New-York tribune., 1921-11-04
His Word

must decide whether for the next
four years she will submit to con-
tinuance of the misrule of the last
four years. Four days more, and
the people of this city must decide
between the municipal leadership Of
fered them by the manikin of Hearst
and Tammany, who has broken his
every pledge as Mayor, and the mu-
nicipal leadership offered by Henry
H. Curran, who, in his ten years of
service, has kept his election prom
ises to the public regardless of con-
sequences.
Truly it is momentous decision
New York must make on Tuesday
next. On it hangs the fate of the
city not only for the next four years,
but for generation or longer. The
wrongs Hylanism has worked and is
capable of working are not to be un-
done in the space of a single mayor
atty term.
Hylan, now answering the pull of
the Hearst string, and again that of
Murphy and Tammany, admits he
has made mistakes" In mitigation
thereof he pleads that they resulted
from "the impulses of an honest
heart" and therefore he should be re-
elected and given a chance to re-
trieve not the impulses but the
mistakes" As an earnest of his
purpose to this end he offers the
voters, however, no more than his
word. And what is that word worth?
1t is demonstrated by the record
that it is worthless so far as re-
duced taxes are concerned; worth
less as to economy and common bust
ness efficiency; worthless as to
traction solution. Under his control
of municipal affairs the cent fare
has become anything from five to
twenty cents; taxes have increased
$109,000,000, or IS per cent, and the
cost of administration has jumped
46 per cent over the preceding four
years, or from $833,000,OOO to more
than one billion Enthusiastically
$1,21700O,00O. Incidentally, the per
capita cost has increased from $26
to $3.50.
And with all Of that increase and
the sacrifice that it imposes upon the
poor and those in cramped circum-
stances, for they must bear the bur-
den of taxation along with the rich,
what of Hylan's school promises?
What of his pledge in 1917 of a seat
for every child and an equality of
opportunity in education?
When Hearst and Tammany put
Hylan in Office on January I, 1918.
there were only $4,000 children on
part time. To-day there are $4,000
and more, 10000 on "double ses-
sion" schedule and 100000 others un-
dergoing instruction in such con-
gested conditions as to menace their
health and morale. Worse still, 496
out of 695 OF the public school build
ings in use are fire hazardous, as
certified in 1858 violations marked
by the Fire Departments Bureau of
Fire Prevention. In, for instance,
Queens Borough, there are six build
ings, in the Bronx five, in Richmond
nineteen and in Brooklyn fifteen,
whose wooden staircases are not pro-
tected against fire, as the law pro-
vides. And Hylan has spent only
$4,000 to remedy $4,00O,000 of these
conditions! The people have let him
have the money. Where has it gone?
The few schools the Hylan admin
istration has built have been paid for
by an appropriation inherited from
the far-c;ghted Mitchell. The De-
partment of Education has been sac
rifced to every other and to the bet
terment of none
Hylan was elected on the theory.
among others, that he would put an
end to the system of education which
he said was meant to train children
only for the mill and factory.
Says Henry Curran to that:
"l charge him now with keeping the
children out of school, with sending
them to the mill and factory himself,
because he has denied them an edu-
cation"
Cornered, Hylan whines that war
conditions prevented the building of
schools. There have been war con-
ditions in all the other large cities