New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-11

why you don't want TO answer
snapped Senator Thompson.
81 have told you the reasons why /
won't answer" Wood fiared back.
"Oh, no, you haven't" the chairman
exclaimed. ais il because you don't
want the people to know that
II was at this point that Assembly
man Callahan jumped into the ring.
"Mr. Chairman" he said excitedly,
az am a member of this committee. and
/ resent the way the chairman asks his
questions. | am the junior member OF
this committee. | have just joined
this committee, but | don't think the
questions asked by the chairman are
fair or pertinent"
"Do you think they are unfair 10 the
Democratic party" Senator Thompson
asked sarcastically.
81 have not brought politics into this
investigation" Callahan answered hot
". at is you who have done so. am
not protesting on party grounds"
al want to say" said the chairman
grimly, chat the attitude of the party
YOU represent will not change the way
in which this committee does its work.
This is the first time a minority MEM
Der of this committee has tried to
make it a political investigation"
False" Assemblyman Shouts.
"Tbat is false" shouted the young
Assemblyman; Senator Thompson, you
know that is false; you are the one
woh is making this"--
Senator Thompson raped his gavell
before the sentence was finished, ana
turned TO Wood with the question:
"Do you refuse to answer on the
ground that 1t will tend TO lncrlmihaVe
or degrade you?"
Wood again read the typewriter an
swer. after which the chairman ad-
/ iourned the session until the afternoon.
| AS he raised his gavel he said:
al want to say for the benefit Of the
minority members that this IS not a Ju-
dicial proceeding. 1t IS an investiga-
ton to find the facts as to whether GER
: tain state officers in highly lmportaa,n,'
places are fitted 70 ho.d them: we
have carefully excluded a judicial al
mosphere from our proceedlngs;- VI,
w r Ranks. president of the y. W.
Fouipment Company, produced several
cbeckbook stubs which interested the
committee exceedingly. Because OIL
Banks's bad memory, however, the com
mittee was unable to find out VINO go'
about $4,000. The stubs showed the
checks were made out to Cash, ano
Ranks asserted that he received the
money. which he used for entertain
ment. household expenses and various
other things. The checks were all daIeu
from June, 1914, when Wood vent on
the commission and sold Northwestern
| Construction Company stock to Banks
up to last month.
Tells of Lighting Rate Case.
/ Oliver C. Semple, assistant counsel
/ for the Public Service Commission, was
/ also q witness. He spent most OF his
/ time explaining the ramifications OF the
/ Kings County Lighting Company rate
/ case. -,
W. ". Salmon, president Of the Cen
\ eral Signal Company, and Thomas W
Finucane, Rochester politician VINO u
a director in the company, had lone
/ conference with Senator Thompson, yes
/ terdav afternoon. The chairman, now
/ ever. refused TO tell what II was about
/ He said he purposed TO subpoena Syd
nov Johnson. sales manager OF the com
roittee. as soon as he returned to Ne"
/ York.
No further progress was made by the
committee in its secret investigation OF
/ the alleged $4,000 "slush' iuhu' Dul
important develof>'ts are eXpecste es
soon. The presonctA former Chief OF
Police John McCul| at YESTERDAY