New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-27
w On'tW ithdraw
lnCraftInquiry
Lusk Declares
Senator Defies Critics and
Defends Chest of Silver
by Saying Every One at
Albany Takes Presents
Declines to Give Names
Meyer Skeptical, but Asserts
He Cannot Ask Majority
Leader for Resignation

Senator Clayton r. Lusk yesterday
replied defiantly to his Republican and
Democratic colleagues on the Joint
legislative graft Investigating commit
tee who believe that he should resign
from the committee. Like defiance met
the suggestion of Republican Senators
that he retire as majority leader of
the Senate.
Senator Lusk attempted to justify
his acceptance of the 1,131 set Of sill
ver from the detectives, whose salaries
his bill sought to raise and whose Jobs
it would have made permanent, by say
ing that it was Common custom for
legislators to receive presents" and
that, moreover, the silver was a gift
from friends" with whom he and Mrs.
Lusk "often had dinner
Senator Lusk was asked to name the
legislators who had received presents"
under circumstances similar to that
surrounding the gift of the S1,13l sill
yer service. He declined. lie was
asked if he had received other "pres-
ents" besides the silver service during
the three years he has been a member
OF the Senate. He also declined to dis
cuss that subject.
Meyer Is Skeptical
Senator Schuyler NJ Meyer, chair
man of the graft investigating commit
tee, when Senator LusK's statement
vas called to his notice, said:
~ have been member of Assembly
as we'll as of the Senate and | can say
that so far as I know the only gifts
ever given members Of the Legislature
were flowers sent to members from the
These flowers were sent by the con-
stituencies of the members. The only
exceptions to this were the presenta-
tlon of some permanent token of
friendship of small value on one or
two occasions to leaders by their politi
cal followers"
In answer to requests from Republi-
can. sources that he demand the resg-
nation of Senator Lusk as member
of the committee if the majority
leader did not see fit to resign volun-
tarily, Chairman Meyer said last
night:
''I cannot ask Senator Lusk for his
resignation. That is matter beyond
my power, because he was appointed
a member of this committee by joint
resolution adopted by the Senate and
Assembly making all minority and ma
iority leaders members of all special
committees. The only legal way that
Senator Lusk could resign would be
for him to resign as majority leader"
Will Embarrass Committee
The legislative graft investigating
committee has in its possession, ac
cording to one of it's directors, proof
of the acceptance of "presents" by
members of the HearstHy lam Tam
many administration after performing
favors for citizens and groups of cit
zcns who came in contact with them
in the course of their official duties.
One of the Republican members OF the
committee said yesterday:
Senator Lusk's presence on the
committee after the disclosure of his
acc G ptance of a silves' service from
favorites of the Hylan regime will
embarrass the committee in present
ing this sort of evidence, as in each
instance the presents received by the
city officials were considerably
smaller than that given Senator Lusk
by the detectives"
When Senator Lusk 9eturned from
his home upstate yesterday he was
asked if he had any comment to make
on the latest disclosures in the detec-
tive slush fund investigation.
"There are number of men in city
replied Senator Lusk,
(coaAaaed on page ssyen)