The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-22
IFTAMMANYSHOULDGETGROUT
BOARD OF ESTIMATE SITUATION
WOULD BE INTERESTING.
Low Administration Proposes to Spend
All It Can In the Rest OF This Year
Tho Tammany Game IL to Save
Until II Controls the Spending.

| All It Can In the Rest OF This Year
! Tho Tammany Game IL to Save
Until It Controls tho Spending
By that process OF assimilation which
| has swallowed the fusion Aldermen, Tam
! many may yet get Comptroller circuit.
! He is described as a FESTIVE colt in the fusion
| field. tossing his head ccasionally toward
| the Tammany barns where the oat bins.
while empty, are kept in view, tabled with
the predictions Of next falls crops
The Comptroller doesn share In the
fusion animosity toward Tammany for the
tricks by which it has captured the Board
of Aldermen and hopes to gain seat in
the Sinking Fund Commission. Nor is that
bitterness which Tammany exhibits toward
Mayor Low and the set pieces OF his admin
istration extended toward the Comptroller
Not long ago when Mr.. Grout wanted some
thing done in the board which he expected
the Tammany Aldermen would oppose
he did not hesitate to send a request for
help to Charles F. Murphy.
The response was immediate. Mr.. MUIR
ply sent Alderman John T. Mccall, the
Tammany leader in the board. to Comptro Her
CIRCUITS Office to tell him the thing would
be done. that Mr.. Murphy was glad to assist
him in the matter and would be pleased to
lend his aid in any other matters that the
Comptroller might have an interest in
1t was not until recently that Mr.. Murphy
discovered possible usefulness for Mr..
Grout. Tho Comptroller himself is said to
have looked for recognition there for another
reason. Possibly, the politicians say. Mr..
Grout felt he was making himself the GUS
todian of information valuable to Tammany
when he made several investigations Of
city departments. The bills of police de-
tectives for wine. women and wagons which
the Comptroller turned up, and evidence Of
like wastefuness in divisions of the city
government, have been carefully made into
private records for Tammany.
Who. 50 well as Circuit, who, although
fusionist had probeed the fusion boils.
could fifty be the Tammany candidate
for Mayor? was a question which Mr.. Grout
might ask for himself if there was no one
else to ask il.
But the Comptroller is now regarded
by Tammany as valuable asset because
he has three votes in the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment, the same number that
Mayor Low has. j. Edward Swanstrom,
the fusion president of the Borough OF
Brooklyn, has two votes: and the history
ally has voted with Comptroller Grout.
Tammany now has two votes, those OF
President Hatfen of The Bronx and Presi-
dent Cassidy of Queens. With Grout
and Swanstrom it would have seven of
the sixteen votes ., enough to defeat any
majority vote.
The Low administration which went into
office with majority Of Ave in the Board
of Aldermen. gained by the Marshall bill
sorption Of the fusion Aldermen. That
bill took from the Aldermen all power in
improvements which change the city map,
widening and extensions of streets. open
ing new streets, DC. Under the full assess
n1ent scheme the city will have an enlarged
The policy of the Low administration is
to be: Spend the full Sl4O, 900 900 or as
much as possible this year
The policy of the Tammany control in
the Board Of Aldermen will be: Stop that
until we get in next year.
One of the principals of the Low admin
istration said yesterday: "There lie no doubt
Of the purpose Of Tammany to harass and
hinder the plans OF the Low administration,
on us. The orders under which Tammany
elected Mccall chairman Of the Finance
Committee came direct from the top OF Tam
many and 1t will not surprise us if our
low wants the credit of number OF city
improvements which have been planned,
and the contracts for most Of them will be
let. Tammany will fight to put OF the
letting of the contracts until next year.
the Board Of Estimate, the Mayor will sue
coed in his fight. Tammany may have
the Al votes necessary to reject bond issues
proposed under the contracts. but that II
not SO important, The contractor can bring
suit and compel the city to issue the bonds
to pay him for his work.
Three OF the improvements which Mayor
Low expects to let contracts for are these:
,, Widening Delaney sl Y, street from the new
Widening suffolk strsst from sSs brids.
approach to East Broadway.
St dI,ret H. street the red
to Cooper Union.
The estimated cost Of these three Jobs IA
s26 100000. Other expenditures planned
are these:
To complete the Chelsea docks, from Ganse.
voert street to IWenty;thrd street. 31S. 900 600
q. ON. 600.
For For 5 pssk : and ssws5; ssse0oo
new Court House. price not estimated.
Whatever Tammany can do to block |
these proposed improvements will be done.
Whatever Mayor Low can do to further |
them and to diminish the amount available |
for expenditures under new administra-
ton will be done.
The widening Of Fifty-ninth street. cost
81, 900, 900, is another big contract to be |
considered.
In the legal fight that is to come in the !,
contest between Parsons and Mccall for a |
seat in the Sinking Fund Commission, not |
much OF moment Is involved Unanirnous
vote Is required only when it is propoeed |
to place a contract without public letting. |
Alderman Mccall, II seated, might pre-
vent the progress of the Staten Island |
ferry proposition. but it is thought that he |
would not oppose II.