Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-18
HINT OF CUSTER SUIT
OVER BOND BUSINESS
SMILED AT BY MAYOR
Smith Laughingly Refuses to
Discuss His Going Surety
for City Workers and
Contractors
SAYS HE'S NOT ONLY ONE

10 Refusing to take seriously the con-
tention that his retention of control or the
Thomas y. Smith Bonding Company makes
him violator Of the law and thus liable
to impeachment, Mayor Smith today only
smiled when asked II he anticipated
trouble through a taxpayers suit or ny
any other move open TO those opposing
him.
lie said.
THE Thomas b. Smith Company never
was surety for contractor or an employe
directly or indirectly This company acts
as agent for the National Surety Com
pany OF New York, and other companies
who do the insuring.
"The Thomas y. Smith Company has
very few customers this year that Il has
not had for the last 10 years or more.
That Is all I'll have to say about the
surety business"
The Mayor laughIngly declared he was
not going to talk any more about the
bonding situation, and pointed to the
statement made public las night This
statemen was to the effect that his COM
pany was no the only one doing business
with municipal ofFiceholders or with munl-
cipRl contractors
Following frequent conferences with
Congressman Ware and other political
allies, the Mayor declared the bonding
matter virtually n closed incident, and
declined to go into his legal status except
to say that he did not care what accusa-
tlons were made against him. Congress-
man Ware and other friends OF the Mayor
were equally silent on the question.
The list made public by the Mayor
shows that most of his directors are
bonded with either the Thomas b. Smith
Company or the National Surety Company,
of which Mayor Smiths company Is the
Philadelphia agent.
The Mayors list did not include the
great amount of business enjoyed by his
IW,t tl,nt aNynt,
such as the Sheriff's office, where the
T.somas b. Smith Company wrote S505, 900
IL bonds on the day Mr.. Smith became
Mayor of the city Nor does II include the
Register of Wills office, where Register
Sheehan and all of his subordinates, even
Including the Janitors. are patrons OF the
Mayors private enterprise. Register
Sheehan is bonded for S150,OO0 and the
sureties of the attaches of hs office add
approximately another 100000.
In contrast with the custom requiring
bonds from subordinates in these offices
It was discovered that not one employe In
the office of the Clerk OF Quarter Sessions
Ia bonded Clerk Cunningham Is required
by law to furnish security in the sum OF
100000 and this he obtained from the
Smith company, but that is the limit of
the bonding patronage in his department.
Nevertheless all applicants for liquor
licenses must file bonds in the sum of
$4,000 each. An examination of the lists
of applicants for liquor licenses this year
showed that the Thomas b. Smith Com
pany has written the bonds for 413 appli-
cants for saloon licenses, 81 wholesale
liquor dealers and IL brewers. making a
total of S956,000 business. The premiums
on these bonds amount to $3.50 each, 1t
was said that the patronage enjoyed by
the Mayors company Is about one-fifth of
the entire liquor license business In the
city.