New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-25
MAYOR HAPPY OVER
WINNING COCKTAILS
Tells Insurance Men He
Has Solved Vexing
Police Problem.
MAN GREAT
ORGANIZER, HE SAYS
Will Now Ask Legislature to
Grant Reasonable Powers
TO Commissioner.

Mayor Mitchell told an audience OF In
surance men at the Hotel Astor last
night he considered he had surmounted
one of the greatest problems that may
beset him as official head of the munlci-
pal life of New York The problem which,
he said, had brought more than one city
administration to disaster was the ore
OF handling the police. In the selection
Of Colonel Goethsls as Commissioners the
Mayor believes he has solved the vexins
question. In his speech he expressed no
fears that the army officer would not &C
cept the post rendered him
The Mayor addressed seven hundred SUI
perlntendents of the Metropolitan Lte
Insurance Company at their annual dlh-
ner. He was introduced by President
John r. Hegeman of the insurance com
pany, and said, i'm part:
I'm this town there has been the prom
lem on which administration after ad-
mlnistration has gone to wreck; that
problem is the police problem. When l
| found myself elected Mayor the first thing
I gave my attention to was the selection
! of proper Police Commissioner, and
felt that only the best man whom / could
| find within the confines Of this great ma
ton was the proper man for Police COM
missioner
Looking over the field, I felt that that
great organizer who had built up the force
constructing the Panama Canal-who had
organized that force into perfect work
| ing force. the man who had built up and
! inspired in the members of that force
degree of personal loyalty to himself
| that is hardly equallsd in any other great
enterprise that | have ever known; the
man who had the capacity and the hu-
manity in himself for the direction OF
that great force OF men-I felt that he
was the best man to come TO the head OF
the New York Police Department, II l
could get him.
| 81 went t. Panama and tried to interest
! him in the situation. lie felt-as any man
would feel who had built up this great
public work-that he could no. leave that
until the construction work Of the canal
was finished. But | can say to you, gen
| tlemen that this great human problem IN
New York interested Colonel Goethals
/ When ] came back | looked over the
field. and / came to the conclusion that
as long as Colonel Goethals was posi-
bllity 1 should not turn TO any other man
| or in any other direction.
And so | asked Mr.. Perkins If he would
go TO Panama with a message to Colonel
| Goethals. and at great personal aacrllice
he went; he saw Colonel Goethals, and
last night he delivered to me Colonel
| Goethals's answer and. my friends. that
answer is that il the President will retire
| Colonel Goethals, as he Is entitled 10 be
retired. when he completes the construc-
ton work OF the canal. and If the people
of this city and of this state, acting
through the Legislature. will confer upon
the Police Commissioner those powers
which Colonel Goethals and | botn be-
! lieve to be necessary to the direction ana
control Of the force-powers that Will not
| initiate against the men, but VIII merely
| give to the Commissioner the power 10
direct and TO enforce discipline in the
force-that then he will come here and
take up this great burden for the people.
Now. gentlemen, l believe that In Sc
curing that promise from him, qualified as
il is. that | have done something for this
city.
"And that I now have the right to 60
TO the Legislature and to the people and
TO ask that these reasonable powers be
conferred upon the Commissioner or Po-
lice I'm order that we may secure the
services Of Colonel Goethals. in order
that he may organize that department,
1. Inf, int
same spirit OF loyalty that he has built up
at Panama and in order that he may
bring to himself the loyalty OF the men
and thus handle the great responsibility
of the Police Department, when | be-
lieve that the great problem OF police
administration in New York City may be
settled and settled right, once and for
all"
Among the other speakers were Rabbi
Wise, the Right Rev. Charles Sumner
Burch. Suffragan Bishop of New York.
and William T. Emmet, state Superin-
tendent Of Insurance.
Following the dinner OF the insurance
company Mayor Mitchell attended a din
ner given in his honor at the Lotos Club.
Among the speakers of the evening
were FRANK X. ldWTtuCc pIeSiucht VI Nhc
club; Mayor Mitchell, Controller Prender-
CAST. Andrew Carnegie, Henry d. White,
Dudley Field Malone, Talcott Williams
and Henry ID. Estabrook. Others at the
guest table were Chester s. Lord, Charles
w. Price, Frederic r. Coudert. City
Chamberlain Henry Bruere and Fire Com
missioner Robert Adamson.
Mayor Mitchell. in his speech emphati-
cally asserted that Colonel George W.
Goethals had accepted the offer of Police
Commissioner. and would take up his
duties in few months" The Mayor also
announced that pending the arrival IF
Colonel Goethals Commissioner Mckay
would remain at the head OF the force
and when Colonel Goethals took Office
Commissioner Mckay would resume his
duties as First Deputy If such an ar
rangement was satisfactory to Mr.. Nc
Kay.