New-York tribune., 1918-07-11
By II. p. Kinesburv

u
or the most part. the evidence in
u'N"'es an effort to tear down what
'he recent Fusion administration
ouiioed' There have been few con-
'''uc.lVe accomplishments. The early
months of the Hyian administration
were not marked by good team work.
e'Vner IN the Board of Estimate or in
'"e various city departments which
come directly under the Mayors iuris.
diction.
ihere has been a good deal of dis
sehs4on between the Mayor and the
o'"ef elective officials of the CITY gov
oi"meht. A broad difference of opjn
~" on fundamental policies in that
central governing body of the city's af
i''rs' 'he Board of Estimate, has been
evident since the start, and still exists.
mere has not been that spirit of CO.
operation and mutual assistance he
tween the Mayor and the other govern
ing officials which was a signal feature
or the first six months of the Mitchell
administration and which snellod h;nh
business efficiency under the Fusion
regime.
handicapped by Pledges
Mayor Hylan started out with some
show Of independence in policies aud
appointments. He was handicapped.
however, by impossible platform
pledges, mixture of Hearst. Tam
many and Bushwick taxpayers' formu-
las; lhey were marrow in their origin
ana impossible of development. They
ran the Mayor amuck with the Tam
many organtzatons. What indepen-
dence he had shown faded until the
color Of the Tigers stripes predomi-
mated; the Tammany leaders sllpned
back into good fat jobs. and the ma
chine, was oiled for thoroughgoing
Murphyized administration. 1t is still
running on Tammany Hall schedule.
with an lnconsequential m ssing Of the
spark now and then, as shown by the
differences between the Mayor and the
Iammany members Of the Board of Es-
innate
The opinion of the politicians is that
the same old Tammany works will be
running smoothly and in full blast,
with Hearst coaching from the side
hnes, before another six months have
passed The politicians declare this
means trouble ahead for the Mayor.
As the Tammany star ascends the
Hyian star is expected to descend.
Some one facctiouslv advised the
Mayor to study The Rise and Fail of
Bill Sulzer."
Hearst Given Some Plums
The Mayor has gotten nowhere with
the big Hearst issue-municipal own
ership. That was the great Hearst
Hylan hobby. 1t was soon recognized
as a ridiculous proposition in the face
Of depleted city treasury. 1t was
beaten in the legislature. 1t was an
unpopular if not an nnpatriotic issue
under war conditions. Tammany would
not stand for the diversion of city
moneys into such unlimited and un-
known fields, particularly with such
small picking from the municipal still
at hand.
Mr.. Hearst was disappointed. The
Mayor tried to comfort his Statesman
hero and political sponsor by handing
few appointments to Hearst men.
Some of them were tardy appoint
ments. But that was not what Hearst
wanted. He wanted action and the
Mayor resorted to preaching. The
famous incident of the toad and the
jellytsh occurred at Palm Beach, and
the Hearst gubernatorial boom was
launched through the instrumentality
OF the Mayor with clownsh effect.
All of which has not pleased Mr..
Hearst, and the latter is said to be
looking at the Mayor through smoked
g,ass.
Judge Hylan's qualifications for
Mayor were unknown when he was
nominated. 1t was generally conceded
that Mayor NJ tchel had been voted
out of Office rather than that Judge
Hylan had been voted in. "Start-
ing at zero as Mayor Mitchell de-
scribed Judge Hylan's status dur
ing the city campaign, it is hard to tell
what rating the people, or even the
leaders in the Tammany and Hearst
organizations, give the Mayor at the
end of the first six months They are
not inclined to talk for publication on
that subject.
The present situation in municipal
ofhcialdom is in striking contrast to
what it was at the end Of Mayor Mitch
els first six months in Office, as pub
liclv described by the Mayor at that
time. lie sad
''F.rst of all, I wish to express my
deep appreciation of the fine coopera-
tion which has been given the Mayor
and the departments under his .jurs-
diction by all the elective officials of
the city. We work shoulder to shoul-
der in the Board of Estimate The
city government is unit in purpose.
| feel that ] can count on the Board
OF Estimate and the Board Of Aldermen
at all times to deal with city problems
fairly and effectively. It would argue
III for an efficient and businesslikc
administration without this coopera-
ton AS it is, | look forward with
eargcrness and hope to the months be-
fore u.s.
Hylan in Seclusion
Mayor Mitchell also pointed out what
smay be one of the chief shortcomings
in the present admins ration. He ac-
:, know edged the helpful and cncourag-
ing attitude of the press and its rep-
resentatiVes at the City Hall" Twice
a day, he said, the men from the diff
ferent papers came TO his office to dis
cuss current happenings. Mayor Hy
Ian has consistently refused TO see the
newspaper men.
81 have endeavored to meet them (the
rcporters) at all times in friendly
trankness and candor." said Mayor
Mitchell, "and l found they came to
me in the same frame of mind. This is
important, fer the press has very
mighty influence on the ability Of the
administration to keep in touch with
public sentiment and to submit its
problems and its works TO the judg
ment Of the citizens. The business Of
the city government IS the public's
business. 1t cannot be conducted in
the long run in the public interest un
loSs what II docs and how II does If ia ,