New-York tribune., 1905-10-21
4 R0ARD OF "GRAFT."

The Tammany menace to this city Is not
merely in the unfit filling of the places named
on the ballots 1t would be bad enough to run
the risk involved in putting 'Oakley's I'm
known " into place from which he would step
info the Mayorship for three years upon Mr.
McCIelIan's retirement and it would be intoler-
able to put the unspeakable Ridgway into the
presidency Of the Borough Of Brooklyn. But
there is something worse than even that to be
considered Eight of the men elected this faIl
WILL eX-off1cio, compose the new Board OF
Estimate and Apportionment and that is really
the supreme governing body Of the city. 1t
has enormous power over the public business
and property Of the city. 1t determines the
amount of the cItys taxation, the distribution
of ali disbursements for the public service and
the terms on which franchises shall be given
In various directions its authority immeasur-
ably transcends that of the Mayor, Aldermen
and all other officers put together That board
consists of eight men. with sixteen votes, as
follows: The Mayor the Controller and the
President OF the Board of Aldermen, three votes
EACH the borough presidents Of Manhattan and
Brooklyn, two votes each, and the borough pres
idents of The Bronx, Queens and Richmond,
one vote each.
How does Tammany propose to fill that board.
after Mr. Mcclellan has resigned the Mayorship
to run for Governor? Here is the roster:
MCGOWAN, "Oakley's Unknown "....... votes
Metz, ''McCarren's Unknown "..-...-..
Little Tim Sullivan, not UNKNOWN 5
President Ahearn of Manhattan.........
Jimmie" Ridgway, McKanes old pal.
Hafen, too well known in The Bronx. l vote
CASSIDY, ditto in Queens. L
Tiernan, the Richmond Unknown ..- L
Now wouldn't that be an inspiring collection
of ffnanciers and statesmen to take control Of
this city's business. to make up budgets amount
ing to hundreds of millions and to dispose of
franchises worth billions Of dollars? A few
months ago the conduct Of the Board of Alder
men under Little Tim" Sullivan's direction be-
came so scandalous that all power over fran
chises had to be taken away from it. Are
going to put that same Little Tim into the
Board of Estimate and ApportiOnment, there to
exercise the power he so grossly misused in the
Board of Aldermen? Jimmie Ridgway as
District Attorney of Kings County, was SO I'M
trustworthy that when gamblers and election
thieves were to be prosecuted he had to be set
aside and Il special prosecutor had to be ap-
pointed in his place Since he was unfaithful
in those things, are we going to make him mas
ter over many greater things?
Little Tim" reeking with Aldermanic In
decencies; Jimmie" Ridgway, with the stencil
of McKaneism still strong upon him; Haffen of
The Bronx and Cassidy, the boss Of Queens
Borough, would have among them seven of the
sixteen votes Of the board. Added to theirs the
votes of either the Mayor or the Controller
would make clear majority. Have the bust
ness men and property owners and taxpayers
and honest citizens of this city enough conf
dence in "Oakleys Unknown" or in the polft-
ical protege Of the trust advocate and gamblers
patron Long Pat" McCarren, to give either of
them the balance Of power over all the material
interests of New-York? Is the Board of Estj-
mate and Apportionment to be transformed
into Board of Graft?