New-York tribune., 1920-06-07

Writes Mayor,
Accusing Craig
City Ch a m b erlain Says
That Comptroller Is Will
ing to Wreck City's Credit
for Personal Revenge
Conduct Called Outrage
Action Declared to Hold Up
Mailing of Checks for
Jury and Witness Fees

Charges that Comptroller Craig "is
willing to wreck the city's credit to
vent his personal spite on another
public official" are made in letter
sent by Philip Berolzhelmer, City
Chamberlain, to Mayor Hylan and
made public by the City Chamberlain
la:. night.
"Since have no power to make this
man act with sanity or even common
decency, I pass the problem up to you,"
Berolzheimer writes to the Mayor.
According to Charles F. Kerrigan,
secretary of the Finance Department,
the warrants which the City Chamber
LAIN complains were delayed were sent
forward for signature on Saturday
morning. They were held up, Kerri-
gan said. because of the large number
of Department of Education warrants
which were ahead of them.
Letter to the Mayor
The City Chamberlain's letter to
Mayor Hylan reads as follows:
"Dear Mr.. Mayor: The following is
a copy of another letter which | have
been forced to send to Comptroller
Craig in protest against his childish
obstruction Of the business of this Of
fee:
"'Mr. Charles L. Craig, Comptroller.
"@Dear Sir: On May 21 voucher
was filed with you for stamps, amount
ing to $780, My representatives have
tion with regard to the warrant repre-
senting the amount of the stamps, and
up to this writing have heard nothing
from it.
"'You will please take note that the
mailing of jury and witness checks,
and other important mail in the office
of the Chamberlain has stopped,
Yours truly, n,no7 n
Chamberlain
"Craig's conduct is an outrage on the
public and the taxpayers ought to
know that the man they elected Comp
troller is willing to jeopardize the
city's credit and wreck the machinery
vent his personal spite on another pub
lie official.
Says Case Is Typical
"This case is only a typical one.
Comptroller Craig seems unable to act
like a sane man or to realize that his
prime obligation is to serve the pub
liz 1dCuCI Cudn w use HIS O!uCldl pOWCI
as a weapon of personal spite.
"He persistcntly harnesses me in my
Office with petty annoyances. Recently
he conceived the notion that if he
manufactured q claim against me aris-
ing out of a claim of New York City
against the State of New York, he could
induce or frighten the surety COM
panies to withdraw from my bond as
City Cham berlain:
every likely if were poor man and
the surety companies did not know
that I was responsible for many times
the amount Of the fake claim, they
would have been terrified into with
drawing from my surety bond.
"That failing, he now devises
scheme to embroil me with the thou
sands of person who are entitled to
checks for jury fees and witness fees
by making it impossible for my office
to mail them their checks.
"I shall not be surprised any day to
see his statement IN the public, press
that the failure Of the Chsmbet!a!n's
Office to send out these checks prompt
" is another good reason why the
Comptroller should run the Chamber
lain's Office.
"Since have no power to make this
man act with sanity or even common
decency, pass the problem up TO you
as my official superior, for your con-
sideration."