The New York herald., 1922-10-22
ELECT Smith, SAVE
.HYLAN, Says O'BRIEN
City Hall Spokesman Confirms
Rumor of Pressure on
Laggards.
FEAR is GENUINE ENOUGH
Coercion First of Kind Since
Days of Van Wyck and
Boss Tweed.
FEAR rs GENUINE ENOUGH

sci. addressing more than u thousand
members of the women's Democratic
Club at a luncheon yesterday in the
Commodore Hotel, said:
III Gov. Miller is reelected he will
Immediately remove Mayor Hylan
from office. You women must sup
port Alfred E. Smith for Governor to
save Mayor Hylan from such a fate"
Many city officials, including mem
bers Of the Mayors cabinet and City
Hall family. were present and ap-
plauded the statement. 1t was ac-
cepted without question and provoked
mild sensation in the audience.
Among those at the speakers table
were George p. Ryan. president of
the Board of Education; Senator
James J. Walker, George R. Lunn.
nominee for Lieutenant Governor:
James A. Hamilton. nominee for Sec
retary of State and Commissioner of
Corrections In the municipal adminis-
tration, and others.
This statement ty Mr.. O'Brien. Tam
many nominee for Surrogate and one
of Mayor Hylan's closest personal and
official associates. Is the first formal
verification OF reports that the threat
Of removal is being dangled before mu-
nicipal employees in an effort to
frlghten them into working hard for
Smith and the Democratic ticket.
l 2
Threat Comes From Hail.
The report has been spread through
all the city departments for the last
week that all employees who are on the
municipal payroll must work for Smith
or run the risk of losing their jobs. The
advice. in the form of threat, was
said to have been passed from City
Hall through the Corporation Counsel's
office and into the departments.
As a result hundreds of employees
have become convinced that their jobs
depend upon the defeat of Gov. Miller.
Greatly increased interest and activity
In the campaign has been observed In
the city departments. Scores OF em-
ployees are said to have arranged" to
get away part OF each day to do cam
paign work.
Until Mr.. O'Brien officially made his
appeal to the women Democrats to
save Mayor Hylan from such sfate"
1t had been impossible to obtain either
confirmation or denial OF the report
that such a threat had been sent broad
cast through the city government.
Mr. OBrien made x statement very
positively and without reservation. He
declared that IL Gov. Miller Ia reelected
he will Immediately remove Mayor
Hylan." There was no condition or sup.
position about II Mr.. O'Brien spoke ms
II he had positive information.
Fear OF Removal Genuine.
No explanation was made by Mr..
O'Brien. nor has any been given to the
threatened city employees. The sup
position is that the reason lies in the
Mayors blocking OF the subway projects.
That the fear of removal lies close to
the door OF City Hall. is beginning to
appear quite certain. The Governor car.
remove county and municipal officials.
under certain statutory restrictions,
upon charges and after-trial.
That such threat should be put out
officially by the city administration In
an effort to stampede, thousands of city
employees into working and voting for
the Democratic ticket. was denounced
yesterday by Republican leaders as
absurd and mean. tricky politics." Not
since the days OF Van Wycls and Tweed
had the head of New York's govern
ment sought 10 coerce employees into
supporting a State ticket.
The Mayor has remained silent on the
subject.
Mary Pickford. motion picture star.
appeared at the luncheon. She was seat
ed at the speakers table between Miss
Elisabeth Marbury and Bourkc Cochran.
She has known Mr.. OBJ len for many
years, the finn favorite said. and Is
with him" In the election. She sent
a letter to this effect to the Democratic
nominee.
Mrs. Ella t. Sullivan was chairman.
Alfred e. Smith and Commissioners
Copeland were unable to attend because
OF their campaign trips UP State. Most
OF the other State and city candidates
were present
Both Corporation Counsel O'Brien,
Surrogate candidate. and Miss Marbury
made special appeals to the women to
vote regular"