The sun., 1918-12-24
B. R. T. REFERENDUM
ON HYLAN DECISION
Passengers Are Asked il Thev
Approve Holding Official,
for Tunnel Wreck.
MAYOR ISSUES WARNING
Little White Cards Arou,
Varied Sentiments When
Given to Brooklynites.

Thousands OF passengers in Broos.
lyp yesterday received from employ.,
of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com.
pany neat white cards, reading:
Mayor Hylsn as a committing Mar.
istrate has held certain employees ana
'officials of the undersigned compa,,.,
in proceedings to fix criminal respo0.
sibility upon them for the wreck wb,,,
occurred November in the Malbon.
street tunnel.
do you approve his action"
A blank is provided for the reply anal
white space Is provided for "Remark,
as to which the card says: We Inv. i
the freest expression of your View Il
Please f1ll out and hand t. anv conf
ductor." 1t is signed New York Corl
solidated Railroad COMPANY" and
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Companya |
Criticized by Mayor HyIrn.
AS soon as the distribution o. ID
cards had been called to his a..en,o1
Mayor Hylan issued the folla.nd
statement:
THE attempt on the part NJ nd
New York Consolidated RaiHav 4
subsidiary of the 3. r. T. 10 &c, al
expression of opinion from the peop
of Brooklyn on the action OF mysei
as committing Magistrate in hoid.-t
certain employees and officials Of q
~ no fp
wreck which occurred Novemter 4
the Malone street tunnel is the m'sI
brazen attempt to lay a foundation .ot
an application for a change Of yenii
that any corporation has ever made 4
the history of New York to in,erferi
with the due process OF Law.
THE cards which the 4 T r 4
issuing for this purpose Should ri
DE signed by the people Of Brook.. 4
The people OF the Borough Of BrooN
Ign should take warning tina, this 4
an attempt on the part of the r r. 4
officials and their attorneys to sec1t
change of venue, that Is, TO change
the place of trial to some ups'aJ
county. This method OF transtergn1
criminal cases TO another county VI.
the State was successfully resorted d
in New York city when the ndct.
ments against the milk trust repre-,
sentatives were transferred 10 arothei
| county for trial on the application q
John B. Stanchfeld. their ATTORNEY.
81 cannot emphasize too strongly
that the people in whose hands thesi
cards fall should not, under any cir.
cumstancesl give an expression o..
their opinion"
Some Passenger Stirred Up.
Many ordinarily calm Brooklyn ct
| got all "het up" over the cards on,
passenger on Fulton street car 90,
up and addressed the others on -
subject. He warned them not to he
msled into expressing any op!n.cH
Joseph 7. Griffin, representing -
association composed OF relatives aat
friends OF those killed and injured Il
the wreck. issued a warning statemer,
saying that it was the obvious dcsrs
! OF the companies 10 use any uGflvo.'
able comment on the COMPANY 20 coy
vince the court that n fair trial c'.i
not be had in Kings county
The question in the circular IS art
fully worded," said Assistant D.S-."
/ Attorney Herbert \. Warbasse. AMI
ts designed to get just what tie" va.
The question does not perm, m'@
| 10 express an opinion such as q '7.c'
| man might be Sailed upon - eve 4
ne We're called into the lu"" l.N
| Warbasse saw the possibility c; an
other serious situation arising as q e
suit of the move. 1lo declared '1a'
any positive opinion given o. ,'e =.
! by a citizen who was afteTwLG Cd. e.
| as a talesman might be used 70 0.""
| he was disqualified TO reud"~ eN =
partial verdict. Even # on 70 VII
percentage OF cards are filled oE' ''t'
use in this connection nigh. s'r'
hinder efforts TO draw a '4r'
Six officials and employee ~
companies were indicted by the Graz
Jury on Friday for manslauEht"- ~
list includes Timothy I, W'a"'
president, and John j. Dem7,-y '.'
president and general manasc~
1t is understood that not more '"''
ten per cent. of the cards woIr
turned with any expression a opn'A