The New York herald., 1921-07-10
DETERMINE TOT DRIVE
MEYER INTO OPEN
Minority Members Plan Dras-
tic Action to End Secret
sessions.
MAY MUZZLE WITNESSES
O'Brien States He Will Renew
His Demaad for Public
Hearings.

Internal dissension within the Meyer
committee growing out of the disin-
clination of the majority members to re-
veal their plans and information to the
Mayor and his cohorts caused the
Democratic members of the committee
to decide yesterday to try to force public
sessions at once or back plan to defeat
their own committees aims
These two minority members-Assem-
blymen Bloch and Donohue-propose
making renewed and more vigorous pro-
tests against secrecy. They will thus
raise their voices at the next meeting
of the committee. That failing of result,
It is wholly probable they will announce
their approval Of the plan of various
members of the Hylan administration to
instruct all persons called to testify to
decline to answer all questions put to
them despite whatever threats the COM
mittee may make.
How far this internal dissension on
purely political lines has vitiated the
ability of the committee to arrive at the
goal originally designated will be
shown when this occurs, city officials
say. Corporation Counsel O'Brien said
last night he purposed renewing his de-
mand for public hearings and for tran
scripts of all testimony He cites the
order of the Appellate Division as his
right to make such demand. While the
majority members made no direct reply
to his announcement, 1t was learned
they cling to their original reply for
publicity by saying that the status of
the committee at present is analogous to
that Of the lawyer privately amassing
his facts and becoming familiar with
the situation before going into court.
In the headquarters of the committee
in Park Row 1t was declared that should
Mr.. O'Brien make good his threat and
should prospective witnesses appear de-
termined upon complete reticence there
will be little to do except apply to Gov.
Miller to reconvene the Court of Appeals
and seek to have the Appellate Divi-
sion's order reversed. AS 1t is the latter
tribunal has ruled that the committee
do its interrogating in public.
The decision of Assemblymen Bloch
and Donohue yesterday was predicated
upon what they characterize as the Re-
publican attempt to bar Democrats from
the hearing featured by the appearance
of James p. Sinnott, who is the father
of the Mayors secretary and member
of the citys Water Commission.
fortunately" said Mr. Bloch yester-
day, "the Appellate Division has ruled
against all this secrecy. Therefore we
may be excused for expecting cessa-
ton of the high handed tactics of Messrs.
Berger and Meyer. But II may be neces-
sary to force these gentlemen into the
open by simply instructing witnesses to
refuse to answer questions unless there
are public sessions before sub-commit-
tees composed of at least three members
each.
I'm violation of the Appellate Divl-
sions order. Mr.. Berger the commit
tees counsel, insisted upon examining
Mr.. Sinnott privately. The dangers of
such procedure must be obvious to ALL
no matter what their politics may be.
Not only is testimony thus obtained un-
fair to the public but 1t Is entirely pos
sible that 1t may be distorted, sup
pressed or misrepresented either by
careless or hostile treatment"
Mr.. Donohue plans to make the vocal
protest when the committee reconvenes.
To back up that protest 1t is planned to
cite instances where testimony elected
from witnesses has TO be retailed by
certain members of the committee in
what the minority committeeman char
acterize as "a garbled manner"
1t will be claimed that these "garbled"
statements have been made TO the news
papers Ior purposes lnat are obvious.
Mr.. Donohue intimated that attention
would be called TO certain police wit
nesses and comparisons made between
what these witnesses said and what
somebody told reporters they said
Despite all this, however, Senator
Meyer. chairman OF the committee. de-
clares that Mr.. OBrien's appeal for pub
lie sessions will be fruitless until the
committee sees fit TO throw the doors
open. Senator Meyer has intimated that
the first public session will come TO pass
Tuesday, but itais altogether probable
this will be postponed because Elon r.
Brown, counsel for the committee, has
not had sufficient time in which to
familiarize himself with the accumulated
evidence.