New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-05

Senate in conference and the minority
IN conference had both agreed that the
course Of wisdom and patriotism was
10 take this property (thc land needea
for fortifcstion purposes) by con
demnation and not under the agree
mentf'
Il did not say that" retOrted the
Mayor.
"Did that information in any WA way
affect your judgment Of Senator Nag
ner's conduct7' he was asked.
mot in the least" replied the Mayor.
And even II you had known exactly
what had transpirod there. that would
not have effected it. would ~?
at would not in the least.
"You would still have given out that
statement on the 22d?
Il would and would have stuck to H.
Just as ! do now
you did not regard this as an attack
upon the Official integrity or honor OF
Senator Wagner. did you" asked Mr..
Untermycr.
no. j didn't regard it that way an
swcrcd Mr. Mitchell.
"You don't regard 1T so now, do
you?'
II think it may he open to that con
structiou.'
"Do you so regard il now o.
81 think ! do.
when did you begin TO regard this
as an attack on Senator Wagner =. m
CURED counsel for the Senator.
when he accepted II as such
And If he had kept quiet YOU would
not have considered YOU had attacked
him a. al. would you?'
Il think | have answered that
RetractiOn Uncallcd For
knowing then or learning then that
these words Of yours had been con
strued as a charge Of dlsloyalty anc
tcachery on the part OF Senator Nag
ner 70 his country and his government
did you consider that called upon you
for a rctraction Of the charge
No"
you did not think that the part OF
q gentleman and public official al the
head Of our great city government
called upon YOU to make any sort OF
rctraction ?" inquired counsel.
NO" said the Mayor, because what
! said was true"
Isn't il fact" asked Mr.. Inter
myer. that you intended 10 be often
sive toward Senator Wagner in refer
ring TO him as the gentleman from
Prussia'?'
"Not offensive" corrected the Mayor
Isn't it a fact that what you in
tended to convey TO the public at this
time. in this public excitement, was
that Senator Wagner was born IN
Prussia"
"Not in the connection in which you
say that"
at was your intention TO repeat
your charge stated Mr.. Untermyer
wasn't it?'
at was not" the Mayor shot back
at him. 81 repeated the charge other
wise when | said had reference to
the blocking of the Notifications and
delaying construction -
City Charter Overlooked
The Mayor admitted that the Mills
bill would have permitted the city Ia
dispose Of "inalienable rights to
underwater lands, but contended that
i' should have been passed, although
hc himself the Mayor had ordered
Deck Commissioner Smith to withdraw
1T and amend it TO apply to the specific
land at Rockaway needed by the gov
eminent.
The Mayor even admitted that ne
overlooked the city charter provision
governing the subject of underwater
land rights. Mr.. Untermyer cmpha-
sized the fact that in spite Of the al
legged need Of haste. the Dock Commits
sioner had failc4 - withdraw the bill
and substitute new one for four days
the fact that eleven days intcrvened
before the second specific Mills bill was
introduced and that when it was re-
Jccted by the whole Senate, the Brown
condemnation bill was passed imme-
dately.
Mayor Mitchell pointed out that the
difference between the Brown bill and
the Mills bill, favored by the admin
istration, the obstruction of which the
Mayor charged to Senator Wagner, was
this:
That under the Mills bill there would
have been no payment to anybody out
Of the city or state treasury, but that
there would have been a payment OF
$4,000 to the city treasury by the
Rockaway Pacific Corporation and q
cale of 100 acres of underwater land
within a city owned marginal way, to
the private corporation.
q