New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-06
HE DEMANDS AN INQUIRY
4 PROBE FOR ALDERMEN.
Fornes Thinks Port Chester Charge
Should Be Proved or DisproUed.

The combine" in the Board of Aldermen
which for more than year has held up the
Port Chester Railways application for a per-
nit TO cross streets and avenJss in The Bronx
is weakening The constantly recurring rumors
of a desire on the part of members of the COM
bination for money before they will allow the
franchise to be advanced have resulted in at
tracing attention to the scandalous condition
Of affairs in the board.
It begins TO look as IL certain well known
members of the board would at last allow the
taxpayers of The Bronx and Westchester to see
the resolution voted on in the board at an early
day They may not Probably it will depend
on the people OF The Bronx themselves.
President Fornes of the board is thoroughly
incensed at the scandalous gossip at the City
Hail. and has determined to put the combine"
on record at an early day. He is receiving en-
enlargement from members of the board.
President Fornes and Alderman Elias Good
man. the Republican leader in the board, resent
the stories of "boodling." but they have to ad-
nit that the appearances are all against the
board and in favor of those who allege that the
combine" is holding up the permit. President
Fornes issued a statement yesterday. In which
he said:
Ny attention has directed to the ton
of a statement in the newspapers to the erect
91 bad II o n Gosh
dent of the Port Chester Railway the sum OF
sSoo0OO the price for their votes on the ordi-
nance giving the Port Chester Railroad a iran,
chise. The charges are made by responsdD I
newspaper and place stigma upon an nh9 ithnr
bers of the Board Of Aldermen and should e1t9 i
have been repeatedly made. but they were OF
such vague character as not to warrant in a
nal OF responsibility makes, upon allegation sPe-
cifc charge that Mr. Gotshall. who is mentioned ny
Et fhfr TTee 9 believe it to be the duty
of evidence
part Of the aldermen 10 bring 1t to the attention
shall be meted out TO those who are guilty, l
shall recommend that immediate action ne tahet AK.
in this matter by the board at It's meellhs neat
Tuesday.
There will be field day OF oratory In the
board next Tuesday. according to present IN
dications At least ten aldermen will rise IN
their places and declare it an outrage that the
motives of honest faithful servants meaning
themselves should be impugned by the news
papers and by taxpayers in the outlying DIS
tricts who do not "cut any ice" with the district
leaders
The upshot of It all is likely to be that the
Railroad Committee headed by the mysterious
Haggerty, and backed by Little Tim" Sullivan
Jim" Gaffney, John T. Mccall and other es-
teemed city fathers, will decide 10 hold meet
ing and report out the Port Chester permit
resolution. It may not. Mayor Mcclellan said
yesterday that he could not take cognizance OF
the peculiar backwar dness Of the Railroad Com
mittee until the board sent him something 10
act upon. He said:
The board sent TO the permit for the West
chester and Boston company. and after II was We
toed ana sent peck 10 me eoaru y was Iepassee'
and is in the hands OF the Finance Depart.
city streets viii be fix ID After the Board of Esti-
mate ana ApPorti6nme1t gets th h P VIII b,r
business has come this office at all, do not
expect take official eOgnizance OF the Port ches-
matter until IL comes before me-