New-York tribune., 1922-06-12
Legislative Committee
Holds That Mayor and
Enright Have Demoral-
lied the Department
Pull" Substituted
For Efficiency
y all Street Ventures Of
Officials and Executive
Abuses Are Denounced


Personal pull and political Juggling
the Police Department are charged
n the report Of the joint legislative
c5mmittee appointed year ago TO
.udy municipal affairs The report
wls fled yesterday with the Charter
lewiston Commission and the Legis-
.aturc
The result mas been The report says,
'n weaken law enforcement IN New
York City under the rule o. Mayor
iiylan and the police regime Of Com
missioner Enright Matters pointed
ouf as OF serious import are connected
with the appointment Of deputies and
other officials. illegal reinstatement Of
dismissed police officers. demoraliza
tion of the Quartcrmaster's division
careless handling Of semi-public FUNDS,
giving an open invitation TO wrong
doing. and the Wall street speculations
Of h'fh police officials.
Abuses Shatter Morale
The committee reports that it hnd'
abuses which show mot only operation
Of tho personal and political pull sys-
tenn but general slackening OF the
morale OF the department.
The report deals also with manda.
tory legislation. the Department OF
Licenses. which follows wrong
method, the Department Of Markets
wherein there is evidence Of graft
ing, and the administration Of the De
partment Of Public Welfare.
"All experience has shown that
vital requirement for ecective and i'm
partial enforcement Of the law by th'
Police Department is the complete
freedom OF that department and th'
Commissioner from interference by tn'
Mayor" states the report. which u
signed by Senator Schuyler NJ. Meyer
and his eight associates.
The Mayor is subject from a varieti
Of quarters 70 pressure for special OF
privileged treatment II he succumb'
and controls the Police Commissioner
in the disposition of such matters. th'
police administration is bound 70 fail
for pull and influence. with their at
tendant Generalization. have then be
come the governing force Of the De
partment.
Evidence Shows Decentralization
THAT the department under Mayor
Hylan and Commissioned Esright has
been too much subject TO this de-
moralzing tendency is established by
the evidence before this committee.
"A typical. instance 81 the Mayors
attempt TO dominate the department
came N the administration Of Frederick
n. Bugher. his first commissioner. The
Mayor sent for Bugher and insisted
that q Mr.. Solvei be appointed
deputy
The report reviews tho resignation
Of Bugher and the appointment OF
Enright. who proved himself much
more amenable 70 the Mayors wishes.
As an instance Of Enrights response
"to pressure from other sources than
the Mayors Office" the story OF Mrs.
O'Grady's resignation as Fifth Deputy
Commissioner after her invetigation OF
dance halls, molten piciue and vice
cases is given. The report continues;
"The evidence before the committee
shows that during this administration
trentv-nine police officers have been
roinstated in violation Of the law
These officers are still being paid. IN
spite Of the findings Of the present
CORPORATION lOuUttl huu tht fAN
Commissioner Of Accounts that their
we're illegal.
Under the heading Speculation and
Money Making by Police Ofieials' tn'
graft investigators say:
Striking evidence Of the financial
advantages attached 10 high oihcial p''
sitions in the Police Department We
disclosed by the committee. Commits
sioner Enright furnished an example IN
tbis respect which his subordlnates
did not hesitate 10 follow. Or Febru-
ary IS, 1918, he appointed Dr.. Jonn a
Harriss n special Deputy Ponce OoIn-
missioner. Seventeen days later Dr
Harriss placed az his disposal a nc"
Packard twin-six automobile bearing
the initials r. L. r. and purchased
from the Packard company at cost OF
S4.622.40. On April is, 1918, Commis-
sioner Enright appointed Allan a.
Ryan a special Deputy Police Commis-
sioner and the next day Stutz auto
mobile was delivered 70 Enright This
car cost s2.64i.50 and was paid for Dy
A check of Allan A. Ryan's. In April
1919. a wear later. Enright received a
check for si2,0s3.29 from Allan A.
RYAN & Co., representing "prohts' on
a stock TRANSACTION in which tne com. d.
missioner puAup no money. did not
know when the stock was purenaSco
nor when II was sold.
edward P. Hughes, a friend o.