New-York tribune., 1920-11-13
Hylan the Innocent


Mr.. Hylan pictures himself as
gullible Reuben whose innocence was
taken advantage Of by sharpers. He
wants the public to believe that he
had haysced in the creasas Of his
statcsman's frock ccat. When Het-
trick, man whose name. face, bust
ness connections and standing in the
community were, he says, d perfect
blank to him. asked him 10 intervene
TO get limestone substituted for
terra-cotta in school construction he
obligingly put his signature to a let
ter to the School Board. 1t hadn't
occurred to him To inquire whether
limestone would cost more than
terra-cotta or whether it vas q more
desirable material. lie protests that
he didn't even intend TO prejudice
rerra-cotta.' What he did, according
70 his own explanation, WAS only
what any trustiul, good-natdred Of
fetal would have done when q stran-
ger came along and asked tlifing
favor.
The Mayor thus encagingly por-
trays himself as public servant
without guile and incapable Ct sus-
picion. 1t may be at tiaes he i'm
putes "ulterior molVes' only to
those who have Fl urea So LARGELY in
his letters and speeches as "enemics
Of the people," To all the rcst of inc
world he Claims to be bland and &C
commodating.
Have we a Mayor who MIGHT in
the kindness Of Als heart yacate the
City Hall Itself If some building
wrecking boss, anxious fer q job for
himself and Erndcl!'s union, de-
,nandad TIVE p1iyi'cvc af demo ishinr
il, with 2ake-off FIR Hrndcli? Do
terra-co,ta, lime ,e, marble and
porphyry a.l look alil., to him when
contractors want to tisn'ace lever
bids with higher ones? such Area
dian unsophistication is delightful.
But one portion Ct tie Ilctuick
terra-cotta letter contained an ap-
peal to side of the Mayors char
actcr which doesnt fit in with his
picture OF outraged innocence
}lcttrjcl, was daoal'o~ before him
political support. Tscro was to he a
qUd pro gre i'm their laiionshio
'1hc contractors r.rr end eac ring
Of labor leaders were 10 'alD him
keep in power if ire used be indu-
cncc 70 further their eet-rich-quicll
schemes /. strains credulity to
think that tic Mayor could never
have taken tho trouble to find out
who Hettrick was and what his
promises were worth.
Mr. vian is, after al, a pretty
live politician 81 .rc his own for
tunes arr concern lie now denies
Indignantly that JIG meant to intlu-
cnce the S,Aoo' roard to substitute
limestone fcs tcira-cotta. lie has
denounced as false TIE Tribunc's
news headline Of Yesterday. "lylan
admits altering $f5.ooo,o0o schoo'
bids at request of llcttrick OF
course, the Mayor didn't admit
altering the bids But he admitted
adopting the Hcttrick letter as his
own and sendinr ii to The Schoo
Board, which couldn't well help be
ing influenced by q 'ccommendatior
given with so maca pos.tiveness ano
authority
If NJ. Hy'au's innocence wa.
abused il wasn't i'm be're persuaded
to sign the iIettrick letter, but IL
banking too heavily on tie IDEA that
he was thus casting bread on I'll,
political waters. It hasn't come bacl
to him, and can't come back except II
a waterlogged condition. because tn,
Lockwood committee has now uneov
cred the ramdcations OF the building
contractors and labor leaders deal
The injured innocence which th1
Mayor processes is fanciful 1t /.
moro adapted to excite mirth thal
cCndOlpNrQ and ro-.f,,..- in,,