Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-22
BOND PROBE WELCO
AYERS MAYOR SMnS
Couldn't Have Better Advs.'
tising for Business, He \
Declares
VARE MEN FOUGHT PLAN
Thought They Had ResoI,.,..
Tabled, but 1t Was Carried by
Bare Majority

Mayor Smith today voiced his an
tude on the subway bond SITUATE.
as follows:
The forces which tried TO eh,,..
me with murder are back Of ,.,a,
bonding agitation. I am not in ~.
bonding business. II the contrae,o,
can't get his bond. that is up n H..
Il am absolutely imperyious !.
newspaper criticism and you p,n...
can go as far as you like. I th,,s
you are barking up the wrong tree
There is no responsibility u,,n
contracts are executed and approv.d
II is true these contracts w.,.
awarded to the Keystone State O.,
struction Company. but il is up "a
the contractor to furnish his nv,
bond, and if he fails in that. that.
his lookout. You want to get VIM.
story from the contractor. a.
Mayor of the city ! am natur,,,, (,
very much interested in these IN,
tracts for the Broad Street Subw.,
but only as Mayor of the city.
IF for any reason the bondiu,
company objects TO these bonds. that
is Il matter which is entirely I'D IA
the contractors themselves. As 4.
why the contracts have not been exc
cuted. you will have to ask Director
Twining. Of the Depart ment of Tran. \
sit. | cannot keep all these contracts
in mind. and ] am not going to dis.
cuss the reasons for delay. 81
"iou tell me there is trouble with
the bonds. | have nothing TO say
about thai. | am not going to dis.
cuss any bonding business until the
counciImanic committee gets started
Then I'll give them all they want"
MAYOR on BONDING PROBE
This il the best advertisement m,
business can have.
No investigation win be more wei.
come. "''
81 would he quite wj,,jpr IN h.,.
the District Attorney jnyestjrate M.
"r s"he person selected BY tn. news.
scheme" '" '"''
Ihc question heard on all sides in
po!t''al circles today, was this.
. VII Councils COMMITTEES on Mu.
ES,ri!pai Government grant Mayor
SinuitS visa aud allow his coi,ncc
Ilpis WIN. city bonding to be I'm.
Ncstigated, or viii II turn down /,
resolution calling for systematic
nooe into how the Mayors company
'aS increased IT, city business from
IL to 20 per cent in three years?
No answer could be found, nor, an.
parentl! viii the query he answered !.
until a meeting of the committee Is
held
Today being a holiday, Frederick
Schwarz Jr.. Common Councilman fron,
the Forty-ilfth Ward and Chairman OF
tle committee to which the probe rsse-
lution was referred. took no action He
is expected TO call his committed %.
gether some time between now and TIE
next meeting If Councils on March Il
ana If Mayor Smith retains his present
attitude the request for an inyestiga.
ton may be granted
When the Mayor was told that Com.
mon Councilman Charles If. Won Tagen.
OF the Forty-second Ward and thirty
other members of the lower branch OF
Councils were anxious to Investigate his
bonding connections. he declared such a
probe would be the best kind Of adver.
using and that he would welcome it
MAYOR WELCOMES PROBE
Speaking OF the planned probe, ths
Mayor said, This is the best advertise
ment my business can have. No invests
CATION will be more welcome. I would
be quite willing to have the District
Attorney investigate me. or some per-
sons sc.cc,ed by the newspapers or who
ever Is behind this gcireme. ! viii not
only be glad TO appear before the com
mittee charged with the investigation OF {
the bonding business, but will have al
the books and correspondence and other
papers ready to present to the conf v
inittee. Since have been Mayor | have
only been in the Thomas Z. Smith Bond
ing Company's Office once. and ! do not
know anything about its business de-
tails
Unfortunately the Mayor did not make
his declaration until long after the failn-
ful organization members of Common
Council had secured the halls and COZ,
ridors for enough faithful members 70
defeat on a majority vote the resolution
TO investigate his company. SOM
anxious moments were had by ware 4
members of Common Council In then
TO protect the Mayor, who later
declared that he needed no protectoh
FAITHFUL TIPPED OFF, MAYOR
shortly after Councils convened Il ~
came known that a plan 10 investigSs
the Mayors bonding company was aioo'
and as a few faithful members OF Couh'
ellis met at one OF the elevators one was +
overhead to say, Lets 80 right DOW
and warn the Mayor. lie ought TO p
tipped Off" With that the party oe,
scended TO the second floor Of City hAii
and the battle began In Common Counv'
on the fourth floor. Three times w
Won Tagen resolution was held up aha
once 1t was ruled as having been oe'
feated. Finally enough faithful nle',
bers could be counted In the chamber ~
risk a vote and by the close tally OF ~
90 80 votes-barely a matorly-uN
resolution was- supposedly tabled.
Mayor Smiths later declaration y
favor of the resolution gives rise 10 y"
report that some sort of an invesus.
ton may be held by the Commit'ee :.
Government, rather tnan ~
Il special committee suggested py m
Won Tagen resolution. In the meaiu'
nothing will. be done until the comn"'
taa