New-York tribune., 1919-02-25
Non-Hearst
w Welco1ne Plan
Passes Senate
Continued from page 1

have been discharged from the staff
since February 3, when Frederick T
Newell an executive secretary, Cap
tain Z. B. CASTOR, secretary to the
Naval Committee, and a press agent
were dismissed.
The Upheaval Is Confirmed
At his home last night Mr.. Whalen
confirmed reports OF the upheaval. +
at was all arranged at meeting
of the executive committee in City
Hail." he explained. Simply the car
rying out of a steo which has been
impending for some time"
Daniel G. Reid, chairman of the COM
mittee's executive committee, Whalen
explained, has been defraying the ex-
is understood. has totalled about S475
q week. Mr. Reid, the Mayors secretary,
explained, had not stopped his -contri-
buttons.
THE executive committee decided
Mr. Whalen said, that there was no
reason why q single citizen, no matter
how patriotic, should be subjected to
so large an expense, especially when
it wasn't entirely necessary. So we
decided to discontinue the Office force
and to call on city employees TO help
out when necessary, without interfer-
ing in any way with their duties to the
city
1.-THE old force had been run ex-
travagantly. We viii be more econom-
ical and will run the Office Just as eff
fciently on a business basis. l per-
sonally eXpetc to take charge"
Mr.. Cochems announced last night
that he had no intention Of giving up
his position.
of the pageant committee, which was
arranging for the 27th's parade, made
me his personal representative when
he left for Havana" said he.
Says 1t Can't Be Done
"Whalen hasn't the power TO fire me.
There might have been an executive
committee meeting to-day, but | wasn't
there and knew nothing of it, despite
the fact that, as Mr.. Lofts trepre-
sentative, l ought to have been told.
"He has made a move and asserted
himself. l propose to go right through
with him I'm going to hold the fort.
III be on the job tomorrow, as usual,
and stick at it as acting head OF the
parade committee and representative
on the Mayors committee of the United
States Employment Service, another of
my multitudinous jobs, until Mr.. Loft
tells me to quit.
Fifty letters from Whalen won't
bulge me. This is a public committee
appointed by the Mayor to dispatch
public functions. If partisanship is to
enter in and it is to be a private Hylan
employe affair, the people ought to
know about it. I'm standing pat"
Mr.. Cochems gave some inkling of
the identity of at least two of the city
employees who are TO be on the new
office staff. He said that on February
l9 Mr., Whalen informed him that "Al''
Meehan, secretary to the Street Clean
ing Commissioner, and John Glennon,
chief clerk at the Mayors office, were
to be in charge Of the work at the
committee office.
Other Letters Passing
In n letter to the Mayors secretary
the next day Mr.. Cochems called atten-
tion to a communication sent him on
February by Mr. Whalen, in which
the latter stated that the former foot
ball player had been selected to take
charge of the office by the executive
committee"
"Whalen knew he didn' t have the
power to force me out" continued Mr.
Cochems, "and SO ne arranged this lit
tie executive committee meeting for
to-day so he could go through with it.
Well, Pm still there and will be on the
job tomorrow. Pm going to stick.
"The whole thing is joke" he con-
tinued. They've cleaned out every
body who was doing any work, and, as
u matter of fact, the Mayors commit
tee doesn't exist. The only reason Pm
going through with this thing is be-
cause ] want the truth revealed. The
committee ought to be doing a public
work for the people, regardless Of par
tisan differences. Under Mayor Nit
chefs regime, when | was director of
the speakers bureau Of the committee,
! was asked to help in his campaign
And John Purroy Mitchel's National
Defence Committee was so free of the
faint Of partisanship that | turned
down that campaign job, because if
had accepted it I'd have had to give up
my work on the Mayors committee" I"
Mr.. Cochems SAID he had informa-
ton that only Il few members of the
executive committee were present Mt
tho meeting yesterday. Tho Mayors
secretary, however, declared last night
'nat 1t was full meeting"
Letter From Whalen
Mr.. Cochems, who last night gave
the first intmation Of what was hap
pening on the sixth floor Of the Hall
Of Records, where the committee main
tains an office, received a letter from
Mr. Whalen yesterday announcing that
"at meeting OF the executive com
nittee Of the Mayors Committee Of
"elcorne 10 homecoming Troops held
in the Clty Hall to-day power was
vested in the secretary Of the commit
tee TO- oirect all activities conducted in