New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-09
THE "CALLED OFFS. y

The more the Mazet Committee explains It's
sudden running away from the reception OF
further testimony the more ridiculous does IL
become. 1t goes far 10 jusifyiDg the con-
tempt which the Tammany men all along
expressed for its impartialiy and good
faith 1t puts them at a decided advantage,
for whatever sins were brought home to Tam
many, hypocrisy was not among them. Mr..
Croker and his followers at least had the cour-
age to face their accusers They frankly
avowed that they made politics and business
go hand in hand and they did not, like Mr..
Mazet and his associates make pretence Of
high moral principles merely to prove at crisis
that they were shammng virtue. They LETT
sneaking to Mr.. Plat and his agents.
We notice that one of the latest excuses Is
that the committee was trying to discipline Mr..
Moss and teach him his place Mr.. Fallows, for
instance, is quoted as saying: I'm not going
ITO be run by the paid assistant of the Mazet
COMMITTEE now or at any other time" Mr. Fal-
lows ought to turn back his memory few
months TO the beginning Of the work of that
paid assistant" He may recall that when the
committee first came to NewYork it was partc-
ularly anxious to make people believe that II
meant to do thorough, impartial work and could
not be called off" Mr.. Moss was good deal
more than It's paid assistant just then. The
committee gave its pledge to an incredulous
world that Mr.. Moss was TO be absolutely un
hampered, and Mr.. Moss. with the acquescence
of his employers, announced that he became
counsel to the committee only on the promise
that he should have full freedom to probe wher
ever and as deeply as he wished Words coulo
not have gone further to assure the public thai
It could trust the committee because 1t was
simply the legal instrument to enable Mr.. Moss
to use all his experience as n0n-partisan re
former for the exposure Of wlckedness wheo
ever found If Mr.. Moss was then the mei7
creature of the organization majority In th'
| committee that fact was carefully concealed.
| But suppose Mr.. Moss was creature TO b'
disciplined? What was the serious crime which
so shocked the committeeman that they wen
| and hid their faces? Merely that he wanted Il
| look into telephone, East River Bridge ant
| Queens County matters and suggested that Sen
| ator Platt's testimony was needed? What al
interesting confesson What Is It that tn
committeeman know or suspect about thes
subjects that they consider them too sacred T.
lay hands upont Strange, indeed, that the!
should run away and chide Mr.. Moss for hi
founder with their contradictory stories abou
the adjournment the more clearly cverybod.
sees that the real reason was TO block nvestl
cation along the lines that Mr.. Moss had In
dicated he would follow Mr.. Mazet seems Z
realize this. for he says he has decided to sto
talking, and that people can think what the
want to-" This kind permission has been some
what anticipated. People thought what the
wanted to before election, and failed TO sen
Mr. Mazet back 20 the Assembly because the
thought he was not honestly impartial In hi
Investigation, but, while making pretence OF II
forming zeal was really keeping in concealmeI
scandals which Mr.. Moss wanted 10 probe. fC
fear some harm would be done TO Senator Plat
Perhaps Mr.. Mazet has concluded that Is III
verdict OF history, and is prepared TO accept
with resignation. But we had not supposed tha
all Of his fellow Republicans on the committe
were ready 10 exhibit themselves as runaway
from truth. and have Cookers question. "Wl
don't you call Platt? ever dangling derlsvel
after them