New-York tribune., 1909-09-01
COLER ACCUSES MAYOR
FILES CHARGES AGAINST
HIN 1T 1LB1NT. T.
1sscrts Misuse of PO5cCr in In
Jcstigating the Ofccs.of the
Borough Presidents.

Bird * Coler President ~ tho Borough Of
brooklyn. has filed charges against Mayor Nc
Clellan with Governor Hughes as the result Of
tire Investigations conducted by the Commits
sioners ~ Accounts. In tho seven charges Mr..
Coler asserts that tho Mayor IS using his great
power against the presidents Of the boroughs
who are opposed tp him politically and per-
souaIIy. to destroy public confidence in them.
To do this tho President OF the Borough Of
Brooklyn SAYS the Mayor has ''rlisapplied the
public fund az tho city ~ New York To the OK
tent ~ an least 100000 in IN investigation OF
tho BROOKLYN Office
Mr. Color tells the Governor that it is a mat
ter 90 common knowledge that George y. Me
CIclIau quarrclled with the leader Of the politi-
cal organization in the city of New York" He
euot7r o. Police Commissioner BinghaT's state
n.rnt o.. 10 tic Nsy0r us7,. go -epartnrnfs "f
the city government to gain control % the or
gauizatlon
Mr. Coler disavovs a desire 20 involve the
Governor in "a political controversy. and saws
that whatever the accusations against the au-
thor ~ the charges may 10. and whatever truth
there may 10 I'm them they are things apart
from the question ~ the ''pernicious use which
the Mayor 81 the city of New York has made Of
his appointed Commissioners Of Accounts
In opening his appeal To the Governor. which
was sent on Saturday and received on Monday
Mr. Coler saws that no is taking the action in
..ccordance with Section t22 Of the greater New
York charter. The charges that the Mayor
for his political and personal purposes misused
the authority vested I'm him 10y investigating
the offices OF elective officials To- whom he
politically and personally hostile. and that TIRE
sponsiblc tnesses We're summoned in further
ance of that plan.
.'MGsAPVLIED" $1,000.
Then it is charged that StO1OOo had been
''miSappljcd" ia the Investigation " the Brook
ivu Office The other charges relate To the delay
in the Brooklyn Investigation. the removal of
books or records and the conduct of the. inquiry
in WAY tn reflect upon the Borough President
Mr. C"Ier, IN discussing the charges, saws that
the result of the Investigation of his office. he
sun IN October. l2p1 and made public several
months ago. ready in the autumn of 19llS
He says that II the charges had been made pub
lie at that time IL would have been possible TO
have impartial hearing to offset the effa,t
ON the public. hut that II was not begun until
june - Of this year. He asserts that facts
which could not he distorted were excluded from,
IN" public Inquiries that the borough rrasi
dents might 10 charged with the responsibiIitv
for the growing budget. In closing his charges
Mr. CoIer says:
realize that IL is late i'm the administrative,
"f the Mayor {" make these charges M
F4h 10
know that the administration Of NIr NcS,IciI
viii soon end. and that the diSpositio,, 80 -
matter as nave placed before you is not the
W"Tk ui morning hour But the COndifinp j.
due to hm-not 10 me. I could articira+a -
suCh gross abuse Of power as his has b,.,, -,
therefore. realizing the difficulty OF daa If- .t,
this proposition at this eleventh bour of o,,r
terms of Office and reluctant to press So diti,i.
"A matter upon YOU. still feel il nv dutv ~
grave a public menace To everv tribnrai ~
which have the right to appeal n r,at h.
late but il is never too late for Justice.
POOREST BLCFFER~- MTTCtIr1.
John Purroy Mitchell one Of the Commission
ers of Accounts. told about MIR ,,oIer,s ,c-
tion and the charges contained in the sixtesn-
page document sent to the Governor. Mr..
Mitchell said:
Mr.. Coer is the poorest buffer that have
over known. lie must feel that there is som,
reason for trying to discount the disclosures
that have been made i'm the present inquiry and
some reason for believing that at some time the
matter may be- before the eyes of the Governor.
"As to the assertion that MIR. Coler has been
treated oppressivey. that is absolutely not true
Mr.. Coler has been accorded the same treat
ment which given to Mr.. Ahearn in whose
ease there was proved to be some slight ground
for investigation. He was given like treatment
with Mr.. Haffen, whose case. also. showed i'm its
results some slight ground for investigation
IF Mr. Coler said that there has been nothing
brought out at this present hearing let him take
a copy of the minutes OF this mornings testi
mony and read how number OF aldermen
and ex-aldermen and attache of his own Of
flee became interested in a company which der
sired to sell TO the city for playground a block
of ground next to three blocks OF dumps. in a
very sparsely settled section.
AS to the assertion that we have never inves-
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