The New York herald., 1921-07-16
LEWIS SCOLDS BOTH
CRAIG And SHALLOW
Declares He Has Been Un-
able to Find Any Viola
tiOn of Law.
URGES END OF FIGHT
Comptroller Accuses Dis
trict Attorney of Dis
torting Truth.
DENIES ANY AGREEMENT
Faces 100000 Libel Suit
and Possible Action for
His Removal.
DENIES ANY AGREEMENT

Harry Z. Lewis, District Attorney
of Kings county. after investigating
the charge of collusion made by Comp
troller Craig against DR.. Edward B.
Shallow. Associate Superintendent of
Schools in the selection Of a Coney
Island school site. wrote yesterday TO
the Comptroller that he was unable to
find any violation of law. He scolded
DIR. Shallow and the Comptroller for
ever having had a rumpus over the
site; said he found they are in agree
ment on a site now and urged them to
stop the fight and build the school,"
Comptroller Craig replied last night
to that letter and accused the District
Attorney of "distorting the truth and
suppressing evidence"
The Comptroller said that the evidence
the District Attorney suppressed was
that In the corner of the site selected
by DR.. Shallow is located cesspool and
sewage pumping station. which causes
conditions mat are too intolerable for
school children to stand.
II considered this evidence SO i'm
portant." said Mr.. Craig. "as bearing on
the question of crime against the city
school children and the city treasury
that I purposely withheld 1t from pub
lication and gave 1t to you for sub
mission to the Grand Jury"
"Distortiono of Facts.
The Comptroller explained his allega-
tion that the District Attorney distorted
the facts as follows
You have falsely stated that there
is an agreement between Shallow and
myself when you know that no such
agreement exists. The fact Is that Shall
low and the Board of Education have
been compelled to abandon the sites
which they proposed and are about to
select the one suggested by me. You
have given the facts a violent twist in
your effort to exculpate Shallow and
those who sponsor his efforts. The Sc
lection by the Board of Education of
the site proposed by me should have
been done in a manly and straightfor-
ward manner with a frank admission
Of wrongful action on their part"
In the face of the suppression of
these most significant facts" the Comp
troller continued. "the advice offered
by you Is the most brazen exhibition
ever made by a candidate for public
office, however avid Comptroller
Craig described Mr.. Lewiss act as "a
blow at the administration of justice"
and added: "No one should waste SYM
pathy on shrivelling hypocrisy or a
District Attorney whose sworn duty 1t
is to enforce the law and protect public
rights who can be so easily moved as
to distort the truth and suppress evil
dence he saw with his own eyes and
smelled with his own nose"
Mr.. Craig closed with: God help the
people of Coney Island and Kings
county"
District Attorneys Letter.
District Attorney Lewiss letter says:
THE net result of my investigation
has been a profound feeling of disap-
polntment that two high public officials
should become involved in differences
that prevent the children of the city
from having much needed schoJl accom-
modation."
He continues that his separate inter-
views with Mr.. Craig and DR.. Shallow
convince him that they are now in ac-
cord on the site originally suggested by
the Comptroller across Neptune avenue
from the Shallow site.
The failure of the District Attorney to
support the Comptroller's charges leaves
Mr.. Craig face to face with two at
tacks launched against him as a result
of the rumpus. One Is libel and SLAM
der suit for 100000 instituted by Dr.
Shallow and the other is promise Of
the Board of Education to ask Gov.
Miller TO remove Mr.. Craig from office
IL he failed to prove his charges.
Though the finance and budget COM
mittee Of the Board Of Estimate recon-
mended last Monday the selection Of the
Craig site instead of the Shallow site.
+. H. La Guardia, President of the
Board of Aldermen. in yesterdays meet
ing of the Board Of Estimate deprived
the Comptroller OF the qualification OF
final victory by forcing the board to lay
over consideration of the site for two
weeks, which brought down the Ire of
the Comptroller upon the head OF La
Guardia.
The Board of Estimate selected the
following school sites: Higbie avenue
and School street. Springfield, Queens:
the easterly side of New York avenue,
between Girard and Comfort avenues,
Fourth Ward. Queens. and Broadway,
south Of Academy street. Manhattan.