Waterbury Democrat., 1900-11-24
VAN WICK CAN STAY.
Governor Declines to Remove New
 Yorkss Mayor

z ALBANY, NovI 24.-Goyernor Roosr- welt late last night gave out his decision in the application for the removal from office of Mayor Robert A. Van Wyck of New York city. He declines to remove the mayor on the grounds that while he was undoubtedly n stockholder in the American Ice company there has been no proof that he willfully, violated the law forbidding public officer to be a stock holder in a corporation having dealings with his municipality.
 The governors memorandum says:
 Z "The brief presented by Mir. Hayes of counsel to The World undated, but re- ceived in this office Nov 20, contains no additional testimony or indication where additional testimony can be ob- tained. The situation. is therefore un changed from what it was on Oct. l, 1900, when the attorney general wrote his letter to me.
 ''There is therefore, as stated by the attorney general in his letter of Nov. 23, little to add to what was contained in his letter of Oct and in the statement is sued by me on Nov. IT.
 "I concur in the attorney generals opinion. My judgment is that the so called ice trust is not a corporation ill which the mayor of New York should have stock. But no proof has been of 1eFeO any Wlllui O1 ktW OH the part of the mayor such as would justify the drastic measure of remov- ing him from office., The power of re- moyal from office of elective officers should be treated much as we treat the power of impeachment. It is an extraor- dinary and not an ordinary remedy.
 'The normal remedy for bad govern ment must be an appeal to the people, and only in wholly exceptional cases is it desirable to substitute for this appeal to the people an appeal to the power of re- moval or the power of impeachment. The case is therefore dismissed"
 In giving out his decision the governor said: i. .sg.ts
 There has not been an hours unneces- sary delay on the part of the state au- thorities. Fifty-five days elapsed from June ?, when The World first filed its charges, until July 2T, when its amended complaint put those charges in final form, and 42 days elapsed from Aug. IT, when these charges were served upon the mayor, until Sept. s27, when the mayor filed his answer. The delay since then has been solely due to the fact that The World at that time discharged the coun- sel which it formerly employed and re- fused to go on with the case, leaving it completely in the air for the time being.
 "Although the matter of the trusts is not directly involved in this decision, I wish to point out that the existing law of the state, even provided that under it the attorney generals action against the ice corporation should be successful, is not adequate. In my last annual mes sage to the legislature I recommended the adoption of a system which would secure reasonable publicity of such facts concerning corporations as the public has right to- know and reasonable restric- tion or their powers. Events have shown. especially in yiewgof what has occurred in connection with the. ice trust that stronger action than what2I recommend ed should be taken Not only should such provisions concerning corporations as above mentioned be enacted into law, but there should be lodged somewhere the power to prescribe the conditions under which foreign and domestic corporations can do business in this state and to de- prive them. of their charters if they at any time violate these conditions"