New-York tribune., 1921-06-07
HIylan Cabinet
Refuses TO Aid
In City Inquiry
Corporation Counsel's Rul-
ing to Hirshfield Bars
City Employees From
Working for Investigators
Meyer Plans Court Plea
Request for Costigan Of
ficially Ignored; Leach
Asked for Police Data

Corporation Counsel John P. O'Brien.
acting as mouthpiece for the Hylan-
Hearst-Enrght administration, hurled
at the Meyer legislative committee YES
terday what is taken to be City Halls
last word in the controversy that has
revolved about the right of the Meyer
investigators to commander the serv-
ices of city employees.
In an opinion" addressed to Com
missioner of Accounts David Hirshfield.
the Corporation Counsel holds that the
Legislative committee has not now and
never had the powers to compel depart
ment heads to assign to it's services
employees of the city selected to per-
form duties outside of their prescribed
line of work.
The opinion was in answer to the
legislative committees request for the
services of Police Captain "Honest
Dan" Costigan and Porter F. Atlec, an
accountant attached to Commissioner
Hirshfield's staff. Senator Meyer,
chairman of the Investigating body,
had asked Commissioner Hirshfield to
assign Atlee to the committee in or
! lnatlon of the corporate stock account
of the Finance Department, with
which he is familiar.
Request for Costigan Unanswered
The request for the services of Cap-
tain Costigan was directed by Senator
Meyer to Commissioner Enright. AS
yet it has elected no official reply, so
far as the Police Department is con-
cerned.
Captain Costigan is at present at
tached to the Brownsville precinct on
the outskirts of Brooklyn. This sta
tion, among the rank and file of the
force, is known as the 'penitentiary, /"
to which members of the department
are transferred when they are no
longer in good standing, politically, at
Headquarters.
Corporation Counsel O'Brien's opin-
ion is regarded by members of ,hs
legislative committee as blast which
sweeps away all the niceties that have
ostensibly prevailed between the inves-
leaves Mayor Hylan in open defiance
and the two forces in a state of war
fare.
AT the Offices of the committee last
night Senator Meyer made it plain that
the courts will be appealed to immc-
diately in an effort to obtain a final
and definite Interpretation of the com
mittee's power. 1t was also evident that
there would be no more temporizing
with Mayor Hylan and that diplomatic
relations had been severed.
Assailed by Hirshfield
In making public the opinion handed
up, or down, by Mr.. O'Brien, Com
missioner Hirshfield took occasion to
add that the legislative committee
"has forfeited all CLAIM TO confidence
and respect and is not entitled to re-
ceive the cooperation of city officials
because it is not here to do good for
the city but is here to do Mayor
Hylan and his administration, if possi-
BILE, and to help elect next fall for
Mayor some candidate who will be Sc
lected by the corporations, upon his
promise to be good to them and give
them Increased carfare, and higher
telephone, gas and electric rates"
At 38 Park Row, the committees
headquarters, this statement had any
thing but pacifying influence last
night. BY the Republican members of
CONTINUED on paos Gve)