The herald., 1912-02-29
MAYOR BEHRMAN REPLIES TO
LEWIS; SAYS ATTACK UNFAIR
AND UNJUST.

Shows That Affairs Have Been Well
Conducted by Levee Board, With
out Pay.
And That Engineer, Charging Extrava
gance, Raised His Own and Other
Salaries, and Was Overruled
Several Times in Econo-
my's Interest.
Mayor Martin Behrman, speaking or
behalf of himself and the other mem
bers of the Orleans Levee Board, re
piled to the charges of Colonel Sidney
F. Lewis, the boards engineer, at q
meeting of the board Feb. %, denying
that there had been any extravaganza
on the part of the board during the
Behrman administrations; denying
that he had ever ordered Colonel Lewis
to cut certain references out of his re
ports; asserting that the first intima
ton Colonel Lewis had ever given OF
conditions of which he complained had
been made in a political speech, and
declaring that the only salary raisers
during the time specified were ordered
on the recommendation of Colonel
Lewis, he himself having been the
chief beneficiary, his own salary hav'
ing been raised on three different oc
casions at his own urgent request, to-
wit: From 5000 per month to $3.50
from $3.50 to $500 per month, and
again from $500 to s33333.
IF there has been any inefficiency
on the part of the day force" said May
or Behrman, then the blame must
rest with Colonel Lewis, for on Aug
10, 1909, he requested that the day
forces be placed absolutely under his
direction, which was done.
"At no time did Colonel Lewis rec.
ommend a reduction of salaries or a
reduction of the force" asserted the
mayor, "but the board itself at its
meeting on May 10, 1910, reduced the
engineering force to a considerable ex.
tent, saving s475 per month, without
working any detriment to the engi
neering service"
The mayor characterized Colonel
Lewis attack upon himself and the
board as being wrong and unfair"
Immediately upon the conclusion OF
the Mayors arraignment of Engineer
Lewis, President Jules C. Koenig asked
if there was any further business be-
fore the board, whereupon the body ad
journed.
Colonel Lewis had sat at the mayors
left hand all during the scathing de,
nunciation, nervous, but without a
word. He did not ask for permission
to reply, and, in fact, seemed glad the
ordeal was over. When asked if he
had any reply to make, he folded uI
his reports and papers, saying:
No, do not care to indulge in any
further newspaper controversy. / have
nothing more to say. 1t would be nc
use to contradict the Mayor and con.
unue the controversy. Let's drop it.
That seems to me the best thing"
After clearing up a round of routine
matters, Mayor Behrman introduced
the Lewis matter by pulling a state.
ment from his inside pocket, to which
were pinned a number of newspaper
clippings.
Since the last meeting of this
board" began Mayor Behrman, unfold
ing his documents, "the engineer of
this board has been making some DO.
litical speeches that reflected seriously
upon the integrity of the members of
this board as whole, as we'll as upon
the Mayor, who is also a member of
this board. l have taken the copies
OF the newspapers of those dates, the
Times-Democrat of Feb. IA, 1912, and
the Picayune of Feb. II, the headline
in the Times-Democrat reading: AS
sails the Levee Board etc. Those in
the Picayune: Lewis Makes Another
Seventh Ward Speech
"As 1 said in the beginning, the ar.
ticle Of Feb. IA reflects seriously on
the board itself, and on the 18th inst
the Picayune states that Colonel Lewis
said that the chairman, in introducing
him, referred to extravaganza in the
administration of the affairs of the
Levee Board, but in this he was mis-.
taken, for since / have been the engi.
neer everything has been conducted
with a view to economy. Two millions
Of the 100000 of bonds which went
to purchase property which was to be
destroyed to make way for a new line
of levee, he charges we bought, were
not necessary l don't know how cor.
recty Colonel Lewis was quoted, but
1 have taken it from the papers and
have prepared my reply to the charges
contained in those papers,"
After few more words of introduc.
tory, and reading the clippings from
the morning papers, Mayor Behrman
made the following statement: