The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 13

13 THE BBOOKLW DAILY EAGLE. NEW YOKE. TTEDSTBSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1899. jf if. Jf if.

if. if if if if WHO DESIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF BROOKLYN BOROUGH WILL OF BROOKLYN WHO ARE PROPERTY OWNERS OR RENT PAYERS WILL VOTE namnnrotm Tinlat uDiiiuuiauu I iuivui THIS YEAR THIS YEAR. WHY? WHV? 1 A. 1 0 DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION STANDS FOR BROOKLYN1 THE GREATEST. AND BEST CAUSE THE RIGHTS AND FOR Bonds Authorized OF PUBLIC IMPROVI i 4 Date: Because the Democratic rule of this Borough Is honest, business like and economical, and in the interest of the people, while the Republican rule has proved itself wasteful and extravagant.

THE PROOF! The Borough of Brooklyn pays this year $2.36 for each SI 00, the lowest tax rate in fifteen by the Board of Estimate January 1898, to East River Bridge School Purposes Vernon Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek 644,000 foo'ooo years and says that next Grand Street Bridge over Wewtdwn Creek Blissvilie Bridge over Newtown Creek Repaving Long Island Water Supply Street Cleaning Plant OKLYN'S New Bridge between Brooklyn and Manhattan 50,000 Replenishing Fund for Street and Park Openings 75,000 Redemption of Water Bonds 1,215,000 Docks, Wailabout Market 100,000 Total SI 4,904,000 WITH ATIONAL if ifififCififififC if if if if if year the rate will he reduced to OR STAT richment, as the Eagle at that time stated, of the Democratic gang. Mr. Harmon, the Republican Register, spent no money at nil on these indexes, and finally on May 20, procured the passage of a law which repealed section 27 and so modified soeijon 11 a to do away with these useless indexes. This meant a saving of thousands upon thousands of dollars and the wiping out of a law undor wblch enormous frauds were possible. This 1 ill provided ior three commissioners, to lie appointed by the Mayor, the Register, the County Clerk and tile Surrogate, who were to hold office for six years, and it gave them power to appoint two superintendents al.

a year each. In 1 SilT this act was further amended by giving the issiouers snfaries aggregating and lamely Increasing their powers. 1'nder these acts of INful and 1W7 the attempts 10 defraud Hie taxpayers of lhat county, made in 18H4 were thwarted. The work was going on in a manner generally sat tsfaetory to the people of this county when the Democratic Hoard of Estimate and Apportionment last fall tool: the ac'ion which have referred to and refused to provide the Commissioner of itecords with sufficient funds to go on with t'ae work of re indexing and compiling the records of the oltl county town. A I have said, and as the commissioners themselves stated In their letter to Senator Stranahan.

this w. is because they were Republicans. That and that alone necessitated legislation by the last Legislature. Naturally, an advanced step in this whole process of reform was taken and the commission was reduced from three commissioners to one commissioner. This was both for purposes of economy and efficiency it reducd the total cost of supervision from .515.500 Tor three commissioners a nd two superintendents, to $9,000 for one commissioner and one superintendent, thus saving per annum.

That it produced a more efficient administration goes without saying, when one is addressing an audience composed of citizens of Kings County, who have always declared for a sintrle headed system of adminisl rat i ve government. It was at tho suggestion of Governor Roosevelt himself. In conformity with bis well known views in relation to single headed commissions, that this provision was incorporated in the Records Bill. Puts Up Defense for Atterbury. The result of that bill was that, it provided for one commissioner at.

$5, 1100. but. did not provide for superintendents. Mr. Clarke says that Commissioner Waldo could hold under that office tor five years and draw $5,000.

but lie could not get the other for his superintendent, because that is not. in the bill. He might hold ott. but he could not get the money, and go on with the work, because it has to be paid by tho Controller, and In would have to have men there, nod have to prove had tite men there, and make out regular pay roils with men's nuitii 0:1. etc.

