The New York herald., 1922-10-29
EXTORTION OF NAMED
Governor Says HeDismissed
Deputy Commissioner Cur
tis at First Chance.
HEATED REPLY IN ALBANY
Indignant at Smiths Attacks,
He Tells Why Labor Agi-
tatOrs Oppose Him.

Special DiSputch to THE New YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Albany. Oct. 28.
Wrathful because of Al Smiths at
tacks on him for three weeks as a tool
of the interests and an enemy OF la
Dor, "all in sinister appeal to preju-
dice" Gov. Miller, always a topnotch
speaker when his fighting blood is up,
blazed forth here tonight in fierce re-
prisal
Patience exhausted, he smashed
back at his opponent, charging In the
most Fortnight fashion that under
Gov. Smith there existed unmolested
the meanest. the most contemplate.
the most despicable species of graft
ever disclosed: graft and extortion
practiced upon unfortunate victims of
industrial accidents" Under Smith,
he charged, the manned. the disabled
and the cripple were robbed.
He based his charges, the first real
farup of his campaign. upon an official
report made N November. 1919. to Alfred
Z. Smith himself by jeremiah +. Con
nor. subsequently Mr.. Smiths private
secretary report which denounced
corruption in the administration of the
workmen's compensation act in fixing
Htne adjusted compensation of men and
women injured in incustry and entitled
to insurance.
In this report. as Connor specifically
NJ al Cs,.ttt Lott
settled for s2s,sls when s52.osS was
actually due to the unfortunates. and
the money was actually given to-them
when the Injustice was disclosed. And
the Governor rsmed Thomas J. Curtis
president of the International Tunnel
Workers. and Deputy Commissioner OF
the Industrial Commission, as the indi-
vidual who had sat In these hearings
and who had fixed the ridiculously in
adequate compensation.
Heart of the Attack.
The heart of the Governors attack
against Smith lay In the fact that Smith
did nothing toward removing Curtis
after Curtis had been most specifically
mentioned as ssat fault.
O'Connor after combing over the
whole Industrial Commission and taking
evidence under oath. made this report to
Smith:
In my opinion one reason for the
underpayment In the final adjustment
cases is pure carelessness on the part
of the Deputy Commissioner (Curtis)
and / believe II is also due to the
fact that the Deputy Commissioner
is either unable or unwilling 10 re-
sist the persuasion OF the representa-
tives and physicians employed by the
insurance carriers.
And the Governor quoted O'Connor
directly as regards the amount of graft
squeezed out of only a small batch of
cases where injured working men and
working women sought to obtain the fair
deal to which they we're entitled under
the law.
About $50 claims we're held up for
a to,sa ot about $50, 0,0O0--the admnis-
tration of the sEal adjustment calendar
has not only been contrary to the statute
but has been travesty on Justice
injustice and frauds were practiced uporr
the injured employees In the State undc-
a law enacted for their special benefit
/ soon discovered that certain employt es
of the State fund had a well defined
wholesale system of graft under which
claimants were being defrauded OF large
sums OF money"
Named as Graft Agent.
One Of tho agents of the graft as
named by the Governor on the au-
thority Of this official report made to
Gov. Smith was Tito Pacelli secretary
and treasurer OF tho International
Tunnel Workers Union. of which
Thomas J. curtis, labor leader and
Deputy Commissioner in charge of the
disposition OF final adjustment cases,
was president.
This record makes my blood boil"
said Gov. Miller. "as II must make
your blood boil to read H. and yet the
head OF that system OF graft and cor
ruption and favortism TO insurance
carriers remained a Deputy Commits
sioner through the remainder OF the
year 1919 and through 1920 and until
Il was possible for me, under an act
Of the Legislature, to rcorganize the
commission. But he remained there
after that organization was effected
not one moment longer than was neces-
sary TO put him out.
I'm the face OF the record am
charged with destroying the admins
tration OF the law because 7 cut out
the grafters, the miserable. low. mean.
contemplate. despicable gratters who
were llNlnk Oli AHt poois uiiOi
workers whom they professed to serve
and feeding also at the public crib
THAT explains why ] reorganized the
Industrial Commission"
He was being asssiiod now. had been
impudently assailed for three weeks. be-
cause he had put out the rascals instead
of keeping them there as Smith had
done, he said. and he pointed out that
although Gov. Smith had received the
O'Connor report with Its specific find
ings OF the careless. or worse. handling
OF adjustment cases By Deputy Com
missioner Curtis, Smith let Curtis stay
In Office for thirteen months. The Gov
ernor declared Il was because he had
kicked the labor crooks out OF public
Office that labor agitators were going
about the state now saying that he
was hired man of the big corporate
interests and the foe OF working people
Four thousand persurs in Harmanus
Rlcecker Hail cheered the lighting Mil
Continued on Psge Eight