New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-13
Writes DR.. Baird That Bride
Charges Came Out When He
Acted in Sipp Case.
WELFARE BILL UP TO-DAY
Mayor to Hold Hearing, but
Fears Graft Will Not End
if Liquor Traffic Is Left
Out of Measure.

Tor the recent CONVICTION OF the lOuF
police officials. in a letter written to
Or. Addison w. Baird, of No. 239 West
10Th street. Dr. Baird had written in
opposition to the public welfare bill, to
which the Mayor is to give a public
hearing to-day.
q agree with you" the Mayor wrote,
that this bill should be most gravely
considered. Its object is to do away
with all grating by the police. But l
notice that the liquor traffic is not in
cluded in the bill When l came into
office that was the greatest source Of
grating of all"
The Mayor went on 70 say he be-
neved the police should be relieved Of
temptation from grating in the liquor
traffic. as we'll as in gambling and the
social evil.
Graft at Low Ebb, He Says.
But l shall consider" he added
whether 1 ought TO accept the bill in
the form in which it is drawn as be-
ginning"
times said, that never was grating at
such low ebb in the department, the
Mayor said:
Il have done all / can in the matter
and / think the Police Commissioner
has also. The statement that the
Mayor and the Police Commissioner
are in any way opposing the exposure
Of graft and the punishment Of graft
ers is too contemplate for considera-
ton. No one in the city believes any
such thing. We began the enforce
ment Of the law against crime on q
consistent basis from the beginning,
and we have kept 1t up consistently
ever since. l expected to see more eX-
posures Of graft than have really &C.
Cured.
-Four captains of police have just
been convicted Of bribing a man called
Sipp TO leave the state. Did you ever
consider how that was brought about?
Let me state the case in few words.
Sipp had some infamous houses. lie
had been paying graft 10 the police for
years. ] suppose. He says that was
the case. But the police under the
present Commissioner prosecuted his
houses, and even took possession OF
them as public nuisances. Sipp then
came forward and accused two police
men of taking graft some years ago.
and one of them recently. The police
men were put on trial at headquarters.
They were also indicted by the grand
jury.
Forced Action in SiPp Case.
"Sipp then left the state. so he could
not be called as a witness. l caused 4
criminal complaint TO be made against
him in order TO have him brought back,
by extradition proceedings, if neces-
sary. 1 did this because l suspected
that he had been bribed to run away
and stay away. When he was thus
arrested in another state he finally con-
scented to come back He then revealed
how he was bribed by certain police
men TO run away.
They were then indicted and con-
victed the other day, as I have told
YOU They were not inspectors Of
police, as you have seen in the news
paper headlines. They had been de-
NOTED for other reasons long before
these charges ever came up, all except
one who was afterward denoted. You
remember the abuse which l received
when I took the proceedings TO have
Sipp brought back, And now We have
the result. If had let him go nothing
more would ever have been heard OF
the thing"
Public Welfare Bill Up.
Mayor Gaynor received many callers
yesterday in regard 20 the public well
fare bill. Some were opposed and
others favored it. Strangely enough
rnanv of the civic organizations, which
usually are together on matters of re-
form. are divided in their opinion as
10 this bill.
Speaker Smith Of the Assembly urged
the Mayor TO sign the bill. He argued
that the measure was designed to do
much good, but IL It were found not to
work as well as could be expected the
law could be repealed next year. He
said the bill was modelled largely along
the lines of the law which is used in
Pittsburgh. 1T puts responsibility
right up to those who are disinterest-
edlv active in remedying the evils of
L