The sun., 1918-04-30
QUICK CHANGE
IN HEALTH HEAD
Amstcr Quits, Hylan Names
Copeland After Bitter
Controversy.
JUST LIKE BUGHER CASE
Mayors Interference Blamed,
New Man Insists He Must
BE Let Alone.

DR.. J. Lewis Amster resigned yester-
day his post 40 Health Commissioner.
DR.. Royal 9. Copeland Of IS Central
Park West was named last night to sue
coed him.
Frederick II. Bugher lasted three
weeks as Police Commissioner DR..
Amster lasted three months on his Job.
That Is about the only difference be.
tween the two incidents. For the resi-
there il a deadly parallel.
Mr.. Bugher resigned because Mayor
Hylan. after promising him . free hand
In the Police Department. kept interfer-
Ing. even In matters Of petty detail. DR..
Amster made the same complaint in his
letter OF resignation, Mr. Bugher COM
planned that Detective Irving O'Hara,
! the Mayors brother-in-!aw. tried to take
hand in running the department Dr.
Amster says that DR.. Frank J. Mona
CHAN. tho Mayors family physician, in
terfered In the Health Department. Mr..
Bugher complained that he was not al
lowed to pick his own deputies. one in
particular he had chosen having been
rejected by the Mayor because he was
not ''of tho people" DR.. Amster re-
vealed yesterday that the Mayor did not
want DR.. Abraham jacob. one Of the
c!ty's most eminent physicians. on the
Medical Advisory Board, simply because
he Is George McAneny's father-in-!aw.
Call Mayor Evssive.
Both men characterized the Mayors
reply to their stihging letters OF resigna-
ton as evasive.
DR.. Amster insists most emphatically
that 1t was he himself who discovered
graft in his department. and that he
began to uproot It long before the Mayer
seized upon 1t as a pretext for the Mac.
Bride investigation.
Early yesterday the Mayor sum-
moned DR.. Amster to the executive
chamber in the City Hall to discuss the
probability Of Federal interference in
connection with the Hylan investigation
into the Health Department along with
other matters. DR.. Amster made public
the substance Of the conference after
the Mayor had replied to his letter Of
resignation.
II went to the Mayors Office" said
Dr. Amster. ''He told me he wanted me
to drop DR.. jacob from the advisory
council Of the Health Department. I
asked his reasons for dropping DR.. ia
cobb. the dean OF the medical fraternity,
ana ne asked:
Didn't you know that he is the
father-in-law OF Mr. McAneny Of the
Timesr Then he said that Mr.. Nc
Anenys paper had been against him be-
fore his election as we'll as since then.
II replied that valued DR.. Jacobi
very highly and thought that politics
should not carry any weight in the mat
ter and that ii was something which
should be left to my judgment.
He objected to my retention OF DR..
Goldwater as a member of the advisory
council and said that he was a protege
Of the last administration. whose po-
litical views were opposite TO his"
Decries Political Choices.
DR.. Amster said that he then told the
Mayor that in his opinion politics was
not to be taken into consideration and
that the membership OF he advisory
council was matter Of professional
ability. Continuing. he said:
Il told him that had picked the best
men ! could md to act IN the event Of
emergencies or epidemics. told him
that these men we're selected for their
professional ability. They are volun-
teers and give up their valuable time
without remuneration OF any kind
II told the Mayor that would not
accede to his Wishes in this matter, and
then we took up the matter OF possible
Government interference. I asked him
about Or. Rupert Blues letter and he
replied:
81 don't give a darn for these Fed
eral Governmental letters or letters
from other people who are interested in
public health education. As long as I
am Mayor Of New York the Health De-
partment will be run as I see ht.'"
II replied" concluded DIR. Amster,
that II he continued to interfere with
mo there would be a clash between him
and me. and when he did not reply
I returned to my ONCE and dictated my
letter Of resignation"
Shortly after the conclusion OF this
conference Or. Amster's letter OF resig-
ration was sent to the Mayor and made
public. 1t contained nine direct charges