New-York tribune., 1900-11-10
MAYOR DENIES CHARGES.
HIS ANSWER IN ICE TRUST CASE MADE
PUBLIC
ATToRNEY-GENERAL THINKS PROOFS OF
GUILT ARE LACKING - ALLEGED
TELEGRAM FROM oDELL AD-
VISING SUPPRESSION.
VISING SUPPRESSION.


vIsING SUPPRESSION.
The answer Of Mayor Van Wyck to the Ice
Trust charges Of THE World" sent to AL
bany. and received by Attorney-General
Davies on September %, when Governor Roose-
velt was campaigning in the Far West. 1t was
published by The World" yesterday, together
with a letter which Attorney General Davies
sent TO the Governor October 4. and with
what purports to be a message to the Governor
from Chairman Odell of the Republican State
Committee, asking for the suppression of the
Van Wyck answer. as follows:
7-,oosor. poo..n.,, september a %. 1900;
VIE PPi Attorney-General Davies to be sure not to
at this time I'm L must & be held until after the cleo
Davies. B. B. oDELLl
THE MAYORS ANSWER
It is to be noticed that the alleged message
by Mr.. OdeIl is dated before the answer Of
Mayor Van Wyck sent to Albany The
answer OF the Mayor is dated on September 81,
and contains in the beginning an account of the
Mayors dealings in Ice Trust stock as follows:
I DO not now own any stock in any Ice company
and have direct indirect interest in any such
company oo Upon April IL 1899 bought from c, W.
Ice Company for S25O.oNo which the fair mar
cash bv three checks and / gave three promissorV ~
notes for the balance. for $4,000 and two for
The stock issued by me and by. me delivered
subsequently the notes and collateral were trans
ferred to certain banks. They were renewed from
tae notes we're paid @ in full by me & with interest out
1 had been a stockholder in the Knickerbocker
Ice Company OF Maine long previous TO April II.
Viii Rhch SR1 was Hfh the PAN far ms market @ value thereof
ceived printed circular bout May c IS rom a me
stock share for share for Knickerbocker stock,
Ny entire entire holdings Of the ice stock have been
sold in the open market on the IN NeT- @ York stock
't1hgFT for the stock h s:s5Soo -''9 ~
The Mayor goes to say that he began to
sell out his ice stock last May, when, he declares,
he first learned that the American Ice Company
had contracts with the city and owned stock in
the Consolidated Ice Company. which had dock
leases By the end of June he had unloaded all
his ice stock.
DID NOT KNOW OF CONTRACTS.
The Mayor denies that he has been unlawfuy
interested in city contracts. He says he did not
violate the section of the charter which prohibits
a city official from knowingly" acquiring such
interest. At the time he bought his ice stock
the trust did not have contracts with the city.
and the contracts were made months later with
out his knowledge, he says At the time.
he asserts that the accepted construction Of the
section Of the charter has been that a minority
stockhoider in a corporation having contracts
with the city does not have direct or indirect
interest in those contracts. He says that Mayor
Strong, Mayor Grace. Controller Coler and
Woodbury. Langdon. the Rapid Transit Com
missioner, owned stock IN corporations having
contracts with the city.
The Mayor declares that dock leases to various
ice companies were made without his vote or
knowledge. THE three grants of land under
water to the Knickerbocker Ice Company, Of
New-Ysfk, mentioned in the charge were." the
answer says, made long prior to January 1.
1898 when 1 took office They simply
allowed to continue by the present Dock Board
The charge that the retention of four piers and
the two privileges for the land under water by
the Consolidated Ice Company enabled them to
monopolize all the available docks for landing
Zee in New-York City is false upon it's face and
absurd IN view Of the many miles of docks and
wharVes upon the water front in New York
with their public and private owners competing
for business"
Regarding the charge Of aiding the monopoly
TO raise the price of ice last summer, the answer
says:
The whole Of the first charge against me Of mall
monopoly or aiding the same and OF violating Sec
ton LIS Of the charter OF New-York is in all re-
Every statement therein charging me of being
cognizant of, concerned in or connected with any
act plan. arrangement conspiracy with any per-
persons corporation to create or maintain
or t to prevent or re- Competition in the ice bust
affect -sice of ice is false.
l have never been cognlZant of, concerned in or
connected with any such acts plan. arrangement or
conspiracy, and have never in any way aided the
officially or individually.
TRIP TO MAINE SOCIAL VISIT"
His trip to Maine in company with the presi-
dent Of the American Ice Company is declared
by the Mayor TO have been social visit" He
gays that when he the Kennebec and
Penobscot rivers he saw the exterior Of ice
houses, but did not examine them in any way"
In conclusion the Mayor says that the charges
are sufficient either in law or in fact to war
rant Executive action, and should be dismissed
at this point without any further proceedings"
that there facts in support Of the charges,
and that mo court judicial officer would
place any person upon trial upon such state
nents for an offence, and the Executive should
not proceed TO the trial Of public officer under
circumstances which would not justify such
action according to the principles Of justice as
declared in the courts"
In his letter to the Governor, Attorney General
Davies says that the charges presented by THE
World" were made entirely upon information
and belief. with evidence in their support.
When the charges were presented the names Of
]. Noble Hayes and Wheeler H. Peckham were