The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-06
COILS SUES THE WORLD"
eeSo.ooo DAMAGES DEMANDED FoR
MALICIOUS Libel.

Allegations That the Comnisa,oner Was
EeaEucd with the EideiIty and Deposit
Company to Make Money Out or the Bond.
tag OF Contractors Tor Public worpa-Ho
mas Noth,nE TO Do with Contractors nonds.
Gen. Charles II. T. COLTS. Commissioned OF
Public Works, has begun an action for S250,o00
damages against the World. The papers In the
case were served on Wednesday, and as yet no
answer has been filed. Tho action Is based on
an article In the World OF Wednesday, Oct. Q, In
which Gen. Coils is fotly accused OF forcing
contractors who have been successful in their
bids for city work to accept rs one OF their sure.
ties tho Fidelity and Deposit Company OF Mary
land. In this tho World scented n great fraud.
because Henry H.. Plat, son Of Senator
Thomas c. Plat, is manager Of tho Fidel-
ity and Deposit Company, and because the
law firm of Tracy, Boardman &c Plat IL
counsel for tho company. Tho World, In lam
guago there can be no mistaking. accuses the
commissioner OF Public Works Of levying trib-
ute on contractors, and dividing with Senator
Plat through his sons company. II refers to the
alleged acts Of Gen. Coils as n "huge grab"
and goes on to give as evidence Of the truth of
what 1t says q record Of lac city contracts. care
fully culled in the Comptrolier's office, and In
hl but fve OF which the Fidelity and Deposit
Company appears rs one of the two ~surcties for
the contractor who did the work.
Outside of all the other difficulties the World
will have to contend with in defending Con.
Collis's action, there is the important one that
tho COMMISSIONS of Public Works has nothing
20 do with the bonding Of contractors. That 10
all attended to in tho Comptroller's office.
Tho World has consistently attacked Gen. Col.
Lilo ever since he succeeded William Brookfeld
In the office Of Commissioner of Public Works.
The hua and cry raiaad nvar tho rnpoirinn ~
Fifth avenue gave the paper a chance to attack
the Commissioner such as 1t hadn't had before.
II became the organ Of the ignorant people who
cried out because the mammoth task was not
begun and finished in q week.
To all of these attacks Gen. Coils was imper-
vious. To Mayor Strong he gave an explanation
IAN explanation entirely unsolicited-which
satisfied tho Mayor that the attacks were
groundless. To anybody who called and asked
he also explained things, and few went away
unconvinced that the Commissioner was doing
the best that could be done under existing con-
THE SUN printed Gen. Collis's explanation OF
the delays In the work on Fifth avenue on moro
OF any complete map Of the. sub-surface struc-
lures OF the city necessitated slow and cautious
way for the big new water mains, and the WORK
was necessarily slow. although faster than
many private, Jobs of loss magnitude. as Gen.
Unsuccessful In Its effort to get into an argu-
ment with the Commissioner of Public Works,
which would bring 1t. much advertising. the
World tried to induce the Mayor to remove Gen.
Collis. This was q rank failure. too, so in des-
perntion tho World cast about for a new line of
attack. It found that the Fidelity and Deposit
Company was on the bonds of n number Of sue
cessful contractors. and, further. that Tracy,
10 q member. are counsel for the Maryland COM
pany. According to the Worlds standard, no
more conclusive evidence of corruption and
fraud could be found than that the Maryland
company was doing well in the line OF business
u WAS organised TO do. and the remarkable fact
that Mr.. Henry b. Plat allowed his brother to
attend to his law business.
On Wednesday. Oct. @, the World renewed its
attack under the following headlines: