The New York herald., 1920-01-03
THE MAYORS NEW YEAR SPEECH.

Mayor Hylan quite outdid himself in his New
Years day address to his friends and department
heads at the City Hall. His protestations of con
tinuing devotion to the interests of the people,
service in which he is doubtless sincere, had 6
familiar ring and it might have been well had he
stopped there But instead the Mayor up and lii
into everything and everybody that he opposes oil
that opposes him. turning a speech which might
have been a very good account Of his two years
of stewardship into a mere TRADE.
There are very few good citizens who will agree
with the Mayor that the late John Purroy Mitchell
and those associated with him in the government
of the city between 1914 and 1918 were "faddists
and theorists engaged in visionary schemes OF
municipal government" There is rather dis
tinct impression throughout the city that Mr.
Mitchell was good Mayor and that his admins
tration was a good administration
The Mayor said also that when he came into
office the more important departments of the city
government were in "a most dilapidated. disor
ganized and demora1ized condition" Just what
does the Mayor mean by this? Does he mean the
Police Department under Arthur Woods? Does
he mean the Fire Department under Robert Adam
son? Does he mean the Dock Department under
r. A. G. Smith? Does he mean the License De
partment under George Bell the Law Depart
ment under Lamar Hardy, the Board Of Water
Supply under Charles Strauss or the Street Clean
ing Department under John r. Jefferson?
The Mayor also said that in his office there
were but two roads to travel-one the service OF
the people, the other the service Of the special in
terests If by Special interests" the Mayor means
established and successful business. why isn't il
possible for him to serve beth? Isn't he just as
much the Mayor of the rich and prosperous he is
Of the poor and lowly?
| Just why the Mayor should abuse and condemn
the buyers Of municipal bonds is another mystery
Somebody has got to buy city bonds If the city
government Is to be financed, and it might be
well for the Mayor to keep In mind that the sue
sale Of city bonds is the very basis Of city
solvency
No one except fusion Mayor loves the City
Club. thu Bureau Of Municipal Research or the
Citizens Union. These organizations have an un
pleasant way of shopping about and finding out
things. But why the Mayor should couple the
Chamber Of Commerce and the Merchants Asso
ciation with them is not clear. These latter rep
York and have always been regarded as rather
reputable and useful institutions.
If the Mayor was biliou. Thursday some o.
CueSe CnlISs mlSnt De eAPiaiieu' ouI al iePorl'
agree that he never seemed in better health Tt
paraphrase football expression it looks a little
as though the Mayor was making a mass play.
1t might be well for His Honor to keep in mine
that he rode into office on a campaign promise tt
punish certain Brooklyn real estate operators, t.
cave the city from the clutches Of the New Yorl
Central Railroad in the carrying out Of the ives
side Improvement project and on carefully nur
tured fiction that Mayor Mitchell had become
rich man in office. There has been no prosecu
ton OF the real estate operators, the west sd'
project hasn't been touched and John Purro,
Mitchell died in the service Of his country, poo
man.