The New York herald., 1921-10-30
VOTE OF UNIFORMED
MEN IS FOR CURRAN
Police, Firemen and Street
Cleaners Have Always
Found Him Friend.
GOT THEM MORE PAY
Fought Here and in Albany
for Bills Bettering Their
Condition.
HYLAN BROKE PROMISES
His Influence Invariably Ex-
erted in Opposition to
Welfare of Men.
HYLAN BROKE PROMISES

Little has been said in this cam
paign of one large sector of the So
called silent vote. That is the vote of
$1,000 uniformed men of the rank and
file of city employees-the patrolmen.
firemen and street cleaners.
AS they are forbidden by law to en-
gage in political activity, the pre-
election canvassers have a hard job
sizing them up. Nevertheless quiet
canvasses have recently been made by
both coalition and Tammany. and to
the distress of Tammany it has been
ascertained that a great majority of
.hese men, and their relatives as well.
will vote for Curran.
It is now estimated that this majority
will be higher than 80 per cent. AS the
political statisticians figure that these
men swing on the average the votes of
three others besides themselves, includ-
ing wives, sons and daughters brothers
and sisters, it will be seen that here is a
block Of ballots that has to be seriously
considered by both sides.
Most of these uniformed men voted for
Hylan in 1917. They are now against
him because they say he violated cam
paign pledges and as Mayor resisted
salary increases and legislation which
would tend to improve their condition.
That, in a nutshell. Is what the cam
vassers from both camps have been told
as they have travelled about the city.
They have also been told that the pa
trolmen, iremen and street cleaners are
for Curran because from the beginning Of
his public career he has consistently
fought for the underpaid city worker.
Hylan is accused of trimming and wab-
bling and even of insulting committees
who went to City Hall to ask him for
relief. Curran is praised for his stead
fastness and for his always courteous
treatment of the employees spokesman,
even when he had to tell them that they
were asking for more than could be
given.
Are Well Organized.
The patrolmen. the firemen and the
street cleaners all have their powerful
associations, but mindful Of the ban on
concerted political action these will take
no action toward the Endorsement Of any
tdiiuludtc Dut Tic grapevine iS dlWdyS .
working, and there Is nothing to pre-
vent an individual from swapping ideas
with his comrade. This has been done
until it has become apparent that the
prevailing Curran sentiment Is too strong
to be altered, no matter what admonitory
and disciplinary tactics, of which there
are symptoms already. may be attempted
before election day.
Anybody who knows patrolmen and
firemen intimately may verify the fact
that here is what they are saying about
Mr.. Curran and Mayor Hylan:
AS majority leader of the Board of
Aldermen, in 1916. Mr.. Curran succeeded
in raising the pay Of first year police
men from $500 to $1,000. This was the
first raise they had had in twenty
years, and started them on the upward
grade which has kept fairly even with
the cost of living. At about the same
time he pushed through an ordinance
raising first year firemen from $500 to
$1,000. AS chairman of the Curran COM
mittee. an Aldermanic body which in
vessigated police conditions following
the Becker exposure. he had recon-
mended better wages for the police force
and he lost no time In making good on
his recommendation.
Late in 1916 the men OF the higher
grades of patrolmen, feeling the pinch
of rising costs on salaries of 31,400
year, sent committee TO lay their case
before Mr.. Curran. The next years
city budget had already been made up.
but Curran personally appealed to the
Board OF Estimate and persuaded It to
raise the salary to $1,000, 10 be reached
at the rate of an increase Of $50 year
for four years. The firemen also came
in for this and were so grateful that
upon Mr.. Curran's return from the war
they gave him gold watch fob and q
written testimonial.
The big fight of the uniformed men In
1920 was for the passage OF the fright
of appeal bill" AS Mayor Hylan had
prohibited the fremen and patrolmen
from appearing In public to assert what
they deemed to be their rights, the bin
was introduced In Albany permitting
them to present their petitions and argu-
ments before the Legislature. the Alder
men or any other public body. Mayor
Hylan's influence caused the passage
by the Board of Estimate OF a resolu-
tion disappearing OF the bill. Curran
offered n resolution approving II. The
signed it
HyInn Forced to Veto.
Last year the Legislature had s5,0oo.-
900 appropriated 10 relieve by cmer-
rency salary increases the distress OF
New York city employees. Hylan was
for giving many classes OF employees n
fat 90 per cent increase. This would
have given the largest bonus TO the
highest paid, the least to the lowest
paid. Curran argued that this was un-
Just as the idea was TO help the lowest
paid man and woman first. Curran
favored awarding the same sum 10 every
employee benefited by the act. The
Tammany Board of Aldermen stood with
Hylan and passed resolution making
the increase 20 per cent. all along the
line Curran protested so effectively In
the Board Of Estimate that Hylan was
compelled TO veto the ordinance and a
new adjustment was decided upon
whereby the poorest paid worker got a
relatively larger increase than the 9TH
ers.
Police Commissioner Enright abol-
ished the ten squad system" which the
patromen had had during and after the
war. They contend he did this 70 pun
ish them for agitation" As member
ex-ofricio Of the Board of Aldermen Bor-
ough President Curran publicly demand
ed that the ten squads be restored. This
was long before anybody knew he would
be nominated for Mayor. but Enright
put back the ten squads.
In the last year OF HE administration
Mayor Mitchell tried to put through the