The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-04-15
CROKER AS A WITNESS
The Tammany Leader Before the
Investigating Committee,
HIS DRAMATIC DECLARATION.

Declines to Reveal Business AnaIrs.
New York, April 15.-Richard Croker
was on the stand yesterday before the
Mazet investigating committee. and
was called again today. John +. Car
roll, the Tammany leaders chief dep
uty, was also put through a course OF
questioning. Judge Joseph +. DAILY
whom the Democrats refused to renom-
mate for justice of the supreme court
last fall, told OF his treatment by Mr.
Croker and Tammany. while other
prominent witnesses contributed tes-
timony that went to make the day
most notable one i'm the investigation
into the city's affairs
The examination Of Richard Croker
was remarkable one, chiefly byreason
of the answers which he returned to
the questions propounded to him by
Mr. Moss. He was brief and direct,
and took advantage of the many op-
portunities afforded him to retort in
a manner that evoked applause many
times from those gathered in the COM
mittee room.
Mr.. Croker gave events a somewhat
dramatic turn when, after refusing to
answer several questions concerning
his private affairs, he held up his right
hand and said impressively: "If you
can show where | have taken a single
dollar from this city, you can cut that
arm or"
When the Tammany chief first went
on the stand Mr.. Moss conducted line
of questioning which Mr.. Croker evil
IDENTIFY believed was a loss of time, for
he suddenly leaned forward and said:
at is not necessary to bring up what
everybody knows. There is no use
playing to the gallery; there is no use
making speeches. l am the leader of
the party, and l acknowledge 1t. All
these people are my friends, and l am
going to stick to them all the time"
Mr.. Moss drew from Mr.. Croker the
fact that the Tammany chief believed
that all the offices of administration Of
all departments should go to the vic
torious political party. Mr.. Croker
said that when the Democrats placed
men in Office the party expected to have
those men do what the leaders of the
party asked them to do. He himself
had recommended the appointment of
various officials and the distribution OF
patronage Not in every case, how
ever, he said, had his wishes been car
| ried out. He admitted, nevertheless.
that he had considerable amount of po-
| litical influence.
A matter that Mr.. Moss gave atten-
tion to was Mr.. Crokers connection
with the auctioneering business con-
Quoted by Peter f. Meyer, by whom
the majority of the judicial sales are
| conducted. Mr.. Croker said he had
! been a member of the firm for some
years, and as a true Democrat he ex-
! pected to be befriended in the way
of profit from the sales.
"Then you are working for your own
| pocket?" said Mr.. Moss.
"All the time, the same as you are, -
'To the boss belongs the lions share
of the plumber" sneered Mr.. Moss.
"No plunder, no." said Croker. "Yor
can call 1t what you like. You can cal
the bill you sent to the legislature fol
the work you are now doing plunder
if you please"
Mr.. Croker told the committee that
it was customary for candidates to
Office to contribute to election expen-
ses, and stated that some contributions
had been as high as $4,000 or $40 1000
He said that the contributions were
not compulsory, but were, in many
cases, on the contrary, voluntary.
Perhaps the most interesting part
of the investigation was that in which
Mr.. Croker was questioned closely as
to how he had made his money. Mr.
Croker refused to tell of his private
affairs, but admitted that he was a
member of several companies, one Of
which is the Air and Power company
with a capital stock of $l0,00O,000. He
said:
1--WE got nothing to conceal. If any
one comes to me with good stock tC
buy, | buy it, and so would you.
will not go into any details of my
private business"
Mr.. Moss endeavored, in a persuasive
way, to induce Mr. Croker to give
further information on the subject OF
money making, but the witness simply
refused to give details. He declared
however, that he was willing to lei
Moss see the books of his office for the
last seven years and see what he had
made.
Incidentally Mr.. Croker praised
Chief Devery and the police depart
ment.
Former Judge Joseph F. Daily tes'
titled that he had been notified in the
early part of last October that he neeC
not expect denomination. This noti
flcation came directly from Mr. Croker
and it was, he said, the result of his
refusing to appoint a chief clerk o.
the court of common pleas recommends
ed by Mr.. Croker, and because he haC
refused to make a judicial order fol
the removal of the legal sale to Ii
Broadway, where Peter +. Myers firm
is located. Judge DAILY said that he haC
paid 1000 in assessments for his two
nominations by Tammany Hall
Former Judge Roger A. Pryor testi
fed that he, too, had contributed u
Tammany on account of his nomina
tion, he having sent a check for $40,
600, payable to the order Of Richard
Croker chairman of the finance com
mittee of Tammany Hall He was sub
sequently asked to make the checl
payable to the bearer, and he did so.
John T, Carroll, Mr., Croker's chic
lieutenant, did not prove a very eas!
witness, and because of his refusal L
answer questions, Mr., Moss suggeste,
that he might have to have Mr.. Car
roll sent to prison for contempt o
court. Later he asked that Mr.. Car
rolls refusal to answer questions b
reported to the legislature. The caus
of all this was the question as I
, / urbathar Mr. Carroll had any pOnnao