New-York tribune., 1920-11-23

inVeSUgasing committee would have
powers to sit in any part of the state
and compel the attendance Of witnesses s
end the production of books and papers
from any of the sxty-two counties in
the state.
Charges Made by Quinn
Two years ago Alderman William f.
Quinn charged that the disruption of
the Police Department was sought SO
that the city could be thrown wide
cpen.
year ago Quinn introduced res
oiution in the Board of Aldermen call
ing for an investigation by the board
OF the Hylan administration, but this
was, killed by the Tammany majority
in the board.
At the time Quinn attacked not only
Mayor Hylan, but Charles F. Murphy,
leader of Tammany Hall, and other
supporters of the Hylan adminstra-
ton. Speaking from the floor, despite
the efforts of Tammany members Of the
board to silence him, Alderman Quinn
said:
"The unfitness, incomperency and the
arrogant or ignorant Indifference Of
Mayor Hylan to the mental sensibilities
of the thinking population of this city
has reached stage of insufferable in
tolerance
"The public has witnessed fasco after
fasco in ALMOST every one of the de-
partments of the city government,
where self-respecting, decent men re-
sign rather than be subjected to the
petty ward politics resorted to by the
ill-ftted incumbent of the office Of
Mayor
"Now we witness the astounding
spectacle of Mayor Hylan reappoint-
ing to office man accused of dishorl-
esty by his superior without even try
ing to ascertain the facts nor the in
dividual accused denying the accusa-
tions as false.
Criticism of Mayor
"Does the Mayor of New York sus-
pect for moment that his action has
inspired any confidence in his own
honesty by such an appointment? On
the contrary, the public can come to
only one conclusion in view of the cir
cumstance"
Efforts by the Republican aldermen
to learn what was done with appro-
priations involving millions have been
unavailing. One of the most sensa-
tional of these cases was that of an
item of $1,800000 in the Street Clean
ing Department budget of 1919. 1t was
appropriated by Mayor Hylan and his
colleagues for ''final disposition"
An attempt to have an aldermanic in
quiry into it's disposal was blocked by
the Tammany majority in the board
Schuyler M. Meyer, one of the Re
publicans from this city, who will oc
cupy a seat in the Senate at the next
session of the Legislature, said yes
terday
at is apparent that the public inter
est requires a broader investigation
than that now being conducted by the
Lockwood committee. Any such in
vestigation, however, must be con-
Quoted with view solely to perform
ing public rather than a party
service"
No Action Yet, Says kocnig
Samuel S. Koenig, chairman Of the
Republican County Committee, said
yesterday that the local Republican
leaders, so far as ne was aware, had
not as yet taken up the subject of q
legislative inquiry into the Hylan ad-
ministration.
81 do not know what the Legi stature
viii do said Mr.. Koenig. 81 do know,
however, that the matter of legis-
lative investigation of the city admin
istration has rot been discussed by our
people
Borough President Curran. while he
favors Legislative investigation Of
the city departments, believes that it
should be particularly thorough in re
gard to the Finance Department. Mr.
Curran pointed out that the mere fact
that The city failed to appropriate with
in S2S,000000 of the sum required in
the budget for the Board Of Education
next year showed that the city finances
were in a bad way. He declared he
believed there was a joker somewhere
in the system Of financing the city's
needs, but that no one was able to find
out gust what the situation was because
of the refusal Of Comptroller Charles
L. Craig to submit the figures to other
citv officials