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

When is an axeman not an axeman?
He is not an axeman IL the law stands
In the way and you have an uncle with
a political pull That Is the way that
eminent legal authority Matthew p.
Breen. counsel to the Department of
Street improvements at 5000 a year,
answers the question.
IL 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 So provides that
no allen laborer. mechanic or working
man shall be employed on public works
of any kind. MIR. Breen had imported
nephew of his from Ireland who comes
under the ban Of this law. But II Mr..
! and interpret them.
Nephew John J. Breen was luckier
than most immigrants who land here:
provided him NV With tn a Job as axeman at
2:oO day In the Department Of Public
Works When Uncle Matt learned that
John was marked for dismissal. in ac-
S22. he was not disturbed. Another
equally, learned authority on law had
What's little thinns l!ke the sonsttn;
Mr.. Breen ruin his peace Of mind over
q mere act of the Legislature? MIR.
Breen sat down and thought with himself,
but for momnt only; In that instant
right and all that sort OF thing, but it
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
Works. who is paid 5000 to know
Mr.. e' Daily suddenly had his doubts and and
required legal opinion to settle them;
So he wrote to, Corporation Counsel
Clark for decision; In his s,, Letter ITO to
duties OF an axe.nan place him outside
Of me classification Of a mechanic"
Accompanying this document were
expressing the opinion that an axeman
is not an axeman. Here Is sample of
one Of the letters:
An axeman in this city performs. strictly
a workinsmsn or iaborer. The name of axeman
Is not appropriate. as he really isn't an axeman.
HI, duties are, to s,ss' eses, .sch sorse ana
to the higher grade, Of the I Profession p,ssr
Mr.. Risse is the Engineer of the De
partment of Street improvements. The
same opinions were given by Chief En-;
ginesr Hirdsall. q The .Departmsnt q q
Farnum and F. Gutenberg, who are de.
scribed as heads OF bureaus: Louis Half.
| fen, Commissioner of the Department OF
| Street improvements, and NJ A. Kel'
logg, Engineer OF the Park Department
This note. in Mr.. Breens handwriting
and signed by him. accompanied the
| foregoing:
were obtained by me without my hav ms
disclosed the particular case in point
| or without in any way attempting &c
shape the judgments Of these gentle
men. The question was put to them ir
perfectly fair way, that the answer!
given. may. be relied upon as Their bes
Judgment"
Mr.. Breen. when he wrote that letter
probably did not think that 1t would ap
pear odd that all this expert testimon!
| which was obtained without having dis
closed the case in point was writer
on letter heads of the Department o
| Street improvements, and on the sam
typewriter, and that all the letters Dor
the impress Of the same master mind
The language varied little. The othe
letters are merely a pharaphrase of tina
signed by Mr.. Risse. and In some in
stances the language is Identical.
But Mr.. Breen had all his trouble 70
nothing The assistant to whom tn
| matter was referred by the Corporation
Counsel decided that an axeman wa
Just what his name implied in law ant
In fact and that chapter go could no
be ci-cumvented by subterfuges.