Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-20
Gov. Roosevelt's Incredulity

Appealed TO BY eminent citizens 10
| intervene in the investigation into the
| alleged sale of judgeship in Greater
New York, which had reached the point
Of virtual flasco in the half-hearted in
quiry of the district attorney and the
refusal of the grand jury to indict, Gov
Roosevelt has superseded the district
attorney in the case by the attorney
general of the State, who is now charged
with the prosecution of the inquiry and
with trial if indictment is returned
and has designated q Judge of the State
Supreme Court to preside over q special
term and to summon grand jury to
consider this case.
Thus in a most direct way does the
Governor of the State repudiate the
Tammany controlled city administra-
ton. The Ewald case had reached the
point of offending all politically honest
citizens. In its first stages it seemed
likely to bring into difficulty only sub
ordinates who had perhaps grated in
matter of Office distribution without
involving any of the higher-up authori-
ties of the municipality. Then in its
quashing through the weak pretense at
prosecution by the district attorney,
obviously acting in harmony with the
wishes of the administration, 1t became
of even greater significance, though ap-
parently ended with whitewash.
The country at large is not very
greatly concerned over New Yorks mu-
nicipal misdemeanors and shortcom-
ings, save that the maladministration
in personal and political interests, of
its largest city constitutes shameful
reflection upon what is known as Amer
| lean civilization. But it is an offense
against self-respect to ask that the coun-
in explanation of the Ewald case. Let
it be briefly reviewed, for continued I'M
Outstanding: A municipal magistracy
was vacant. A deputy assistant dis
the eve of the appointment q Tam
many district leader through a sher-
ifs Office clerk, borrowed" $4,000
from the wife of the aspirant, the 60
between giving her note to run for
three years without interest, which note
was lost" The husband of the lender
was then appointed. Some time later he
got into difficulties over the troubles OF
a mining corporation of which he was
promoter and lost his Office and the
Federal district attorney investigated
that case and found evidences of the
financial transaction that preceded the
appointment to the bench. Cited In an
| income tax inquiry method that
has brought other Manhattan scandals
to light--the principals in the affair re-
! fused to testify before the Federal CRANE
| jury on the ground that they might
| thereby be incriminated or degraded
This spurred the municipal district
attorney to action, and he went through
the motions of inquiry, got the people
before him and elected the astonishing
story Of q sheer coincidence between the
appointment of Ewald on his merits and
on the recommendation Of German
| American society, OF which ne was
member, and the fairy-tale loan to the
district leader The mayor and the
former Tammany chieftain gave
straight-faced testimony to the effect
that the appointment was in every re-
spect square and above-board. The
mayor even declared that if Ewald paid
any money for the judgeship he was
wasting it, that it might as well have
been thrown into the sewer.
And that is the story that the Tam
many government Of New York ask
the country to accept and that the Gov
ernor of the State has now, by his In
tervention, refused to credit. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the attorney
general and a special grand jury will
find out anything more concerning tho
strange ways Of Providence in the dis
tribution of favors and perquisites II
Greater New York.