New-York tribune., 1901-07-12
COOGAN'S DEFENCE.

The President of the Borough Of Manhattan,
who rejoices in the name of Coogan. and in a
residence at Southampton. Long Island, from
which he voted last fall. has made answer to
the complaint lodged with the Attorney-General
that he has forfeited his office by surrenderinS
his residence in this borough. The answer
shows that Mr.. Coosan believes in the old Tam
many motto made proverba by the Hon. Tim
Campbell whats the constitution between
friends?'
He does not deny that he voted in Southamp-
ton in November. 1900. Therefore he must
have acquired legal residence there. for we
do not understand that Mr.. Coogan was indulg-
ing himself after the Tammany custom in the
delight of voting wherever he saw polling
place. whether he had a legal residence there
or not Ii is safe to assume that Mr. Coogan
was not repeater coionizer at Southamp-
ton but had resided in the county of Suffolk in
good faith for the four months required by law
before he could cast vote without becoming
a candidate for State prison. Nobody would
dream of Mr.. Coogan candidate for State
prison. so there can he no doubt that at least
from the beginning of June till early in Novem-
ber he was intentionally and consciously resi-
dent of Southampton. and consequently not
resident of the Borough of Manhattan. since
EoI even Il tooUan CHI ENJOY Itsdi uphthc
in two places at the same time. Then, too,
there may be some question OF the length OF
time it would take him TO acquire legal resi-
dence here on his return. Certainly he could
not have voted here for four months thereafter.
At any rate. for four months at least he was
not resident of the borough.
The charter provides that the president of
borough must be a resident thereof at the
of his oocfion rpn1.iO a resident
thereof throughout his term of office" and it
also provides for a vacancy in the office caused
by removal from the borough" and directs how
il shall be filled Now. Mr.. Coogan. by his own
admissions, removed from the borough. That
he does not deny but he submits TO the Attor
ney-Cieneral that nobody else wants the office;
that he is performing its unmportant duties:
that it would cost the State great deal of
money 10 oust him: that the proceedings could
be prolonged till after the expiration of his
term. and that. therefore. the forfeiture is not
worth bothering about. whats the constitu-
ton between friends?' when Mr.. Coogan is en-
joying comfortable salary of $1,000 and is just
as able 10 do nothing as anybody else, whether
he lives in Manhattan or southampton.
Now Mr.. Coogan is probably right i'm thinking
it does not make much difference who is presi-
dent of the borough, and that proceedings to
oust him and deprive him of that $1,000 would
seriously inconvenience him without doing much
good to anybody else. But that is not exactly
the right spirit for an officeholder, who, above
other men, should be quick TO obey the law.
When he he has. by giving up for four
months his residence here, forfeited his office
he should hasten TO submit himself TO the strict
est letter of the statute as an example to other
men, and not strive to hang on, telling the At
fore bis term expires. That shows a contempt
for all the higher obligations of official TO the
law under which he is supposed to act and to
which he has sworn obedience. The hole
through which he has chosen TO crawl TO save
that $1,000 is not only small but rather humili-
ating Mr.. Coogan, however. doesn't seem to
mind.