New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-18
CR0PSEY'S SUN SETS
AS M'CULLACH'S IS UP
Police Commissioner May Re-
sign or Be Removed by
the Mayor.
0RISC0LL ALSO MAY QUIT
Creelman Says Civil Service
Law Has Been Violated and
Mayors Wishes Have Been
Disregarded.

Y ituitllofS we're mace l2St night fna'
James c. Cropsey would resign as Police
Commissioner within fortv-eight hours.
following the receipt by Mayor Gaynor
Of letter in which James Creelman.
president of the Municipal Civil Service
Commission, charges him not only with
violation Of the Civil Service law. but
also with positive disregard Of the
Mayors instructions.
Should the Commissioner refuse To re
sign Mr.. Creelman has furnished 70 the
Mayor an excuse for removing him II
was learned last night that the relations
between the Mavor and Commissioner
Cropsey and First Deputy Driscoll have
been strained for some time II is also
believed that the DAYS Of Deputy DriscolI
in the department are numbered.
II was reported last night that John
McCullagh. former Chief Of Police. pos
sibly would succeed Commissioner Crop
sey. There were also rumors that Will
lam j. Flynn. who resigned as Second
Deputy recently, might come back in
place Of First Deputy Driscoll.
The charges made by Mr. Creelman
were that Commissioner Cropsey by an
arbitrary and unlawful assumption OF
authority rejected or passed over" forty
four names on the eligible list in ap-
pointing eighty-five patrolmen on proba-
tion on May :. In thus passing over
these names the head of the Civil Service
Commission said the Commissioner had
appointed forty eight Of the eighty-fve
illegally. It is not unlikely that these
appointments will be revoked
Mr. Creelman said the medical in
spector of the commission had examined
the candidates rejected by the Police
Department on the ground of physical
unftness and found them qualified for
service on the force He wrote that for
many years IT had been charged that
candidates for the police force had to re-
sort TO corrupt practices in order 10 pre-
vent their rejection by the department.
and added: These charges, taken in
connection with the constant and delib-
crate attempts Of that department TO
trample the Civil Service law under foot
so that It might take into its own hands
the power of rejecting candidates at will
and in defiance of the law. constitute a
grave scandal"
Rumors About Cropsey.
Cropsey, for years a we'll known
Brooklyn lawyer. was appointed on Oc-
tober 90 as head Of the department, TO
succeed William F. Baker, VINO had held
in spite Of continual pounding. For the
last three months there have been ru-
mors that he would get out of the de-
partment.
There are now eighteen vacancies in
the list of captains, but Commissioner
Cropsey and First Deputy Driscol have
taken no action to make any appoint
ments from the eligible list that has been
out for some time. II is said that they
do not agree with the Mayor that the
first eighteen men on the list should be
appointed. and this has been a cause of
friction between the Mayor and his po-
lice administration.
Mayor Gaynor had no comment TO
make last night on the letter Mr. Creel-
man wrote him, which, in full. is as fol-
lows.
Dear Mr.. Mayor on April IS Of the pres
ent year. this commission, I'm response TO
a request OF the Police Department certi-
fed TO the Police Commissioner a list Of
persons eligible to appointment as police
patrolmen In accordance with the state
law. the City Charter and the Civil Ser
vice rules.
on May the Chief Clerk OF the Police
Department officially notified this COM
mission that the Police Commissioner had
on May appointed eighty-fve patrolmen
on probation from this eligible list. the
names Of those appointed being set forth
In the letter notifying these facts the
Chief Clerk conveyed the astonishing in
formation that the Commissioner Of Police
had by an arbitrary and unlawful assump
tion Of authority. rejected or passed over
forty four persons certified on the eligible
list by this commission. fourteen being re-
ected by the Board Of Police Surgeons
twentv-three being passed over for various
reasons. one Of them being a person said
10 have been convicted Of perjury. and
four being passed over temporarily pend
ing further investigation.
The following appointments were made
nv the Police Commissioner in viola ton of
the civil Service rule which provides that
aIl anpolntments must be made from the
three highest names on the eligible list and
Zach name given three considerations.