The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-06-25

exceeds in importance any Of these
but its final decision has not yet
been made.
Whatever decision Roosevelt
makes in the Walker matter will
seriously affect him politically.
Had the Governor put Walker
out of Office prior to the Demo-
cratic national convention, Roose-
welt would have been strengthened
in the western and southern de-
mocracy, but he would have lost
the New York City organization
completely, as we'll as Tammany's
allies in upstate New York
Should Roosevelt fail to get the
presidential nomination, he will I'M
doubtedly run for Governor again
next fall, and the belief among po-
litical strategists is that Roosevelt
never will return to Albany if he
throws the mayor out.
He Removed Farley
Thomas M Farley, sheriff of New
York county, one Of the most pow
erful district leaders in the city and
intimate Of John F. Curry, was re-
moved by the Governor on Feb. "a,
last Seabury, as a private citizen,
filed the charges, all of which were
ruled out by the Governor, except
that which related to Farleys bank
deposits far in excess of his salary.
The sheriff could not explain
them satisfactorily, and the Gov
ernor set forth the dictum that a
public official must prove his per-
sonal, as well as his public, honesty
This dictum, it was assumed,
would guide the Governor in flu
ture action on Tammsny Office
holders.
Farley had four subordinates in
his Office, two in particular with
huge bank accounts, but they are
still in Office.
Roosevelt cushioned the fall for
Tammany by appointing in Far
ley's place new Tammany district
leader, John E. Sheehy, who had
just won his spurs by ousting the
Fifteenth assembly district chief,
who was unfriendly to Curry.
Wouldn't Gust McQuade
When the city affairs committee,
headed by Holmes and Wise, pre-
ferred charges against Sheriff James
A. McQuade Of Kings county, who
also had large private bank ac-
counts accumulated while he was
register, the Governor declined to
remove McQuade.
Roosevelt held that voters Of
Kings county, since the transactions
mentioned, had approved of Nc
Quade by electing him sheriff
Roosevelt added that he, himself,
would not have voted for him.
Holmes and Wise in a letter to
the Governor criticised Roosevelt S
failure to act, and explained that at
the time Of the election no charges
had been made against McQuade-
that, in fact, the revelation of Nc
Quades alleged wrong doing was
brought out by Seabury on the eve
of election.
Brooklyn voters had no chance,
therefore, to weigh McQuade's guilt
or innocence, Holmes and Wise as
serted.
In the Theofel matter, John Theo-
fel, Democratic leader of Queens
county, as we'll as chief clerk of the
Surrogates office, was accused by
Seabury of being incompetent to
hold that position or any other pub
lie position for various reasons,
among them the fact that he was
interested in an automobile agency,
from which public officials were
compelled to buy their cars.
Theofel also had large private
bank accounts on a small salary.
Nc Further Action
Roosevelt referred the charges to
the surrogate of Queens, Hethering-
ton.
In the testimony before Seabury,
Theofel swore that he was instru-
mental in securing the appoint
ment, and later the nomination and
election of the present surrogate,
Surrogate Hetherington."
A few weeks later, Hetherington
dismissed the charges against The
ofel. The Governor took no further
action.
Despite the millions of words that
have been printed about the Sea-
bury investigation, probably no sub
ject of wide public interest has been
more misunderstood than this one.
Part of this misunderstanding has
been laid to the door of Roosevelt's
friends, part to the very complexity
of the whole subject.
Many believe that Roosevelt
signed bill creating the Seabury
investigation. and, thereby, gave his
approval to an inquiry into Tam
many.
The truth is that Roosevelt
signed no such bill because the
measure was a joint resolution of
the legislature, dictated by Kings
land Macy, Republican state chair
man, and as a resolution was not
sent to the Governor for his APP
prevail or veto.
Didn't Approve Probe
Again, you may have the impress
sion that Roosevelt by approving the
first appropriation for the investiga-
ton thereby also approved the in
vestigation.
The fact is that the $250,000 for
the first expenses were taken from
the legislatures contingent fund,
and the Governor signed this APP
Precipitation bill because such bills
always are signed. by an unwrit-
ten law, when the legislatures own
contingent fund supplies the cash.
A distinguished French scholar
in speaking of the historical Brutus
characterized him as "a man of
study, who, in spite of his natural
repugnance. has become a man of
action, and has been carried by
the stream of events into circum-
stances foreign to his nature"