The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-09-05
COMMITTEES
SLEUTHS NOW At WORK
Broad Scope Of Its Inquiry as
to Forms Of Police
Grating.
AFTER BIG OUTSIDERS
Aldermen's Committee Asks
Mayor and Subpoenas
Waldo to Testify.
AFTER BIG OUTSIDERS

~ was neu NeSNsTudy tudI tHc Cll-
liens committee which was appointed by
the Cooper Union mass m Getting to In
vestigate alleged graft in the Police De-
! partment has engag ged a famous detective
| agency to investigate the records of the
entire stan OF inspectors and captains In
| the department and Of all other officia IL
whom it has reason to suspect Of grating
! When Allan Robinson Of 1876 Broadway.
chairman of the committee. was ask ed
about the matter he was silent for mo-
! ment and then he pointed to a statement
contained in an appeal for funds which
! the committee had sent out. N read that
the duties imposed upon the committee
by the people required that they under
take at once a far reaching investigation.
secret or otherwise Mr. Robinson pointed
significantly to the word secret and
said that he could tell nothing more about
what was going on.
J Joseph Cotton. Jr.. the committees
| lawyer. said that he was not In a position
TO affirm or deny the report.
! IN g letter to Mr. Robinson In reply to
an offer TO cooperate with him In every
| possible way Mayor Gaynor advised the
committee recently TO get a list OF all the
police captains ard inspectors and to
become familiar with the personality Of
every man. II was said that the COM
mittee had gone much further than this
ana that In addition 10 sizing up the per-
sonnet OF the force II was gathering In
for nation about the assignments Of the
officials for a number OF wears back and
was getting together all the scraps Of in
formation which might possibly have a
bearing upon the investigation. 1; was
said that the band accounts would be
checked up as far AZ possible and that all
rea estate holdings would be listed.
Although the committee to all outward
appearances has been inactive since its
appointment there Ia good reason to
believe that II really has been very active
and that the detectives have been at
work for several weeks Great care
| has been taken that no intimation OF the
fact should get out because 1t was feared
| that some Of the men who are under
observation might become suspicious and
block the work
The scope Of the committees work is
greater than that Of any OF the other
investigating bodies which are delving
into conditions at present. and for this
| reason the agents whom II has at work
are said 10 he looking tor evidence against
| certain politicians and persons outside
the Police Department who might be
back of the gamblers and disorderly house
proprletors, IL was minated that the
detectives are working especially hard to
discover the facts about the disorderly
mouse trust
The committee has hinted that it is
impat lent over the failure of the police
and it is believed that it has ordered
its investigators to discover, II they can.
why the activities in this direction have
not been more productive Of results.
Il think that IL is Of the greatest i'm
portance now. said Mr. Robinson. to ciear
A meeting OF the committee was held
yesterday at Mr.. Robinson's Office. 1t
was announced that Robert $. BinKerd.
secretary of the City Club. would act as
secretary Of the committee. The follow
ing letter from Charles II. Strong.
public
Pursuant to your request and as a
part OF the City Clubs contribution to the
important public work undertaken by the
citizens committee We are glad to make
ARRANGEMENTS whereby Mr.. Robert S.
Binkerd. secretary OF the City Club. may
serve AS secretary to the citizens COM
mttee.
While reservtng its necessary right OF
independent judgment on recommenda-
t!ons your committee may make. the City
Club cordially approves your plan OF at
tempting the removal so far as pos
sib!e. Of the causes OF such corrupt con-
d.tions as may be found to exist In the
Police Department. We suggest that
your work should also cover the attitude
OF the courts In so far as they interpret
and apply the criminal law.
To those ends We pledge you the CO.
operation OF the City Club and In par
tcular the aid OF the clubs committees
on police and courts.
n ting thu efYfrfept
organization Of your committee, l am
cordially yours,
CHARLES H. STRONG.
President
The following executive committee was
appointed yesterday Eugene H. Outer
bridge. Mrs. Charles II, 1sraels. Charles
p. Howland. Allan Robinson. Henry
The committee is now up to it's full
membership of twenty eight. The mem
bers are: George B. Agnew, Mrs: ". H.
Baldwin. Robert S. Binkerd. Thatcher
NJ Brown. ,. A; s. Frissell. Henry Green.
Raymond '. InsersolI, Mr.. Charles
ii. israels, Max j. kohler, Alvin W. Krech,
Orlando F. Lewis, Sam A. Lewisohn
Walter Linder. Henry Moskowitz, W. W.
Niles. Z. H. Outerbridge. Eugene A.
Philbin: George d. Pratt, Allan Robinson.
JaCOD H. oCTlH, Nlludtn hllalTe SnOtt,
Albert Strauss, F. s. Tomlin, John B
Trevor, Frederick II. Within and William
H. Williams.
An appeal for public support was made
by Allan Robinson and Jacob II. Schiff.
II was said that the committee expect
to incur heavy expense and that the more
liberal the contributions the more extern
sive would be the results OF its activities.
Police Commissioner Waldo was sub
prnaed yesterday TO appear before the
Aldermanic investigating committee
week from Monday. Ii was explained
by Chairman Henry H. Curran that no
slight was intended in the fact that Waldo
was served with a subpoena while Mayor
Gaynor was simply invited to testify next
Monday. MIR. Curran said that ali wit
nesses except the Mayor would be sub
ppnaed. Charles s. Guthrie, an assistant
counsel to the committee. served the
subpoena in person and at the same time
delivered a letter of explanation to the
Commissioner
Mr., Waldo told Mr. Guthrie that he
welcomed the Aldermens investigation
into his department and that he would
appear before the committee at . o'clock
on the day named. He said the records
Of the Police Department were at the
disposal of the committee. He would
help the committee. he said. in every
way that he could
Nathan A. Smyth. associate counsel
OF the committee and MIR. Guthrie are
still delvinG into the documents at PoIioa