New-York tribune., 1910-08-17
CLERKS IN NAME ONLY
Graft Hunting Committee Hears
of Strange Doings in Albany.
HINTS OF REAL SINECURES
First Public Hearing August 81
Reasons for Seeming Delay
in Beginning Work.

Though verified charges have not peeh
r-.sented 10 the legislative graft hun'lhs
cor,rni-tee-the phrasing OF the resoluuoii
creating the body rendered that alHloS' ouC
or +he ouestion-it was learned YESTERDAY
,b2+ r77,,ch material worth inVesuea'loh hdu
f,een accumulated. ANONYMOUS oolnr11ulil-
cs,;ons some of them patiently the "oIh
If crsnks. others more promising nave
eoo6e5 .he committee and ea-Jnsuce NJ
linn Bruce its counsel Ihese are oelhs
.it,.5 sn6 investigated preparatory TO the
&C.. ,,,hIic hearing Of the committee, on
August So
A, executive session of the committee
mas held yesterday at the Murray Hin
Hotel II became known then that one OF
.he things recently called TO the attention
OF the committee was the fact that legls-
lative clerkships had been dispensed for
wears as pap TO political bosses. The
committee is likely TO go into the matter
early in its career 1t has been common
gossip in political and legislative circles
that committee clerkships and stenograph-
ers' places have been apportioned among
politicians for years, although conditions
were formerly much worse
The committeeman have been told So
called clerks never saw Albany. but had
among them many women. presented them
selves at the capital only on pay days.
Sneaker Wadsworth discovered this con-
dition Of affairs early in his first year as
rresiding officer of the lower house, and
cleaned out MAN. Of the hangers-on who
rendered no service for the states money
Some of the committeeman have the no.
ton. though that there is room for fur
ther investigation and a sort OF house
cleaning in that regard
All members of the committee, save Sen
ator Brough who is in Europe, attended
Yesterdays meeting Mr.. Bruce said he
made a report to the committee of the
progress already made by counsel in the
investigation.
The books Of the Ellingwood & Cunning
ham brokerage firm. which furnished much
material for the Aids investigation and
Superintendent Hotchkisss graft hunt,
were at the committees disposal, he said
A CORPS of experts was at work on them
and on other material
Alfred Hurrell and Isidor hresel. assist
ant counsel of the committee. the actuaEy
and experts are at work daily on material
which they are preparing for the opening
sessions. Mr. Bruce said.
Mr. Merritt chairman of the committee.
Viii be IneTe nlQC0 OF the lilIlt lTOlii ilOH
until August 80
Members Of the committee were inclined
10 resent criticisms that the committee had
been unusually slow in getting at its work.
They said the material at their disposal
had TO be analyzed and put into workable
shape before il would pay to subpoena wit
nesses and begin public hearings.
They considered that the prompt work
of the Armstrong committee, of which
Charles z. Hughes was chairman, was
begun under different conditions, when
many open leads had been given by the
internal warfare among the insurance COM
panies. and particularly the Equitable. They
said that when this graft hunt really got
under way 20 proper accusation Of lack of
diligence or desire to probe 10 the bottom
could be made.