The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-08-25
CANNOT SAVE NEPHEW JOHN.
Uncle Matthew Breen Fails to
Keen His Relative in Office
Attempt Made to Distort the New
Law Concerning Aliens.

yy,en Is an axeman not an axeman?
uo ia not an axeman II the law stands
IN the way and you have an uncle with
political pull. That is the way that
eminent legal authority Matthew p.
Breen, counsel to the Department Of
street improvements at 5000 q year,
answers the question.
II Mr.. Breen had the making of the
laws, chapter 622 of the Laws Of 1894
would probably not be on the statute
books now. Chapter 500 provides that
no alien laborer, mechanic or working
man shall be employed on public works
of any kind. Mr.. Breen had imported
a nephew of his from Ireland who comes
under the ban of this law. But II Mr..
Breen can't make laws, he can construe
and interpret them.
than most immigrants. who land here.
Uncle Matt took care of him at once and
provided him with job as axeman at
$50 day In the Department Of Public
John was marked for dismissal in ac-
cordance vita the provisions Of chapter
600, he was not disturbed. Another
equally learned authority on law had
on Between e s Why h tsen
Mr.. Breen ruiz. his peace Of mind oyer
a mere act OF the Legislature? Mr..
Breen sat down and thought with himself
he declared that the law might be all
right and all that sort of thing, but 1t
did not refer to Nephew John.
That idea was admirably carried out
by Mr., Breen, as will be seen by the
documents on file In the Department Of
Public Works. Mr.. Breen went to his
friend DAILY. the Commissioner OF Public
whether an axeman Is a laborer, but
Mr. DAILY suddenly had his doubts and
required legal opinion to settle them.
g. S.rE fOr fn his Letter.
Mr.. Clark he said: at is claimed the
duties of an axeman. place him outside
OF the classification Of a mechanic"
Accompanying this document were
seven letters from as many experts
expressing the opinion that an axeman
is not an axeman. Here Is a sample Of
one of the letters:
An axeman in this city performs, strictly
a wOrkingman or laborer. The name OF axeman
Is not appropriate, as he really Isn't an axeman.
His duties are. TO great extent. technical. 1t
is the lowest grade In the engineering force and
t., NJ 1t were, preparatory school for promotion
to the higher grades of the profession. ,,
Mr.. Rise is the Engineer of the De-
partment of Street improvements. The
same opinions We're given by Chief En-
nSc H WSsfs & the T RsPaTsment
Flrnum and Il. Gutenberg, who are de-
scribed az heads of bureaus: Louis Half
fen, Commissioner of the Department of
Street Improvements, and NJ. A. KEEL
lOgg, Engineer of the Park Department.
This note, in Mr.. Breen's handwriting
and signed by him, accompanied the
foregoing:
THE inclosed expressions of opinion
were obtained by me without my having
disclosed the particular case In point,
or without in any way attempting to
shape the Judgments of these gentle
men. The question was put to them in
a perfectly fair way, that the answers
given may, be relied upon as Their best
Judgment
Mr.. Rreen, when he wrote that letter,
probably did not think that 1t would APP
pear odd that all this expert testimony
which was obtained without having dis
closed the. case in point was written
on letter heads of the Department OF
Street improvements, and on the same
typewriter. and that all the letters bore
the impress of the same master mind
The language varied little. The other
letters are merely pharaphrase of tina,
signed by Mr. Rise, and in some in.
stances the language Is Identical
But Mr.. Breen had all his trouble for
nothing. The assistant to whom the
matter was referred by the Corporation
Counsel decided that an aXeman was
just what his name implied in law and
In fact, and that chapter 622 could moi
be circumvented by subterfuges.