New-York tribune., 1912-08-17

Alderman Henry II. Curran, chairman
of the aldermanic investigating commit
tee. said yesterday afternoon he didn't
believe the appointment by Corporation
Counsel Watson OF William McMurtrie
Speer as a special Assistant Corporation
Counsel to assist the committee would In
any way lessen the power of the commit
tee, which itself specially selected Ernor!
r. Buckner as its counsel.
Alderman Curran later gave out TOT
publication a statement in which he pit-
tcrly assailed Mayor Gaynor for his rear
of being embarrassed" and for inactivity
in the police scandal. The Mayor should
have called a special meeting OF inc
Board of Estimate TO ratify the appro-
priation for the investigation Aluer'iia"
Curran declared. adding:
Il know that the Mayor had no inten-
tion Of calling the meeting until l de-
manded it OF him in person. DID he do
awning but grumbe peevishly against
the undertaking. and tnen sland In the
way Of it untl ne was pusned out OF the
way? NO. He did his best TO XIII the
investigation"
The statement OF Alderman Curran in
iul is az tohows:
The time has come when i is the right
Of the t,O,Ie OF the CiIy Ut New YORK 20
rpaIzc Iu, exact situation or lhe Mayor
IA tnc luVc5GGdJLon Ot the lohce l'vpdil
rne1t Nnlun Inc bOaru OF Aiuermen MS
unucrtdhen. inc lJa-on fof tihS s'd'c-
IN, lI l., lts nee, SSity, mat every one may
know Just Wnat Is gong on. sldulS
leave 10 tue May or ana 10 the CoIpOraHOii
Counsel all the letter Wrltlng. 1 ms II
ktIF f.aV
thc board of Al1elmen VIII insist upon
action.
Pushed Out Of Way"
When the Mayor was first requested 10
perform MS mandatory ana clerical tunc-
non unuer the cnarter, OF Gaming
special meeting of the Board or A!uerle!'
10 appoint bO,ice investigating coilltL''u, ny,
lee, ne SAID II would "einpar'asS M"
and would stultiIy those Mho a''elllb,Io
rass the Mayor? WHAT Is The reason
nor tour GAYS he delayed calling t"C
meeting. ara unally did 30 undel tne I idsI'
of a threatened lnandamus proCeedlne.
lie has inst written another little letter.
I'm which We qayS nc welcomes heip from
every source" for the Improvement OF l;ie
Police Dcpartme Dld ne give any http
himself? Did he DO anything out "
peeylshlv against the undeTlaMne' Hu''
then stand in the way OF i unul 9e 9e, w. w.
pushed ont Of the way? No; lie did his
best 70 kill the inve stSatlcE. H.. ,,.,.
In spite Of the Mayor the I'M HieeIrei 9nneeinted
and the Board Of Aldermen approprlatcu
az 600 to begin on. All TINS was uo'to
unanimously, with pracucaIly luIi a. a.
tendance of all the seventy-nine menDelS
- 49, hoard There are a dozen alder
men that | can mention who came my
town from distances OF seNeral IGIuI ov
miles for the sole purpose oI Ho'tueI R6I,eS ca
this meeting, an" A'uSi SI! ii'c6l "nr,ing iii
the way from Iowa for tnat puTpose.
The Board Of Aldermen Is to-day uiis nv
in It's serious endeavor 10 perform lC3
duty under the chs Ter, u.e anu ~ wiz
be baked of that performance, .io,,
Now. under the law. the apPTOPI !i.Ioitii oii
of Se5 100 cannot be made availaole uliIii VI
ratified by unanimous vote Oh ti!c This
of Estimate and AppOrtionment; LS LnlS
Sat+sr hoard some time ago adjourned
for tho summer. to reCOnNene on otPlV''
ber 10 Ii may hold special meetings az
ths call of the Mayor 1he MS$oI aLo
had several days in which 10 sal .t.T,,,'o, q &c
niai meeting for the purpose Of ratiying
tbie annIopriation. lie issued no can.
So demanded it Of him in person tIis
morning -, -, 1,+e,tion of
caliing tbe meeting. In reply 10 N! oe
mand he said that ii would pc QUIZ Dard IA
convenient for the members OF the bvur ,l,n
of Estimate and Apportonmeht 10 oniS cUniiSS
into town for such a meetlns' any hS,sISted
IL - -
Anvbodv. no matter how far stuItlle9
"o,ild see that funds are necessary LoI
~ inyestigation added that II ne
fHc.llad ms further in the matter We
would 90 ahead anyhow and / WtuIu la!
r. nrelir,inary expenses out or my own
nocket The point Is that We are ~
earnest and want 10 get 10 "0rk az VnUe'
because that is our duty 10 the puo"V'
Whipped Into Line"
The3. and not till then. was the Mayor
whiDped into line once more. lie h''dliS
announced with reluctance thdt Ht w. Nou1S 20
Try 10 &c, in touch with the hSIloea hSIlg,, . 80, Ul
IN. BOARD Of Estimate ana AppOruon-
',e,f and Sc II II would be convenient 70
cali the meeting Did he call the meet
inc Voluntarily? No: he did his pest
again TO Kill the Investigation.
Now comes the little hortatoly ora
ton from the Mayor to Mr.. watson aiiu
the long letter from the latter, slsneu Dy
Mr Watson and rcadlng eHdc.si "a a.
though il had been written by the Mayor
Apart from the fulsome compliments ana
admonitions TO Mr. Speer, Of whom nave
never heard and know nothing about tIIe
1,.,danf purDosc of the scheme is TO tnrust
this aDpointee OF the Corporation counsel
nDon us as counsel for the AlderIhahiC
Committee. ,.a ..... - a.,
Now let us understand this state ot az az
fairs once and for all. The Board Oh Al
dermcn is a city department. The COR
noration Counsel is, under the cherte!'
tbc le9sl adviser of all city departments
Ruf he is nothing more. lie - nov tIIe
seIf-constituted interrogator OF witnesses
for an aldermanic investigating coIhInt-
tee. This investigation is not court pro
+rSee. II Is not a trial. II Is. simply ana
Si,, en- investiQation IN the open 70