New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-03
FIGHT FOR CITY BODY
CAMPAIGN ISSUES
Sees Plot to Thwart Re
suits in "SO-Called"
Inquiry Here,
QUIZ BARES EVASION
Stenographer TeSti6es She Was
Taken On as Hospital
Helper-OthcrS Talk.

Helper-OtherS Talk.
Mayor Mitchell wrought two campaign
issues olt of the present investigation
II the Municipal Civil Service Commls-
SION " the state commission IN
speech last night before the Brooklyn
yi.y Club at its housevarminG Of lis
,.y quarters. ~ RemSen st. One CT
t issues put !, directly up to co.
.ru.r Giynu as TO whether he would Al
.a, 'Mu.phy and his cohorts 20 lay
violent hands on the city civil sell
vice. as the Mayor expressed It, b.
acting ou the recommendations of the
state commissioners should they find
against the city commissioners.
TIE other issue was the question OF
bCpgallng the present state law, where
i.1y the state commission is empowered
10 recommend 20 the Governor the dis
missal of the local commissioners, aud
giving him the power to appoint sue
ccssors irrcmovablc by the Mayor.
The City Club accepted the Mayor.
view Of the situation and voted 10 MAKE
these points issues Of the present cam
pajgn, the former IN the race for Gov
cruor and the latter i'm The election o.
she new Legislature.
Sees Plan 10 Thwart Work.
Tho Mayor began his address by out.
lining the work Of the Municipal Clvli
Service Commission in placing the civil
service on basis Of greater EMERGENCY
and fairness.
And just as VIC are bringing these
matters - the point of getting re-
.ults.' he said, "thcrc comes TINS m.
reference from Albany IN the shape OIL
"a ,o-tallcd inquiry il starts IN
statement CmauatlnC from one OF lne
state Civil Service commissioners crit
tossing one of the city commissioners
and thereby IN the case of that com
miss ioncr preJudginS the investigation
"l'y a statute, passed, bcIleNe' III
Governor suffers time, the state com
mission has the power 20 recommend
% the Governor the dismissal Of the
city commissioners, and the Governor
has the power TO appoint successors
.,rCmovablc by the Mayor. | believe
,nat law Is unconstitutional II gives
"a sclf-scckiug partisan serving state
commission power TO come down ana
oize tle commission elected by the
votes Of the people TO the city gov
,rrment. thus throwing u into the
r.rds IF the invisible government you
hurled out ri office by your ballots.
II believe thle inquiry has dlter-
.ut complexion than am IMPARTIAL I'D
luiry u 10 Is not iu good taltn IT Is
an attempt OH the part Of No. Murphy
and h's cohorts 90 lay violent hancs
ou ;hc city civil service.
Inquiry Questioned.
But we have ono safeguard, and that .
is the Governor. They cannot pcrpe-
rate such II wrong w thout the consent F.
Of Governor Glyun.'
The Mayor said he would be very
glad 90 believe tho tate commission
was conducting AN impartial inquiry,
but he felt that such was not the case.
First, he .ud, came the statement from
Commissioner Wolfe coudcmnng the
0cal commission. and then came the
inquiry
81 do not know what to call il per
laps d study of the situation, perhaps a
little fishing excursion, IN which a
number Of witnesses were called. ] dI-
rcctcd the Corporation Counsel through
his representative 10 appear and de-
mand the right to croSs-eXamine those
witnesses on behalf Of the municipal
commission, and the right was denied
him.
"And after that was finished the COM
mission announced for last Monday the
beginning of this new, or second, in
curry OF investigation, and announced
hat we might be represented by coun-
sell ] do not know what II proposed to
do by this second inquiry. For my
part / can't see the reason for piling
one inquiry upon another"
The Mayor was speaking on the sub
iect "Civic Societies and the Public
Administrations and said that sltua-
lions such as he had outlined were the
ones for such bodies as the City Club
10 take a hand in.
Sensational evidence was adduced
yesterday at the hearing of the State
Civil Service Commission in its inves-
legation of the conduct of the Munich
nal Commissions Practically the en-
tire day was consumed with an eXami-
ration into the appointment of clerks,
stenographers and secretaries in the
Department of Public Charities, under
the non.competlt'ye classification Of
hospital helpers"
The first witness called was d. Kern
Fmfur. confidential 5tcnOgraphcr to
Secretary Birdscyc, Of the State Civil
Service Commission. Mr.. tintur testI-
H,d that he had been commissioned by
81. Btdseye TO subpoena before him
twenty-five employees OF the Depart
'pcnt of Public Charities at present
occupied on the tenth floor Of the Mu-
Iicipdl Building as members of the
clerical force, though appointed and
retained on the city payroll under the
designation of hospital helpers" They
Ecre required TO appear before Nh.
ulrdseye IN the course Of the prellmI-
nary inquiry pursued by the state au-
norlties prior TO the opening Of the
present public investigation.
The witness testified that he had
L.cn prevented from making service
anon these employees by Commissioner
King bury. This led TO a remark by
lac part Of Special Deputy Attorney
General Frank Moss, who Is conduct
p, the investigation for the state,
mat there WAS an evident disposition
an the part Of city official TO block
,ae investigation.
MoskOwitz Pleads Economy.
The comment caused Corporation
Counsel Frank l.. Polk. who, with
Frederic K. Coudert, represents the in
Jerests of the local commission, to leap
10 his feet with the rejoinder that he
resented the remark as 'veiled at
.empt on the part OF counsel TO attack
ne city administration Mr. Polk
vent on TO say that Commits loner
ningsbury had acted upon the Corpo-
alton CounsePs advice in preventing
he service of the subpenas. lie eX-
claimed that hc had instructed the
Charities Commissioner that such sub
fgpRas were not valid and that Secre-
ary Birdscye had no authority 10 call
me employees iu question before him.
IL Mt Of