New-York tribune., 1918-02-15
Amendment to Charter In
troduced by State
Senator Foley
Aldermen Would
Control All Jobs
Tammany Plan to Gust
Civil Service Employees
Is Hinted
TStaf Correspondence1

ALBANY, Feb. 1.-The broadest
measure of home rule possible is
Granted 70 the City of New York in
hill introduced to-day by Senator
lanes A. Foley, who, with "Al" Smith
and Senator Robert F. Wagner, assists
Charles L. Murphy in running Tam
nany Hall.
The bill bears the title can Act to
Amend the Greater New York Charter
in Relation to the Cons olidation, Abol-
ton and Transfer of Powers and
Duties of Boards, Bodies, Committees,
Departments, Officers and Employees"
I. adds new section in the charter
to be known AS Section 44A.
By its terms the Board of Aldermen,
with the approval of the Mayor, can do
anything 1t wishes with any person in
the city's employ, or any board, body,
department, committee or bureau.
When Governor Whitman took office,
in 1910, he found hundreds of Tam
n,any men intrenched in seemingly i'm
pregnable Jobs In various state depart
ments. They were all protected by
civil service. One Of these departments
was known as the State Fire Marshal's
Department.. 1t was headed by good
Tammany man, and hundreds of faith
full followers of Fourteenth Street we're
on its payrolls. This department was
abolished.
Other Democrats Dropped
Patrick E. McCabe and other Demo
Loo lor 1o1L ~
ers of conservation, etc. They could
not be removed. But the Legislature
abolished the commissions and created
new ones in their stead, thus ousting
the Democratic johholders.
Led by Wagner, Foley and Smith
Tammany set up a cry of ripper legis-
lation. They referred to Whitman as
"the ripper Governor"
Not only does the Foley bill, which
has the backing of the Hylan admins
tration, give the Tammany Board OF
Aldermen power to rip out men and
women in classified civil service Jobs
and whole departments, but it permits
the board to regulate the power and
an individual or any board, body, COM
mission or department.
Just before the Mitchell edministra-
ton went out Of Office it transferred d
a large number of men holding we'll
paying jobs from the exempt to the
classified civil service. James E. Nc
Bride, president of the Tammany Civil
Service Committee Of New York City,
appealed to the State Civil Service
Commission to put these men back in
Ae exempt list, so they could be re-
moved by Mayor Hylan and their places
given to Tammany job hunters. His
appeal was denied.
Legislative leaders are of the opinion
that the bill gives too great an oppor-
tunity to unscrupulous politicians to
play with the New York City depart
ments. A similar proposition was be-
fore the Constitutional Convention.
The Mitchell administration then was
in power. There was no such objection
to the measure then.
New Bills introduced
The business of to-day's legislative
session was given over almost entirely
to the Introduction of bills. The bills
included:
; By Assemblyman Ames (Republican)
To forbid pocket billiard rooms and
bowling alleys to remain open after IL
p. m.
ny Assemblyman Tallett (Republi-
can)-To provide that school teachers
retired upon pension for disability may
De subjected to determination at any
t'me after retirement, and, if disability
no longer exists, to stop pension pay
ments.
~ BY Assemblyman Karlin (Socialist)-
10 reduce from fourteen to four days
me disability period without pay under
me state workmens compensation law
another measure by Mr.. karlin would
require all employers subject to the
workmen's compensation law to be in
sured with the state fund.
bill by Assemblyman E. A. John
son, negro, would extend the pro-
vision of the civil rights law to meet a
recent decision of the Court of Appeals
oy granting to negroes equal rights
with whites in being entitled to service
in saloons.