1 A jjia .1 Well, now, I say Unit it 'A as exactly at tha' stage that this bill and t.ot. at tile stag of the cr, at ion a chat italic slimtion or sanitarium, or of kind. 1 Applause. 1 Xow, 1 have got jj i vcri minutes to riplv to sonic of Mr. cinrii 's cliieu; that are incorporate in tie.

speech whl il I havo referred. I do not like to tak. up this business again. Thai was pretty well done for. As to tile sitnation in the at u.ird Ward, did anybody hear of a ticket, that, was put.

in the lb Id against Mr. Atterbury's ticket at the primaries. Thd was no ticket put. in tiic field at all against him. He had 00 light, except in one cnkllnu of one pUj r.

This campaign bus got a little bit out. of the "speak easy." that's all. Mr. Clarke cttv an exhibition th, sophistry all Inquonc" ho is posse. of to such a mark' docrie that.

I refer: to it he spoke of the fifteen men huiug beer, laid off Inmi the lists of. the records office. These him: might have been put on at differ, til times. A delect ivc has been laboriously for the past three or four days trying to get atli davlls of those fifteen discharged in, n. One that, in to told him that be was discharged be lie had been ill in bed with a fevi for three weeks.

The reason ihat these men were discharged was cause the commissioner didn't g't. his money until the 2:0 day of June; he started as well as he could working the mm in gradually until finally be got more men on than lie had appropriation for. Just, as soon as he found that out be weeded them out. lApplaase and laughter) An ie. weeded out Hire, luvti tbut 1 was v.ry TAX RATE if $2.00 per iiitteh interesttd in and was sorry to have go.

I wetit to see tiie cr in mi i ssi oner to know why, and found that thoy were put on, not for political reasons. Mr. Luiz, Mr. Osborne and McCord wej laid off, nc who had been put on without any rc. onini, dat Ion from mo long ago, and tiiiy w.

among the fifteen that had to go. There was jie. uliar about that. iLauglit, r.l Now just oik nthi thing. Mr.

Clarke asked me to make a correction, and in defer eroneo io tho courtesy that he has shown to 1110 to night. 1 am I'orf, ctly willing to make it I did state licf' i the Governor at hearing on tint records, bill that the Board of Estimate and Apport iumuout a puroju iated for tho commissioners and .522. 0110. which was som thine for cel I did make a mistake, and I did a. the other day bow much Mr.

llir. got, and was told that he had nevi received a doli.ir. I p.Iauso.l Nov, tliat is wb.it Mr. Clark, asked me to say. Aow.

1 v. yi, a have said. Hint I sion beeatt. I had tain Slateni. 11: I oh represent at inn 01 me to prove that tl to wnderst nd, as I 1 red upon tills discus Mr.

'lark made cr 'act erir.ed 1 hem as mis fects. He challenged misropresenla ttons 1 no fact. an I be'icvc 1 1,.. 1 ha vo to my own ii foe ion. and a man doesn't very often prove to his' own sat istact ion without satisfying his audience (laughter and applause), not, adv.

thai hi statements were not the la. ts. that tin did misrepresent the facts, an I that i' was perfectly justified in declaring that tine dill misrepresent the fact Advises Clarke to Be More Careful in Future. When 1 cm much wrought rt to nisid was very it' leoot this thing. I am sorry Mr.

larko took it so easy, Laughter. in rattier took the wind out of nr. sails: lie blankered me. Therefor, ccrrait.lv. I couldn't have beon anything nice him.

put why he should have ennn here to night, alter having delivered such a tirade of abuse upon 1110 and my associates and gu on to say that ho doesn't mean anything rsonal bv It, while he doesn't rob me of my ammunition, he robbed me of my power to fire. (Laughter.) 1 want to state in conclusion that I couldn't say all lhat I had originally intended 10 say to the effect that Mr. larko had. in bis attack upon me, forfeited, as he aid. the confidence of everybody in ifio community because of his attitude toward me but I flo want to say this: That when men make statiments they better know what they say.

(Laughter and npplau. I was just going to say this: That Mr. Clarke probablv would never havo gotu iun court upon such testimony as he received around the corners of the Court House ami from Mr. Rider. Ho probably would have had those men more carefully examined.

And, I think, that it anything has been accomplished by this debate it is this: (f what I have js reall by you, I repeat, that if any ono thing is accomplished, it is this, to prevent in future men from making statements which are ii.c, based upon facts and simply hearsay in politics as well anywhere else. (Continued applause.) Mr. Clarke ativ.wert 10 tho assault nt. once when Mr. Woodruff and replied to him as follows: Clarke Answers the Lieutenant Governor.

