New-York tribune., 1894-06-11
FRACTURED, NOT BROKEN.
RRoOKLYN's RING KEEPS ITS GRIP ON
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE EFFORT TO DEFEAT THE SELECTION oF
covprrrx7, MAN AS 1NsPECToR-wHAT
ST. CLAIR MKEIwAY SAYS ABOUT IT
COMMISSIONER wrRsTER
uANpERED
IIAMP PERED.

There is much stir in Brooklyn over the Demo
cr,.c n,achIncs endeavor 70 use the CIVIL service
Boari in way to defeat the selection OF PiaI' van
Coz, as Inspector OF the Fire Department. lie was
chosen by civil Service examination Over lour COM
petltors asst Wednesday. and he is resa'cel AS az
llcl man for the place. Commission. ,,o,
estimates that thousands Of dollars VII oe sa'eu
b. him , ,,,,,
The Democratic secretary Of the Cvi! Service Com
m.sson W J. u. Campbe.i has objec,ed % ' '"1
method OF The selection Il ,s cnarGeI 'a' "'' 'a
objection IS to the man. kEo"Ins tna' .. o.
McKeiway the Editor OF The BTooNEu N'e',
wa, familiar with ehe facts a Tribune reporter
c,rcl on him Yesterday ana obtained from nm 'ne
following statement. in which he handled the ha'e'
without g.oves. Mr McKe,way said;
when Frederick H. wurster took charge oS Ot tns tis
Fe psphrehh had asEed to be pu, on the retired
list ana hal been pni thsFeb ebs newer 70 appoint
ms'2neT Josn ESn'H He ea da not exercise me
new Commissioner made james Daae 80 a9nr,o,nt-
engineer. and afterward gave h'h' d 'u' "P'
coasderlng ;he many changes Comms,sio@nrr Is, @ ss En,
MIS- made In the Last days OF Ms term ms oSsH E
' ~, raiaiisie on the Mayor for suspendlnS nm ~
nlm.rg Chlef Nevlnss successor wls ~ COM was
oe as ,Gr yis Mi q2a' Fna han h,i existed Al
quariers except Wiough 6y-s' wnicn n1n ~ ,Is In
ieresi Mr Ems was ss'qng IN t,a ms Hsor 70
Ch!sf NcyIns hmse who deIr5i Ennis and %eyins put
o. o. ahl,ais. u, % in Commissioner Wur@ers way toward
tfr Fire department UtNlci'
'"sHh Sh men ,te Corim ss.oner has abored 20 orns
nm me rora.e and bring down the cost OF tne qq a.
partnrnS i' reouesSd and $1,000 less than that
rrrsi4c.ss,r go, from the Board or fs,lhA'e 1hS n
yelr Two '4I'ss 'seIng T ga 10 work al the tine lie
s5nni a warl politician named canice Sass,o SS'ser "a
an bs aiernined It was hi duy drive The
commissioner around IN pugsy. ri ~ rIiyrn V ct
;ng - co.. Year ard caei assistant inspectST
- 80 c,- 40 coild be determined. Re duy was 20 CO.
an.- he machine
members Of the departmen' Inabe - .hn1,
these men. C)mm!ssioner qrs,er .ri rsIIced
,Ser hGs ii nav TO about Nico ani s2oo year each
THREATS BY THE MACHINE.
,rhev were the machines most active and au-
1,clous instruments In Ia grip on the depnr h'eh'
When he dealt with them. Commissioner "urster
was told that he would b. opposed ana circumVen'eu
NJ every step. and that he would hni 'Aa' 'ne ma
chine had a way Of throwing him on hs back that
no did not suspect and could not easily hnd cut lie
,ra,,si that threat as an ide one l, was not an
lrs one at all. however. as events have proved
whpa ago. finding that inspection tina; would
inspect and an inspector IN realty we're rlr,,
,',mmrisslouer Wurster en!eaVOred % GET authVrly
to select one jus officers Of IKE giaie n'u Tba
Designated by other heads ot ieares had
hesn accom- odatel had subjected me Mayer b 10
some criticism from sarHe m3gS"fR Reform role they
assumed from the day the people tufned thein aoT
Commissioner Wurser respcf,a e yne M nspec,or bS
m m ~ ne srrc MIC Elimination Every fireman In the
acpGrme1n' b@msoyes %aT The choice by examination
tests fe., on Foreman Platt Van oo,'' '"t ~ a.
o1rtnent. as well veteran OF he war anu anu
therefore specially favored by law MS see0''o"
was announced
.~rto-, uerc circumstances which made his selec-
or sr,tfvnC TO honest men and disagreelble to the
| machine Van Cot knew the department thorough
| lv and iust where It's equipment and morale could
be beitered For twenty years the machine had Kept
| him under the ban because he had refused 10 s"o
nit TO biackmai to let his men be snoected 10 H. qt
no:i,icaliy to degrade himself and MS company hs
bod not only resisted bribery and hulidoz'ns put ne
had sxnosed both and dehed their practitioners
Tha Th daY that announced his appointment was day
OF Judgment TO the machihe'
| UTrIOUGEBY STREET HEARD FROM.
.Tht, Is supposed and means TO be reform ad
n,,n,s re- ton but the threat the machine made to
! Commissioner Wurster when he re1uceu oahct
| Cossin and Joseph II. Flynn has been made good
| nv them or by their supporters. through hold
| ovsr follower machins,. mistakenly kept In place
| bv Mayor Schieren. for whose mistake some S Wne
,hp Ma vor~, responsibility they would frankly con
Toss The name OF this machine holdover follower
william j. Of 3 tne cIv Service commssioncrs
| The commissioners are Alexander h orr merchant
tutc: \. G. Perkins schoo-teac cher; j. Ware l,t
Greene and George Livingston Nichols iawyers' an.
| Iosenh r Perkins and Wills L. Ogden. merchants
Actnaiy IT seems as II they were the secretaries Of
William j. j. Campbell. and as II he were me SXi M
Servir, Commission. fnr as the reporters anu tn'
! nubIIc can Judge They understood to be restv'
Under this notion Restiveness Is hopeful sign
Tha notlnn however, was not Invented or imported
| II grows out OF the way in when the proportions
OF things appear to the public. They have them
seiyes blame for IT, ,.,.,.,..
~ earning the ropes under the Chaplin administra
t,on which rated policy 10 be the best honesty
Campbell has repea tedly prevented machine too,'
from being disturbed The course OF the present al
rnistration is intrusted It's machine enemies IL
repeated quarters. The Civil Service Commissioners
and even the Mayor became unwittns aocSmPnsrs sn
| OF this fact They do not break with Campne,, aP
parently. lest to do so would be to admit that M
| has run them. an idea only more distastefui ss
| way especially as they are the most uustfui ano
| ne is the most slick OF functlonaries
Colts appointment The Commission mas NOT oon'