The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-13
"NONE YOUR BUSINESS" !"
Young Platt's Reply to Member of
Mazet Commi sion.

New York, Sept 13.-At the opening
of today's session of the Mazet investi-
eating committee Mr.. Moss, counsel
to the committee, said it was expected
that Mr.. Croker would be on the stand
some time during the day. The first
witness today was Alfred 7. White,
former commissioner of city works in
Brooklyn In 1896 he made an exF aus
tive report on the Brooklyn water sup
ply. Three sources of supply were eX-
amined at the time, one of them being
the RamapO water supply. Witness
said that Gen. Tracy had asked wit
ness in 1894 if the proposition from a
private water company would be re-
ceived. Witness replied that he would
do nothing until after his engineers had
made their report. He thought Gen.
Tracy represented the Ramapo COM
pany at that time. MI White said that
Engineer WOrthen had reported that to
deliver water from the RamapO shed
to Brooklyn would cost $40 per million
gallons and that the Ramapo supply
would be inadequate.
Mr. White said it was his view that
the state ought to take charge of all it's
water sheds and apportiOn them be-
tween the cities.
Frank II. PIatt, son of Senator Platt
and junior member of the law firm of
Tracy, Boardman e Platt, was called
to the witness stand.
Mr.. PIatt said he knew little of the
Ramapo water company. He had no
personal knowledge that Gen. Tracy
had ever been president of the COM
pany. When Gen. Tracy came into
the firm in 1889 he brought with him
q law suit concerning the validity of
the title to certain lands in which the
Ramapo company was interested.
When the act of 1895 was before Gov
ernor Morton by which the right was
given to the RamapO company to sell
water anywhere in the state, General
Tracy had requested that a gentleman
connected with the firm appear before
Governor Morton and present the case
of the RamapO company. 4 never
knew anything personally about the
RanapO water company said Mr. .Platt.
indirect in it, never knew anything
about the contract until read of it in
the newspapers"
Assemblyman Hoffman asked Mr..
Platt whether General Tracy was not
president of the RamapO company at
the time he was a member of the
Greater New York charter commission.
I only know that the newspapers
said he had resigned the presidency be
fore going on the commission" was the
answer.
do you know that General Tracy
owned $1.oO0,00O worth of the stock in
the company"
u know nothing about it,
do you own stock in that company"
No
''Never did?"
He asked whether his firm did any
work for Silas r. butcher. He did not
remember but thought not. He knew
nothing about Mr.. Butchers connec-
tiOn with the company.
Mr.. Platt said that the Fidelity & De-
pOSit company had done business here
in fair and open competition with other
surety companies.
Senator Platt he added, owned no stock
in the company.
Mr.. Hoffman asked: what stock do
you hold in the city Trust company"
I decline to answer replied the wit
ness.
''Why?'
''It is none of your business
Witness denied that he had told Gov.
Black when that official refused to sign
certain corporation bill that he could not
be renominated.
Witness had appeared before Governor
Roosevelt with regard to the Ford fran
chise bill and said that it was subsequent
to this that the special session of the leg
islature was called at which the bill
amended, Witness had never received
any blocks of stocks for his services to
any corporation or for his influence; nor
had any member of his family.