New-York tribune., 1907-08-03
III. diddle diddic'
4 financial 1zvfc'

For hcy.H get All The bonds SG Tret,y st soon
simple Herman went sfshns
All tbe - vs1[~ - = t,,s, "a ha i,s5
Was in Paddy's pail
Ride the trolley city Hall cross
To sec a Controller who's ruled by a
He makes good ncnchrnan phersTer he gocs
Coler is anxious that the Public Service Cornmis-
sion hurry the building Of the Broadway and La
fayette avenue section of the subway loop II II IS
not shortly constructed. he says. Brooklyn will
have a transportation problem that Will make the
present one seem like chd's play. He has also
something to about the neglect Of statistics in
the Controllers office and the methods which the
officials using to expose McCarren's enemies
and project his friends He says
IF some things OF moment have gone wrong
the Office Of tho President of the Borough of Man
haitian 1t is only he"ats" Of the laNitT Of the
Controllers office. and personally believe "A
deliberate plan upon the Mayors part TO allow
them 20 go wrong. that he could hold whip
over Ahearn's head 70 lash him into line with
himself or expose and Ieuounce him. II he could
not
IF the Controllers ONCE would maintain real
bureau OF statistics publishing statements OF facts
actual conditions and necessities throughout the
entire city comparative tables residents of each
section could tell something Of what is going on
Instead Of this. the statistical end Of this depart
absolutely neglected. hut his invest igHt!ou
and persecution division is running overtime
Metz is spending hundreds Of thousands I'm try
ing TO expose or hold up 10 ridcul" Me' 'arr'n's
enemies. but not "A cent in prescribing systems Of
bookkeeping making reports by heads or depart
ments that be readily understood
You have heard no peep OF criticism from him
any McCarren commissioner or eTnDloya. They
saints. in his mind.
"A fair statement Of statistics would show which
official or which Borough President. II YOU will.
was doing honest and intelligent work. As far as
the boroughs were concerted, II would place each
President IN competition with the ether. and no
gross fraud would be possible unless there was
collusion among five elective ofticihs from differ
ent sections Of the city. belonging 20 different or
ganizatons and parties
The Controller already has III" power of pre-
scrfbfng the form Of booking in all city Offices.
He can also prescribe the system Of reports they
tot t}er,0f F4y
them that way
THE Mayor and Controller have been so inter
estcd in personal and political persecution that
they have neglected doing work that would heIp
officials in stopping small large graft In fact,
as we have eaid. they seem more anxious for some
enemy to get in trouble than for loss to be pre-
vented TO the city
Tho Mavor must admit. from his own
saresb standpoint that his Commissioners of Ac-
counts that went over Ahearn's Office were either
60 +hrae ,aare incompetent under him were not
eip,era in their work: that the last examination
was made under his direct order. and the result
known beforehand. even To the fact that Johnny
O'Rrien was not to be criticised fer not repairing
over water mains IN the Borough or Manhattan
and that the Controllers office TO be let
down easy for paying bills for which Ahearn -
'.if the Mayor and commissioners of Accounts
were on the square In all their prosecutions. they
could make an investigation Of the manner In which
tba Street Cleaning Department and Controllers
office have handled the ash removal contract In TINS
borough that would make the Ahearn report look
Honest publicity and dishonest persecution.
is we believe, the cure as far as they can be
cured. OF municipal evils.
I'VE believe the new Commissioner VIII devise
a system that will bring this to the front AS 1t Is
now no statement of official wrongdoing coming
from one who least has shown a desire to be
recipient of false election returns, can be be-
leved in its entirety
IF Ahearn TO be denounced why not
O. Rrien also which again goes to show that the
Mayors and McCarrens men are all good-aIl
others are bad