The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-09
MAYOR VAN WYCKS ANSWER.
All Charges Denied, and His Ice
Conpany Interests Explained.


NEW YORK. Nov. s.-Mayer Van
wyck.s answer 10 the charges filed against
him with Governor Roosevelt, in July last,
were made public today. The answer was
filed near the end of September, three ex-
tensions Of time having been granted 10
Stm. The answer contains denial to
every particular charge and concludes
with a denial in general
The charges brought against the mayor
were: That he had accepted $5o0, ,0G0 worth
CT stock Of the American Ice Company. pay
ing in part by note of $4,000 and tive
OF $75,000 each and in SO doing had violat-
ed his oath Of office; that while holding
stock virtually given him, he had. as may
or, permitted dock privilege grams to the
ice coInpany; that, the dock privileges per
mitted debarred competitors and that. be-
cause of the privileges enjoyed by the COM
pany from the city he sanctioned the in
crease in the price of ice. all of which, it
Was charged, violated the charter, in which
city officers are forbidden TO held stock in
a corporation whose interests his Official
acts may affect.
Mayor Van Hsyck's answer is dated ,Sep-
tember q last. He begins by saying taat
he had owned S45, COO of stock OF the
Knickerbocksr Ice Company prior to April
paid for. and that it had been exchanged
in May. 1883. share for share, for Ame-i-
can Ice stock. On April II, 1899. he bought
5000 shares Of American ice for S259, 900,
paying $50 600 in cash and S2ee,000 IN
promissory notes The mayor says that
he began to sell out in May, when his at
tention was first directed to contracts
which the American Ice Company had TO
sell to the city and that 1t owned stock
IN. cd
had dock leases. By June 3, the mayor
says, he had unloaded and was rid Of all
his Ice stock which cost him S295, 600 and
sold for S2S1, ,219-25.
For all the stock bought by me- the
mayor says. 4 paid the fair market
value. I did not receive any Of ii as
gift OF upon a nominal consideration
As 10 the charges that he has been ul-
lawfully interested in city contracts. the
mayor enters an emphatic denial. He de-
ciaTes that. as already pointed out, he
sold his stock when he learned Of the ice
compaHy's dealing with the city. avowing
at the same time that he mad the right
to continae to hold the stock without
violating the law. The section of the
charter under which the charge was
brought does not apply, he declares, be-
cause any indirect interest in the con-
tracts of the American Ice Company was
acquired by me, II was devolved upon me
by law, and it was not knowingly ac-
euired-
When I bought my stock in the Ameri-
can lee Company it had no contract with
the city of New York, and none was il
contemplation, to 1ay knowledge or infor-
nation Many months after / bought my
stock the contracts were made without my
knowledge and without any volition on my
part
He goes OF to say that the accepted con-
struct4U:; of the section has for fifty years,
been tIlt a minority stockholder in cor
poratfon having city contracts does not
have direct or indirect interest Mayor
Strong. the answer says had stock in cor
porations having interest in city contracts.
and so did W R Grace when he was mayor.
Mayor MCGUIRE, Of syracuse. is named IN
the same category.