The evening times., 1898-03-22
VAN WICK MAKES CHARGES.
--ew -ork's Mayor Censures His Pre-
decessOrs.

lew -ork's Mayor Censures His Pre-
decessOrs.
New York, March 22-Mayor Van wyck
declared to visiting delegation yester-
day that Mayor Strong's administration
mad wasted the city's money in extrava-
CANT improvements. and that Mayor
Wursters administration in Brooklyn
had been corrupt.
Former Mayor Strong in reply charged
that he had bcen forced TO proviJe for
years of Tammany neglect. He justified
his expenditures and asserted tha- the
city, instead of being near the debt li,n't,
was not within s1OO,OOe, 600 Of 1t OH :he
oasis of an assessment on the actual
Naiue OF property. He said that the cry
OF economy had been raised by Mayor
van "yck purely for political effect.
Former Mayor Wurster would not be-
iieve that Mayor yam Wyck had made a
wholesale chsrgez of corruption against
MS administrstioa and promised to reply
IL ne FOUND that Che mayor had done So
mayor Van sAVye1x's arraignment of his
PREDECESSORS #asHielivered to a commit
zee from the Seventh District Tammany
oisdhlzatlon Snd2the West Side Public
Improvement Association, which called
upon MIN tosures provision for a new
PARK and more fairgrounds for children
OF the west siRe Below Fifty-ninth street
IN reply, ting Mayor told them to 20 10
the Park coPami&sio He expeeted
MS appointeeS to do their duty. he said
iu nc reIuSSn 20 ask them to do any,
thing, as he might want to remove tbcn
ana did not desire to place himself under
any "obligatibn' TO them.
do not see what we can do without
money he continued, ''and / do not SEQ
Wnere We are going to get the money
We have just had an administration in
inns city which was extraYagant. and ono
IN Brooklyn which was absolutely cor
rupt. The city has almost reached its
debt limit. and things will have TO re-
main as they are for some time, until We
get Strengthened out.
Now, take the act of the last admin
istration in deciding to tear down the res
ervoir at Forty-second Street and giving
the site for library purposes. | am op-
posed to that kind of policy While I
would raze the reservoir l would level
the site from Sixth Avenue to Fifth Ave
nue. and turn ii all into a park
Col. Strong said. when told of Mayor
Van Wycks last attack: That we spent
more money than should have been re-
1ulItui Is true Large expenditures
were made necessary by years of neg
lect Everything in the city which was
under the care Of the city's officers had
been permitted TO go to rack and ruin.
Grand Juries had declared month after
month that the Tombs prison and the /
buildings on the islands were a disgrace
10 civilization. They were, and we ar I
ranged for new buildings and improve I
mentS in old ones
Il found on January /, 1895. that there |
were 5000 children in the city fO--whon I
there were no school accommodations /
ana that the normal annual increase of .
children OF school age was l6 00G We
were required TO assume the RESPONSIBLE
lty OF compelling an army of children To
grow up In ignorance or that Of expend-
ing SlZGH.0pV for new schoolhouses. We
dld not dodge the responsibility of spend
ing the money
This talk about having reached the
debt limit is all 'poppycock The city Is
not within gunshot Of its debt limit. Any
one who can read figures knows tha, il
IS not We are not within sIo0. 600 of
our debt limit, on real valuation Of real
ana personal property. 1t is kind Of the
mayor to charge ME with extravaganza |
only, while he charges my friend Wurs-
ter, Of Brooklyn, with corruption"