The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-06
NASSAU TO HAVEAGRAFYHUNY
SUPERVISORS WILL LOOK INTO
CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.

Investigating Committee AppOinted-Whi
Ask why IL Cost the County 4 y
TO Publish Tax Salo LiSt-Wallace
Says List Was Padded Ten Times Over.
The Board OF Supervisors OF Nassau
county decided yesterday in executive
session TO investigate the charges OF grait
and collision made against certain county
officials, and will arrange the details by
resolution the first Of next week. IT is
probable that the three supervisors, Will
lam II. Jones Of Oyster Bay, Edwin "
Willets Of North Hampstead n former
County Judge Robert Seabury OF Hemp
stead will sit as a committee in the our
house in Mineola, where all who have made
any public CHARGES Of graft, collision or
kindred sins against county officials will be
examined. Halstead Scudder will conduct
the investigation. A record has been kept
Of public utteranoes, whether in court pro-
ceedings, open letters or words spoken by
those who have charged collusion and
graft, and all will be called.
The trouble started in 1902, when John
G. Kennahan, owner Of the Oyster Bay
Pilot and Fred Crandall, owner OF the Roelyn
Neps, got the job Of publishing the list OF
properties for sale for non-payment OF taxes.
County Treasurer Charles F. Lewis gave out
the list, and it was published by the pagers
named at an expense OF about $4o,oOV. ror-
mer A~ssemblyman George Wallace OF Free
port, whose own paper, the South SIDE
Observer, was a candidate for the tax sale
and did not get 1t, charged that the list was
padded at least ten times and that tDe SAFE
could have been conducted at an expense
for advertising Of about 5000. DE mace
cRnGafinnal char ooa a plinat County 1TeuH-
urer Lewis which were the basis OF a Idol
suit, which was dropped before trial:
Former Congressman Townsend Seud-
der, who resides In the town OF Oyster Bay,
charged, that Kennahan received entlreiy
too much for advertising the tax sale, ana
has started quite recently a taxpayers
suit to compel restitution, naming In his
papers as parties to what he characterized
as collision against the county, County
Treasurer Lewis Supervisor wi Ednin T. E
Willets of North Hampstead and former
Supervisor Smith Cox Of Hampstead IN
his suit Mr.. Scudder does not mention the
money paid to Fred Crandall for the
1902 tax sale, but singles out kennahan,
who received exactly the same amount, n
alleges that the taxpayers were charged
at least SIS, 900 too much in that adyertis-
ing bill, by reason Of the list having been
padded beyond all reason.
Townsend Scudder said yesterday:
Il am overjoyed n delighted 10 near
Of such an Investigation, il it is to be taken
up and conducted properly, fairly n ID
good faith. If the investigatorS carefully
compare the tax sale list Of Nassau for
1902 with the lists of other counties in New
York State, they will surely find that Nassau
published thousands and thousands OF
words not published by other counties IN
their tax sale lists and which were entirely
unnecessary to be published, II the COM
parison of the list with the lists Of a majority
of those of other counties Of the State is
careful, 1t will be discovered that wonder
full improvements may be made in the
manner Of advertising tax sales in Nassau"