New-York tribune., 1921-09-08
Expose Queens
Graft, Is Plea
To Gov. Miller
Opponent of Borough Presi-
dent Contends Suppress
sion of Evidence Is an
Injustice to the Citizens
Meyer Hearing Delayed
Counsel Brown Still I'LL: Ex-
Subway Guard Heard on
Affairs of marlborough

Affairs Oh 1utcFDOTOllSkl
Senator Schuyler M. Meyer, chairman
of the joint legislative committee in
vestigating the city administration, an
nounced yesterday that the hearing
scheduled for this morning has been
postponed to o'clock next Monday
afternoon because of the illness of Elon
r. Brown, the committees chief conn
sci.
"Senator Brown is rapidly recovering"
said Mr.. Meyer. "at his home in Water
town, but does not feel he would be
warranted in taking up his work again
this week"
Denis O'Leary, Democratic candidate
for the Presidency of the Borough of
Queens, wrote to Governor Miller yes
terday with reference to the formers
demand that the Meyer committee re-
veal alleged graft evidence affecting
tnat borough said to be in the COM
mittee's possession O'Leary contends
that by withholding the exposure until
after the primaries the committee is
aiding the candidacy of Maurice Con-
molly, the present incumbent and
O'Leary's opponent in the Forthcoming
balloting.
Asks Immediate Exposure
After referring to his request that
Senator Meyer have evidence made
public at once and the latter's reply
that the committee had other impor-
tant work to do and couldn't change the
order of it's procedure to please polit-
ical aspirants, O'Leary wrote:
$50 I presume to place the matter
before you as Governor and as the
man who is held directly responsible
by the people of the City of New York
for the inception of the investigation,
for the selection of its chief counsel,
Senator Elon r. Brown, and for the
general guidance of committee policy.
''If the administration of the Bor-
ough of Queens is so bad that its ex-
posure in advance of the primaries
would serve to defeat the present Bor-
ough President, who is candidate for
denomination, it should not be sup
pressed. If the evidence is so strong,
as | have reason to believe it is, that
its disclosure would defeat the can
didate either before or after the pri-
maries, in fairness to the people of
Queens County it should be given to
them without delay. The people of
Queens County will go to the primaries
on September 13 to vote according to
their convictions. Is it fair to them
to withhold information that would
prevent them from making fatal mis-
take?
Instances Cited
"The case is ready. The committee
has the evidence. One instance of what
they already have linked up in chain
of circumstances and sworn testimony
will be enough. I need only refer to
the case of Contractor O'Rourke, who
has admitted under oath that he paid
$4,000 to have his patented form Of
sewer tunnel construction specified in
a Queens contract, and he got the
specifications and got the contract. Or
to John j. Green, who testified that
he paid $4,000 to get another sewer
contract, and to witnesses who testi-
fed that the money was declared to be
needed for Campaign fund and to
the testimony of the alleged contrib
utors' to the campaign fund who swore
they never contributed what appeared
in the report.
"As Governor Of the State of New
York you cannot permit such short
sighted and unfair treatment of the
people of the City Of New York and Of
the Borough of Queens"
field continued his investigation of the
affairs of the Interborough Rapid
Transit Company, calling Benjamin
Markowitz, former subway guard, as
a witness. Markowitz says he is un-
able to work now because of wounds
he received in the service of the
A. e. F. overseas. He gave testimony
purporting to show that Henry Curran.
when he was running for the office of
President of the Borough of Manhat-
tan at the last municipal election, was
in favor of a 10-cent fare.
Thought 1t "Real' Strike
Markowitz said that prior to the 1919
election, when he was a member of
Local 9, of the Interborough Brother
hood, Patrick ). Connolly, head of the
brotherhood, advised the employees Of
the I. r. T. to vote for Curran because
he favored a 1o-cent fare. His cleo
tion and the putting through of a
higher fare, he said, would mean so
per cent increase in wages.
Markowitz said he did not know of
his own knowledge, as charged by some
other witnesses, that the 1919 Inter
borough strike had been framed" He
said he thought is was real strike,
but had been told later by some men
that it was flake" walk-out. He tes-
tilted that at one of the strike meet
ings Connolly told the men: eve have
Red Mike walking across the bridge,
and we will get them all walking across
the bridge. We are going to get that
10-cent fare. The people ere paying
25 cents, 35 cents and 81 to ride TO
Brooklyn, but they won't pay 10
cent fare"
Commissioner Hirshfield said that
more than 1000 policemen and fire
men had been examined on the ques-
ton of possible graft payments to help
get jobs, but that no instance of graft
had yet been disclosed
Wife Who Started Kubal