The New York herald., 1921-11-02
CITY FOOD FOR POOR
SOLD TO THE RICH
Jerome Shows That Army
Chicken Supply Went to
Fashionable Hotels.
PUBLIC GOT THE BEANS
S661j00O Profit Made on Sup
plies Designed to Aid
War Needy.
PUBLIC GOT THE BEANS

Baked beans and bully beef for the
poor, chicken for the rich. although
the poor wanted chicken, too That
was the way the administration OF
Mayor Hylan, the poor mans friend,
distributed surplus army food which
the city bought from the Government
in 1919 and upon which it made a
profit OF s6s1, 900. as William Travers
Jerome told the story last night.
Mr.. Jerome reached the topic of
chicken and bully beef in the course
OF a steaming speech for the coalition
ticket in Leslie Hall, Broadway and
Eighty third street. A crowd that
filed all the space there gave the for
mer District Attorney huge welcome,
applauding among other things the
chairman's introduction OF him as 1.-The
real crusader of this campaign
He gave IL as his measured judg-
n,ent. after study OF the evidence.
that the city administration is not
merely one OF incompetence or graft
tence and graft He told Of TIylan's
early associates in the Brooklyn police
ourt. of Solovei and Hirshfield and
Hettrick. and followed their careers
after Hylan became Mayor and their
further intimate association with him.
Then Mr.. Jerome came TO the Depart
ment OF Markets, and between the cir
cumstances that he related and the
irony of his relation he moved his
audience to both indignation and
laughter.
e681 900 Pront I'm Food for Poor
That the city should make a .'rofit OF
s66i.o00 on army food bought 20 help
the poor people of New York through
the hard times was nothing short OF
stealing. he said. Not stealing within
the meaning of the penal law, he said,
brt stealing IN any ethical sense And
even that profit OF 1861 900 never has
been fully accounted for, he told the
crowd for vouchers were missing and q
great mass Of records was sold to junk
dealer for SIS.
hippodroming what nc was doing for the
poor. All this food was going for the
poor was Il not? Awfully funny. Among
the purchases made by Mr.. O'Malley
rthen Deputy Commissioner Of Markets. !
was 500 900 pounds OF poultry. Well.
there was plenty OF pork and beans and
bully beef for the poor at a price. but
LET US see what happened to the poultry
The eyes OF every man and woman
in the hall were strained toward the
platform as Mr.. Jerome. smiling quill
cally, held zip q sheet OF paper, bearing
the stamp OF the United States quarter
master Generals New York Office. II
was a letter from Deputy Commissioner
O'Mallcy to Capt. Y. r. Morris. Army
surplus officer. sel Eight avenue. dated
September Is. 1919. II read:
"Deor SIR: Kindly release to A. Silz,
Inc. as West Fourteenth street. New
York. up TO 100000 pounds OF poultry
from the merchandise storage. New York
city. on their order as wanted. Very
truly yours. f. j. O'MArJEr.
Deputy Commissioner"
Mr.. Jerome continued: Even poor
people one In while like to have little
chicken But what happens after Silz,
Inc. one of the swell dealers who sup
ply high priced people. clubs and restau-
rants. gets the chicken? have here
the original orders. and how they got
out Of the Quartermaster's office l don't
want to know"
Big Hotels Got tho Chickens.
He read some OF the orders One hun
dred boxes Of the chicken were to go to
the Hotel Netherland. 500 TO the Hotel
Astor. "The Hotel Netherland." Mr..
Jerome chuckled. "you know how the
poor flock there. It's one OF their ia
yorite resorts for the poor fellow who
wants TO pay a dollar and a quarter for
n glass OF water and toothpick. The
Astor is another favorite resort for the
poor And 30 on down the line. have
q stack Of these orders as long as my
arm. And OF ocurse those boxes OF
chicken that went TO Waterbury, Conn.,
they fed the poor very fast"
Mr. Jerome was merciless In surve,
ing the record Of Mayor Hyian. He
quoted Samuel Untermyer's remark
that the Lockwood committee regarded
the Mayor as more ass than knavo. For
his part Mr.. Jerome said II am
thoroughly convinced from the evidence
he Is an ass. My Judgment is hardly in
suspense as to whether he Is a knave."
Mr.. Jerome characterized David Hlrsh-
field. the old friend whom Hylan ma dc
Commissioners OF Accounts. as "the man
who was compelled to pay to support the
wife whom he abandoned" He told Of
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