Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-01-25
B. SPITz NOW SAYS
HE DIDN'T SAY IT
Continued from Page one1

II do not remember that til,
matter was brought up he de
clared.
John Milne, superintendent o
city schools. was absent AT the tim,
the board contracted with Mr.
Spit2 for the insurance, and wher
asked about the matter yesterday
said that but after inquiry amone
members of the board he stated
that as far as he could learn, the
Il gal aspects of the question had
not been Investigated by the board.
Statement Corroborated.
In connection with the state
ment upon which Mr.. Spitz says he
was misquoted Mrs. II. n Gardner,
secretary of the county board OF
education and assistant in the Of
flee Of Mass Irene Burke, county
stated yesterday
that following the publication Of
the Santa Fe dispatch in which At
torney General Harry S. Bowman
had declared that the group insu"-
al CO for school teachers was illegal
That Mr. Spitz cllled her office by
telephone and urged her to disre-
gard the opinion and make pay
ment for the policies.
at is only a difference of opin-
ion between the attorneys general.
The former attorney general ruled
that it was legal" Mr.. Spitz de
CARED, according to Mrs. Gardner's
statement to the Morning Journal
Yesterday.
However, the following day, Miss
Burke cancelled the policies.
Believed Askren Right"
During the conversation with a
Journal reporter, in which he says
he was misguided Mr.. Spitz de-
clared that he believed that
Askren was right and that the in
surance was legal" He strongly
asserted his belief that the policies
were legal.
Miss Elsa Schroeder, secretary
Of the Equitable Life Assurance
.ociety, the Company handling the
policies for the teachers, stated last
night that she did not know just
what steps had been taken to de-
termine whether or not the eX-
penditure by the school boards for
the policies were legal,
But the matter was investigated
ana the office was satisfied that the
matter was legal" she stated.
Rep esentatiVes of the company
who investigated the legal phase
are out of the city Miss Schroeder
said.
City Has Some, Too.
Group insurance, bought by the
city of Albuquerque for it's en-
ployes has not been cancelled in
view of the decision of Attorney
General Bowman 1t was stated at
the city hall yesterday that IT IS
not believed the decision affects,
the city. However, it was declared,
the legality of the insurance by the
city for its employees was no;
brought up at the time the sale
was made by Mr.. Spitz.
The Journals recent story quot
ing Mr.. Spitz that he had obtained
an opinion from the attorney gem
eral was attacked nv Mr.. Askren, in
an alleged interview in Santa Fa.
The Journal based the assertion
lpon the assertion Mr.. Spitz state
nent, which he now denies, but
which he did not contradict until
lfter Mr.. Ashren's denial had been
The controversy be-
ween Mr.. Askren and Mr.. Spitz
loes not affect the Journal which
merely repeated Mr. Spitz' state
nent, now denied by him. On
tating That Mr.. Askren had given |
he opinion, the Journal followed |
common newspaper practice of |
uoting persons it assumes to be |
ella bic and means to cast no re- |
lection upon the attorney gem
rails office The question of the
4gality of the insurance is not for
ne Journal to decide.
The matter has news interest in
lew of the fact that it was stated
at the office of the
Junty superintendent of education
nat the matter of recovery of 500
aid by the county for the insur-
nee policies declared an Illegal i
ipenditure, would be taken up by /
lat office with the district attor-
ey,