New-York tribune., 1922-11-07
Miller, Sayre
Refute Defense
OF L. j. Curtis
Industrial Com ssioner
Never Endorsed Former
Depntys Is Reply TO the
Full-Page 'sAd'' Of Smith
Fired Him From Office
Governor Asks Democrat TO
Quote Record Instead of
Political Drive Letter
From q stag Correspondent


| SYRACUSE, Nov. 6.--An apparent at
tempt by the Democratic candidate &c
"whitewash" former Deputy Comn,is.
sioner Thomas j. Curtis, accused by
Governor Miller of being responsible
for corrupt conditions in the Industrial
/ Commission under the Smith admins
tration, by publication of a ful,-page
advertisements in local papers yester.
day in Curtis's defense, was scathingIy
denounced by both the Governor and
Industrial Commissioner Henry d
Sayre in statements to Syracuse papers
telephoned from Albany and published
to-day.
4 The advertisement, which was head
ed by the caption. ALFRED E. Smith
Makes a Personal Statement EN-.
bodied savage attack on the Governo
/ for his charges against Curtis, founda-
tion for which evidently was drawn
from two letters-one from Miles NJ
Dawson, which has previously been
published, and the other from Commits.
sloner Sayre, expressing his thanks for
services rendered the present regime
in the Industrial Commission by Curtis
in an advisory capacity.
Governor Mller's reply accused the
Democratic candidate of evasion of the
facts by going outside of the retord of
tions in the commission, which was
submitted to Smith while the latter was
in Office, in order to find defense for
| Curtis.
Why Doesn't Smith Use Record:
4 "Why does not Mr.. Smith quote from
the record, instead of from letter he
political campaign?" the Governor in
/ qrired, referring to the Dawson letter.
i Commissioners Sayre declared that
the letter from him which was repro
I duced was form letter written to all
members of the advisory committee on
which Curtis served, and on which he
happened to be solely because the
State Federation of Labor was invited
to designate representative on that
body, and named Curtis.
"The eleventh hour attempt of for
mer Governor Smith to make it appear
that indorsed the action and attitude
of Thomas j. Curtis is the most absurd
thing I ever have heard Of" he said.
What l thought of Mr.. Curtis after
] six years of personal observation of his
conduct was best shown by the action
I took Immediately after assuming the
Office of State Industrial Commits ssi oner.
fired him"
Nothing that he has ever done since
that day has caused me to regret that
action" he added.
at was deserved and it was neces-
sary in the interest of the fair admin
istration of the workmen's compensa-
tion law"
Governor Miller also pointed out that
in his speeches he had quoted entirely
from the report of Connor, the Smith
Investigator, in which the latter de-
scribed four kinds of emean, low, con-
temptible grating, grating on the un-
fortunate victims Of industrial actions"
Graft Attributed to Curtis
"Each of the four systems of graft
ing. according to Mr.. Connor's report,
| headed right up to Curtis, and Con-
! nor's report contains list giving the
names and circumstances of the claim
ants who were preyed on" the Gov
ernor's statement continued.
To this, Mr.. Sayre added in further
explanation Of Curtis's presence on the
advisory committee, thing which, &C.
cording to the implication conveyed by
the Smith personal statement" en-
tirely vitiated the force Of the Miller
attack on the former official:
President Holland (of the State
Federation Of Labor designated
Thomas j. Curtis. For his appoint
ment | assumed no esponsibility"
with reference to the letter of
Miles M. Dawson, addressed to Mr..
Smith, must disagree with him that
there was nothing in the record before
Commissioner jeremiah F. Connor that
reflected on Mr.. Curtis. Mr.. Dawson
must have failed 90 recoilect the lam
guage of the report that he signed"
Governor Smith never refuted that
report, continued the Commissioner,
but the reason that he failed to act
upon 1T can best be explained by the
statement that the Industrial Commits.
sion was warned that any attempt to
interfere with Mr.. Curtis would cost
lot Of votes to the party that at
tempted it.
This threat did not deter Governor
Miller, or his Industrial Commissioner
from Going the necessary act to main
tain the equal administration of the
law.
Possibly Mr.. Dawson now hopes that
by the election of Mr.. Smith he may
receive another large fee such as he
received, by Governor Smiths direc-
4 ton, as counsel to Commissioner
Connor."
7 Miller Goes Home to Vote
/ Governor Miller arrived here. this
afternoon in an entirely unofficial and
non-poiitlcal capaclty--that of the
citizen Of New York State, who has re-
turned to his home town to cast his
vote bright and early tomorrow morn
ing.
1 The Governor and Mrs. Miller slipped
| quietly into Syracuse at $3.50 o'clock.
more than an hour late, owing to a
breakdown of the Empire State Ex-
press, which brought them from AL
bany, short distance outside the
town. They were taken at once to
Republican headquarters at the ST.
Cloud Hotel, where the Governor made
q short address to a crowd Of 500
women who filled the ballroom.
The Governor told his audience, who
greeted him enthusiastically, that he
felt confident that he would be re-
elected tomorrow, because he believes
that the fathers and mothers OF the
state will see through the cloud Of mis-
representations that the Democratic
party has spread over the state in it's
attempt to win the election. The in
answer tomorrow the apepals made on
false pretenses and issues by their
/ votes, he said.
/ The Governor will cast his ballot at
| 10 o'clock at the Clinton school Then
/ he will return to Albany on the IL