The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-06
CITY CLUB LOSES SECRETARY.
WELLER mas RESIGNED, DESLIK-
ING .'TNTERNAL CONDETIONS.'
More or Less Dissatisfaction with His
Activities to winch The Club Tag was
Nniaed-He Has DOne Pretty We'll AZ
Reform, Particularly at Albany.

Activities to winch The Club Tag was
Ariaed-He Has EBOne Pretty We'll AZ
Reform. Particularly nt Albany.
Lawrence WELLER has resigned "a seore-
,ary Of the City Club, the resignation to
AXE effect on December I. II was placed
before the board Of trustees ON Monday
of last week, October 20. aud action was
deferred until Monday of next week,
November II. Mr.. WELLER says he re-
signed because of dissatisfaction with
certain internal conditions In the club"
nut will give no other reason. He has
been secretary for about six years.
Mr.. WELLER lie one OF the most active rc-
formers in town. While none of the officers
Of the City Club will talk for publication,
il is asserted that Mr.. Veiller's activity
has caused so much dissatisfaction in tho
club that a party of opposition has sprung
10. Mr.. WELLER has been active lately in
opposing the elevated railroad loop to join
the Williamsburg and Brooklyn. brid yes.
He took a leading part in the debate
last Thursday before the Rapid Transit
Commission when the plan was killed.
At that time he was asked how much Of
the City Club he represented. He said
he represented only part Of the member
ship.
On June s last Mr.. WELLER called a meet
ing at the City Club to object to this loop
plan. J. Edward Swanstrom Of Brooklyn,
a member of the club, complained at the
time that a mar presided at the meeting
who was not ever a member OF the club.
He also sent "A request TO the board Of
trustees demanding. an n estisation o.
Mr.. Veiller's activities and said:
aThR immersion pxista in official circles
hat WELLER is the City Club and the City
Club is WELLER. II is obvious that the eX-
istence OF such an impression tends TO
weaken the influence Of the club"
Mr.. WELLER denied last night that Mr..
Swanstrom's attitude and eques for al
Investigation had an"thing to do with his
resignation. He said he had quit solely
because OF internal conditions in the club
but could not make them public because
ais letter had not been acted upon by the
trustees. He declared that he bad con-
templated r~esigning for more than a yea
and at the request Of several OF the trustees
had deferred such action. He said that
IL would be d~iscourteous to give out the
full reasons for his action at present but
added:
1T is sufficient to saw that I am resigning
because | am dissatisfied and have been
dissatisfied for some time with certain
internal conditions in the club which in
no way relate to myself but which affect
the clubs management and its welfare
as a civic organization. In
that have been a that my resignation
has been requested or that it has been ac-
cepted or that il is due to the reasons which
have been published are unqualiiedly
false in every particular"
The president of the City Club is Austen
q. Fox. When asked last night If he could
throw any light on the reasons for the WELLER
resignation or on the internal d~issensions to
which Mr.. WELLER referred, Mr.. Fox said:
ANY statement that Mr.. WELLER makes
he must assume the entire responsibility
for: have no more to say about the
One Of the trustees. not Mr.. Fox. ex-
planned the resignation by saving that
there had been great dissatisfaction in the
club over too much WELLER II has been
brought out lately that Mr.. WELLER has been
receiving $4,000 q year az an agent in
pelant to reform. He got IS, 900 a year
from the Citizens Union, according to this
trustee. n the report Of the Allied Real
Estate interests Of the State Of New York,
bsny on June g. last. showed that he had
received 5000 a year from that organiza-
ton for looking out for its interests at
ALBANY. The City Club also certified hat
II had paid him slO2 for legislative services.
These sums, with he salary as secretary OF
the club, have made Mr.. Veiller's income
comfortable.
1T was not 80 much his money making"
said the trustee who to Ike about the mat
ter hast night, -as the IMPRESSION he gave
Of entire ownership Of the club th~t caused
trouble. A lot Of the members objected to
having the impression get out that every
thing that Mr.. WELLER advocated had the
backing of the City Club. This was not so.
For instance, not long ago he wanted to
have that part Of the city Charter repealed
providing that City Magistrates must be
lawyers. Ii was known that he wanted
10 Sc a Magistrate. Again he was promi-
nent in the Investigation Of the probation
system last year. The commission reported
in favor of a State prob ton system. 1t
was WHISPERED all around that II the scheme
went through Mr.. WELLER was either to be
the head or the first deruty OF the system.
He has been active in trying to get the
club to go into other schemes. and it may be
because ne has not succeeded that he ia
dissa tisfied and sees gloom ahead for the
welfare Of thisc club as a civic organization
1T is quite true that the loop agitation
did not bring about his resignation. 1t
was too much WELLER all around"
Mr.. WELLER has been prominent in the
tenement house reform movements and
acted as secretary Of the Glider commlss SON