New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-30
Municipal Bureaus Pam
phIet Denounced in Sen
ate and Assembly.
PICTURES SYSTEM"
IN STATE FINANCE
Paper Called Outrage and Gust
ing of Bureaus Attaches from
Payroll Is Threatened.
rrron slA- Correspondent, ., n, rf611,-I

From sts- Correspondent, %, TIE 1rbursI
Albany, March 90 Heated denuncia-
tons Of the Bureau of Municipal Re
search Of New York City were made in
both houses of the Legislature to-day,
after a pamphlet issued b. that organ
ization came TO the attention of the
legislative leaders. The pamphlet IS
entitled "The System at Work. and
attacks members Of the Senate and As
sembly. a copy was sent 20 each legis-
lator. Here are some Of the questions
and answers contained in it:
what is Room 1872? A political
bargain counter.
"Who are behind the counter? The
seven men.
who are going in and out OF the
room? The representatives Of the peo-
pie and others.
"How many have been in to trade?
A large number.
what is the business? The bust
ness of the state.
"Why is not this business done
openly? That is not the System.
what are the three men doing =!
They are helping the four men dis
tribute S6O,OOO,OOO from the State
Treasury"
Room 332 Is the Senate Finance Com
mittee room, and the seven members
are Senators Brown and Sage, Speaker
Sweet, Assemblyman William J. Naier.
chairman of the Assembly Ways and
Means Committee, a Deputy State Con-
troller and two clerks. These men are
at work on the annual financial bills.
Bureau Attaches on Payroll.
For some time attaches of the Blu
reau of Municipal Research have been
engaged in the T,rk of the Senate
Civil Service Investigating Committee,
Of which Senator Clinton T. Horton is
chairman. The state was paying some
Of these men and the bureau others.
All, it is asserted, will now be forced
out of the states service, as both Ma
jority Leader Brown Of the senate and
senator Sage, chairman of the Finance
Committee, declared that they would
stand for no representative of the bu-
reau remaining on the states payroll
Senator Sage brought the matter to
the attention Of the Senate by reading
the bureaus pamphlet.
THE circulation of this pamphlet
he said, rs an outrage, snd / for one
am opposed to having any members OF
this bureau employed BY tho state
II wish 20 serve notice. declared
Senator Brown, that the Municipal
Research Bureau has no monopoly on
high ideals and that it is not serving
the state By sucn attacks as these.
Senator Sage and Assemblyman Maier
have worked faithfully and fearlessly
in preparing the financial bills, and L
can't help but express my indignation
at this miserable, lowgrade attack.
am unwilling that the state should en-
ploy for moment any Of the meh
connected with the bureau.
while these men were working here
they seemed TO enjoy the compensa-
ton they were getting from the state,
and that IL the only kind Of pork
that goes out Of any Of these commit
tee rooms.
Says Apology Is Due.
AN apology is due the Legislature.
Under existing conditions, 1t seems 20
De the smart thing 10 maintain soci-
ETY. Of this sort and get subscriptions
on the plea that something is being
done for good government that is not.
Senator Ogden l.. Mills attacked the
methods Of the bureau, and Incidental
ly raped the Thompson committee.
III. i'm order TO serve the public
he said. "a man has 20 be prepared 70
take his reputation in his hands, and
If certain organizations or a scurrilous
press is TO be permitted to destroy
him. politically, and even TO reach back
into the grave. and with no evidence,
90 ruin his reputation. then we have
reached q stage where It will be i'm
possible TO get a self-respecting man
70 enter public life
The indignation OF the Assembly
was as great "a that Of the Senate.
The trouble is" said Speaker Sweet,
chat the Municipal Research Bureau
has not been permitted to put its hand
into the state treasury. This House
IL justified in taking any action that it
deems proper TO express It's indigna-
ton at such an insult"
81 take the position" said Assembly
man Maier. that if the bureau wants
a representative on the Ways and
Means Committee it shall nominate
and elect him"
Y@ ~ 4" Il