New-York tribune., 1921-08-13
Tammany and Hearst Know

dAIlIH1ily anu A1S@ ol EAiACW
Counsel in chief of the joint legis-
lative committee has thrown up his
hands and asked permission to sus-
pend, for the time being, his ex-
animation of Mayor Hylan.
The one man above all others who
should know the exact financial
status of the city-the one man who,
in the light Of the municipalities
straitened circumstances and the
requirements Of these years of re-
construction, should have plan of
retrenchment and economy-has
blank mind. Three days patient in
terrogation has demonstrated that
the head Of the greatest single busi-
ness corporation on earth is pos
sessed of only the vaguest conception
of it. Three days fair and consid-
crate questioning leaves the proud
City of New York exhibiting the
spectacle Of minus sign for a chief
magistrate. What has been suspected
by the many and known to only
comparatively few during the last
forty-four months of this admins
tration now stands as a fact in the
whole worlds eye. Poor John Hylan
is to be pitied, not jeered. He does
not know and never will know what
all the shooting's for"
SO Senator Elon R. Brown must
turn from the Mayor to the Mayors
enemy, the Comptroller, to obtain the
facts necessary to the laying of
predicate for charter revision. Over
and over again poor John Hylan,
when pressed to explain, among other
elementals of this city's government,
the purposes of the Sinking Fund
Commission, requested the invest-
gator to turn to Mr.. Craig and to
others for the information sought.
He was not trying to evade his in
terrogator. Of that We are con-
vinced. 1t took from Tuesday to
Thursday, however, to convince Sem
ator Brown. 1t was too incredible
that any man occupying the impor-
tant position of the witness on the
stand could be so pitiably stupid, so
lacking in imagination.
In the unintentional exposition,
however, of the fact that poor John
Eylan is to be pitied and not jeered
Senator Brown achieved triumph
for the people of New York. In those
three days of the committees open
sessions he demonstrated why Tam
many and Hearst desired Hylan's
election four years ago and why
they will go to any length to foist
him upon New York for a second
term. They have done and can do
with him as they will
Can that be doubted in the face of
the weeks revelations? We think
not. What can't be done with a man
who lacks wit? What can't be done
with man who, after having sat as
chairman of a commission for forty
four months, is unable to describe
the purposes for which that commits
sion exists? What can't be done
with man, who with the whole
world retrenching and seeking to re-
construct itself, says, with reference
to the suggested reduction of the tax
burden upon US, at can possibly
be reduced in the cost of supplies
and the. like of that? What can't
be done with man who, when called
upon to point to some department
where the number Of employees could
be reduced says, II am not prepared
to answer that; l cannot answer
that until we get into the budget? +?
What can't be done with q man, who,
in these times of defaton in every
phase of human endeavor, public and
private, says, II am not in favor of
reducing the salaries of employees
and per diem men?
Anything, we say, can be done
with such a man. And Tammany
Hall and Hearst know it.