Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-15
CORTE[YOU WON'T
BETRAY HIS AIDES
Prefers to Pay Salaries Him
self, Rather Than Disclose
Names Of Investigators
ROACH DISCLAlMS SALARY

Director Cortelyou declared emphatl =
Gully today that he would pay his secret
investigators out of his own pocket
rather than reveal their names to City
Controller IIudlcy. who has held up
warrants on the SECRET fund.- Of
$40, 900 appropriated for police purposes
by Council.
The Director admitted that Edward
l.. ID. Roach. secretary Of the COM
mittee of Seventy. was one of the men
he had employed to do secret investi-
CATION work. and defended Roach as an
; efficient employe.
Mr.. Koach. in n statement made to-
day. denied reports that he had re.
ceivcd S24OO Il year and liberal
expense allowance. He snid he had
been retained for special work and paid
for what he did.
In response 10 question as to
whether he had given his list Of names
t" the Controller, Director Cortclyou
said:
II have given the name of only one
man TO the Controller. and that was
Mr.. Roach. The Controller assured me
that his name would be held in strict
confidence. However. he has seen fit
to make it public, and propose to de-
fend Roach He Is II avuable worker
and has done important work.
Just what is the status Of Mr..
Roach at the present time?' the lDi-
rector was asked. rs he still in the
department cmploy!'
Eyes and no
'What do you intend doing with
your squad of special investigators If
Controller Hadley refuses to issue war;
rants to pay them?'
''If the Controller refuses I will con-
tinue to pay them ont of my own pri-
vatc purse. as ! have done for the past
two and half years will not reveal
their names to the Controllrr.'
Discussing the situation in general,
Mr.. COrtelyOu said: II cannot under
stand this state of affairs. For twenty
years, while | was in the Postoffice, l
had squad of secret Investigators
working under me constantly.
There never was any question as to
payment. The Government always hon.
Ored the vouchers without wanting to
know what the ins and outs were.
1.-The New York courts some time
ago held that ncwspapcrmcn could not
be forced to reveal the sources of their
confidential information. any moro than
could priest or a doctor. | hold that
there Is a similar situation in this
case. The work | am doing is tremen-
dOusly important 1t is for the city's
good.
Would Imperil Agents
"If the names of my informants
were revealed it would both defeat my
plans and jeopardize my men. There
fore. l am determined TO keep these
names secret no matter what happens"
Mr.. Roach said:
There is absolutely no truth to the
report that | received n yearly salary
of S24OO and a large expense account
from Director Cortelyou's department
for investigation work.
II am licensed detective. and as
such have done some investigating of q
strictly confidential nature for the de-
partment. ! conducted those investi-
cations at night. ! received compensa-
tion only for the time spent in actual
investigation. At no time did l have
an expense account.
THE nature of the work I performed
for the department was not political.
Other than that ! cannot comment upon
1t. To do SO would be breaking u con
fdence with Director Cortelyou.
II am not at all concerned over this
matter. for | know that my relations
with the department have been strictly
honest and entirely legal down to the
most minute detail