practical result however. of this method was found
10 be that tho number Of much tao small
TO do efficient work assigned to them the de-
parment having time in oil more than 81 sweep
ers instead Of maximum allowed in the law namely.
100. This deficiency from want OF sufficient
appropriation"
This sentence contains the confession that had 1872
swcepers that 07j than tlc lat year
II also contains that the deficiency
the OF sufficient appropriation, aud in.
asmuch he did have appropriation which he does
hesitate deny having had, 1t puts upon him the
responsibility having the full complement Of 1900
allowed him by the law, for which special appropriation
obtained at HIS request.
The answer Of Mr.. Brennan further states that this |
plan was abandoned on or about the lst Of November
tina; Is say before there snowfall OF difficulty
arising ont Of Indictment weather and yet you do not /
hesitate find that he justified in abandoning the
attempt apply the block system. "when the conditions
Of the weather and the emergencies caused thereby made
IL necessary for him his and rendered
the system Of cleaning by districts Intellectual and i'm
lrJctcabe."
The fact Is that Mr.. brennan got appropriation fo'
500 that lie increased his force to 1872. number
amply sufficient apply the block system pacti-
cally the whole Of the city OF New.Yok that he has
demonstrated his incapacty 10 apply the block system 0r
July purely aboitive. and that ne himself con-
fcssed that he abandoned it November LIST. Mr.
tries 70 shield himself by an insufficient apmo.
prlation show that he had the full appropriation.
You attempt defend him the ground Of inclcnent
weather show that by Mr.. Brennans own statement
attempt abandoned before the nclcnen weather
began.
Failure to remove trucks. You excuse Mr.. Brennan's
failure execute this part Of the law by throwing the
responsibility the Sinking Fund Commissioners. The
only moment which the Sinking Fund Commissioners
called upon the law intervene In the mltter +
give their consent 10 the leasing q yard for the storing
these trucks subsequent seizure and prior 10 sale
Tho words the law The said Commissioner Of
Sweet Cleaning is hereby authorized with the consent and
approval Of the Board Of Sinking Fund Commissioners. to
lease suitable yard or yards which the trucks ETC.,
shall be taken" efficient commissioner would have
properly fenced yard, ~ which there hun
deds IN the city. within week after the passage Of the
law secured the and approval Of
the Board Of Sinking Fund Commissioners within another
week thereafter. Instead Of doing this the Commits.
sioner upon his showing contented himself with
writing letters various members Of the board asking
them what they proposed 20 do in execution OF the law
in other words asking them do what his duty 10
do; and when the board did Offer him yard, he, the
18th OF August declined IT, being Every uninviting
respectable citizens this very 5sd. however,. he after
ward accepted and this yard is not yet fenced
In your decision you reference 70 the continued
by MI expensive that cannot 90 to
in rough weather instead Of cheap scows that 80
TO in weather; you mako reference con-
tinued neglect by Mr. Brennan to during
the eight months Of fair weather which preceded the
winter snowfall make reference ashes garbage
etc. which accumulated In consequence Of the neniciency
of the whole department But we abstain from charging
these points and upon showing leave
our cose with the public Yours truly.
EDMOND KELLY. Chairman.
j. b. BISHOP
w. HARRIS ROOME.
THE THIEF PROVED TO DE MS BRO7FTR