New-York tribune., 1912-01-01
KINGS OFFICIALS LOSE
Jobs AT MIDNIGHT
County, Clerk Dewey Swings Axe
Promptly on Two Men Who
()usted Him Last Summer.
CASE MAY GO TO COURT
rr;ends at New Years Party See
Victim of Ripper Bill Send
Dismissals to Demo
cratic Deputies.

rho FIRST official act Of County clerk
c,hor,es s Devov was taken at lZ:lo
-,.,o.r this morning. when he aimed
-, - The Upper" law under which
o, forced from the places of cher
.,o.r nd Of deputy clerk Of the Coun-
=. Court Kings County, by summarily
r.uoving from office Thomas F. Wogan
and charles c. Wise, chief clerk and
deputy clerk of the court his successors
in these posts
Tho "ripper" law under which Mr.
nsvov was removed last summer did
No, take immediate effect. The Demo-
no.s basitated 10 remove Mr.. Dewey as
ohief clerk. so he resigned. Judges DiKe
and Fawcett. of the County Court I'M
roediatelv met and appointed MI De-
,,o,. denntv clerk. at the same salary as
he had before. In some way the LeeiS-
,ature had failed to change the me'hou
80 the deoutys selection and so the
old way remained in force. ne"
"r,uper" law ousted Mr. Devoy from
the deputy clerkship also
BY the time this had been efectsd
Mr. Devoy had started his campaign as
the Republican candidate for County
clerk He made a remarkable cam
,aien He ian 5000 votes ahead of his
colleagues and $4,000 ahead of the judi
.rrin
the twenty three Assembly districts OF
the county and cut down the Demo-
cratic majorities in the districts which
thew thought they controlled absolutely
His own district, the 7th. which Is
normally 1000 Democratic, he carried
BY 900. This happened, though every
one knew that Mr.. Dewey intended to
remove Mr.. Wogan-formerly Demo-
cratic leader Of the district-if electtd.
II was known also that he would re-
move Deputy County Clerk William j.
Heffernan. the present Democratic
leader
N preparation for mis- action OF this
morning Mr.. Dewey was sworn In by
Justice Crane, of the Supreme Court. last
week. and filed his oath with County
Clerk Henry P. Moiloy and filed his bond
with District Attorney John F. Clarke.
To view the proceedings he had sum-
moned thirty-fve personal friends TO
New Years Eve dinner at his house, No.
137 14th street.
AS midnight approached messengers
we're called from the nearest office OF
the American District Telegraph Com
pany Then, as the midnight celebrants
paused for second wind, Mr.. Devoy at
tached his signature to the letters Of re-
moval and dispatched them to the Wo-
gan and Wise homes.
He then appointed John T. Rafferty,.
presilen. OF the 10Th Assembly District
Republican Club and president OF the
National Customs Brokers' Association,
a close personal friend of thirty-fve
years standing, to succeed Mr.. Wogan,
and appointed D. Harry Ralston. execu-
tive men. Der from the fst Assembly Dis
trict, 10 succeed Mr. Wise.
TIE ground for the removals, he ex-
IldiUHU lD. lIt present. "NS
that tn ripper" laws under which they
had hcen appointed were unconstitu-
tionai Regarding his move Mr.. Dewey
said
The legislature had no right 10 inter
fere with ml prerogatives as constitu-
tiona officer. The law which ousted me
and provided that the County Clerk
could appoint the chief clerk of the
county cour- for a term Of five years was
unconstitutional. in my opinion. Mr..
Office. burdened his successor and his
successofs successor with the appoint
meat - A chief clerk under the act
I'm view Of the confidential nature Of
the place and the fact that the chief
clerk Of the country court is a deputy
county clerk, / do not recognize the ap-
poirtment. In taking this step believe
that ! am giving the people only what
they wart--a change in methods and a
business administration"
The chief clerks salary is $500 and
IN. deputy's $1,000. The ousted officials,
1t IS believed. will carry the matter 10
the courts, as Jacob Brenner, former
Commissioner OF Jurors, and Lewis M.
Swase'. the former Commissioner Of
Records have already started to do.
Mr. wasey and Mr.. Bremer were
ousted Under ripper" laws. They began
inJunc,io. proceedings to get back, but
lost Their suit in the Supreme Court.
They are now being urged to take steps
to tes the constitutionality of the rip
per- 3aws.
The effect Of Mr.. Devoy's acts upon the
ripper legislation will depend entirely
on what steps Mr.. Wogan and Mr.. Wise
take 10 get back in Office. People from
all over the state have been writing Mr..
Devoy to learn what he had in mind.
They will await the outcome of his step
with interest