New-York tribune., 1916-02-28
Sure No Legislator Will
aid Criminals" by
Ending Inquiry.
FATE OF COMMITTEE
IN SCALES TONIGHT
Senator Admits Error in Whitney
Charges Gillespie May
Be Punished.

Senator Thompson will make his fight
/ tonight In Albany for an extension OF
/ the life of his committee. Before leav-
/ ing his room in the Biltmorc last night
( he declared that he expected the last
/ vestige Of opposition to continuing the
/ committee would have vanished.
Il cannot conceive of single mem
Der Of the Legislature who wants TO put
himself in tho position of ono wfo
wants to conceal crime. aid the 'scape
Of criminals and defeat the ends II
justice" he said.
Senator Thompson is Of the firm be-
lief that his committee, with a little
more time than it now has, will be able
70 bring about the indictment of others
besides Robert Colgate Wood, ex-Pub-
lie Service Commissioner.
He will offer to the Senate tonight
n resolution extending the life of the
committee to the first Monday in the
legislative session Of 1917. A similar
resolution will be offered in the As
sembly. He will not ask for any more
money just now.
Sweet in Opposition.
To date the only man TO proclaim
publicly his readiness to fight Senator
Thompson is Thaddeus c. Sweet,
Speaker Of the Assembly. Mr.. Sweet
wants the committee TO end its exist
ence on March 7. If he should be set
in his opposition and is able to hold the
Assembly behind him, the Thompson
committees activities would end
Wednesday week.
Senator Thompson. while declaring
he would oppose the nominations of
Travis II. Whitney and Charles :. Her
vey for Public Service commissioner
ships. did not talk as though he were
confident that his efforts would go very
far.
81 don't know what the Senate
Finance Committee Will 90. but | have
one voice and one vote. and III use
them 10 the best advantage he said.
lie then admitted that the statement OF
Senator Robert Lawson. who also op-
poses Whitney and Hervey. in attacking
an affidavit made by Whitney in 4 re-
cent fight OF a Brooklyn taxpayer
against the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company, was not in accordance with
the facts.
"Whitney's affidavit was technically
correct said Senator Thompson. "but
| don't approve OF all that was done IN
the Williams matter"
The matter referred 20 was an ac-
tion by F. {. Williams. brought 20 re-
strain the Public Service Commission
from approving the plans for the i'm
provement Of the Z. K. rs Fulton
street elevated road from Cumberland
Street TO Nostrand Avenue. Brooklyn.
Senator Lawson. in q statement on
Saturday, declared that Mr.. Whitney
played the Brooklyn Rapid Transit a
strong favorite and that the action was
thrown out by Justice Manning in the
Supreme Court in Brooklyn because Mr..
Whitneys affidavit did not give the
court sufficient information and that II
contained misstatements OF facts.
Facts at Fault Over Whitney.
This second is admitted to be wrong
by Senator Thompson. The former il
proved 10 be equally incorrect from the
case was thrown out Of court because
Williams's own counsel, Robert Stew
art. admitted 10 the cOur. that his
client was not a property owner
Another statement made by Senator
Lawson vas that he believed that there
still remained before the PublIc Ser
vice Commission something like p 000.-
600 in claims by the Interborough for
prior determination" on the dual sub
way contracts that had not been act
ed on.
Mr.. Whitney. last night. said that
his was not true. He said the sum
referred TO by Senator Lawson had
been disallOwed by the Public Service
Commission and that the case was
ended
Senator Lawson implied that when
he Public Service Commission allowed
S327000 TO the Peterborough fo- prior
determination which meant i, could
be charged 20 construction the rest
of the amount asked for. the difference
between the above and s1.532,O ,OOJ. was
not acted on. and that the INTERIOR
ough could ASK the Public Service Com
mission at some future day TO grant
it the balance
Mr.. Whitney said that in the 1927, 900
allowed the lnterborough had concealed
part Of the Sl50.000 bonus to 7. P.
Shonts. This, he said, would not have
been allowed II the commission knew
that this sum would be so disposed OF.
The subcommittee OF which Senator
lawson is acting chairman will to-day
resume ITS examination Of the books
of +. 4. Gillespie & Co.
When Senator Thompson returns 70
;h,s city on Wednesday Nc will try TO
get James {. Brady and Nicholas r.
Brady. directors of the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company. to return from Palm
Beach and testify before the commit
tee. The two are sons Of the late An
,hony Brady.
Senator Thompson is still hoping TO
hear that T. 4. Gillesnie. head Of the
firm. will return from Pinehurst. y. c..
and also testify.
And when MIR. Morgan comes back
from Europe we will hear him" said
Senator Thompson.
Senator Thompson tonight will prob
ably present the transcript OF the
Thompson committee showing r. H.
Glllespie's refusal 20 surrender the
records o. the money transferred from
lts New York Office TO is PITTSBURGH
hrench TO the Senate. Only word from
Gillespie that he has recsnted will pre-