Tile I.icittctui::' Governor has led nr. a a very merry oiu ith a vrry confusing field of figures, and he ban attempted to escape in the fog. He r.t:mut escape. (Applause.) I ask the Lieutenant Governor now, why did Atterbury go to Albany ISeS with a bill to abolish that oifice in ISiiS when they had am pl" apiiropri.it Why did ho go to Albany to abolbli the office in that year; what pretence was There, except wanted to get tile office ior tho patrona 'e? He has evaded that ubjeet and no: ar: it, and I want hlni 1 answer that. 1 want hitn to answer he nue.

tioti a to who'her they muld get tho patronage under Meeker. Ryder and ibi qum as e.isdy as hey could under Mr. W.tMo. I have no. session onie letter from the Lieut, uaur llov I i rnor.

u'ries of it ad them" and applause.) I i do not think it 1 take a private tor. because 1 pe riata private let'ers i of tile Lieutenant Governor to conimis 1 1 do mrt ih.nk it w.iull be right. I TO ISSUES? 5 if if. if. my proposition, and justified my assertion that Mr Clarke's statements in his speech were misrepresentations of facts from beginning to end You know Mr.

Clarke referred to and read an anonymous communication, although ho offered to give the name. But I didn't care for his giving tho name. He said a Republican, and 1 suppose it was one of the same men who lias been furnishing him with till his information. (Laughter.) And that is exactly where Mr. Clarke made a mistake if he had come, to us to night with first class Democratic information, lie might have done something.

(Applause and laughter.) When he conies to us with old second bund ammunition, of the character that he did. Republican though it was, 1 think you will be satisfied as well as I am. that it didn't amount, to much. (Laughter ami applause.) I never heard of any such meeting as he alleges, and as I am supposed to be one of lie lea. lets of the Republican party in Hie county, I would have heard something of It.

Proof That Clarke Misstated Facts. Having. I believe, to the satisfaction of all my hearers refuted every single statement made by Mr. Clarke in his speech, which I declared to be a misstatement of facts from beginning to end, and which led him to challenge me to the proof, 1 now propose to prove that the oxact opposite of the statements made by him constitutes the real truth in relation to the records bill under discuss ion. 1 am going to prove lhat instead of establishing a charitable institution at the expense of the people of Kings County which I have already demonstrated it was not intended to do and has not done, it in reality was the final act of four years' legislation, which prevented the people of Kings County from being mulcted to the iune of several millions of dollars by a records bill introduced and passed in the Legislature of 1 V.I4 by Michael Fiuue gan and put into operation here by Democratic county officials.

This I purpose to prove out of the columns of. a. local paper which is supporting Democratic candidates for these same county offices in this campaign, although it can hardly bo said that its support of John Morrissey Gray for Register is quite enthusiastic. To secure tills Information I was obliged to look over many of the files of this paper, the Brooklyn Eagle. I find that in referring to a former Democratic county clerk, who held the office from 1S77 to 1880, the Eagle editorially said: "In his term a scheme of copying records was put through; it resulted in the employment of a fearful lot of illiterates, who could not bo trusted to copy the books iiecau.se they could neither spell correctly nor write tolerably.

The copying of these books was perhaps and would have been a partial justification of the scheme, but. they eouid not be copied for the reasons slated. Tho money which could bo made had therefore lo lie made in another way. Consequently, the fellows re set to copying everything they could think of. Tho county paid for if so much per folio or for one hundred words.

The county paid this county clerk ID and ir, cents for what, he paid I and dents a folio for. It is said that the fellows copied even the labels in their hats. It. is known that one of them copied the thrilling words of the ditty: 'Where was when the light went Yet another result was the enrichment of this county clerk by SiOO.ono plus the nrolir nf Th fee 1 ho nUlee .1... Bacon investigation were set forth as being I annul more lor the term, a net profit of $210,000 in three years." Says Clarke Took Bad.

Hearsay Evidence. Well, now, I think thai. have certainly established my declaration that Clarke, in his speech of two weeks ago made a misrepresentation of facts from beginning to end. I want to say right, in that connection not to take time that in order that there may be no mistake as to my attitude toward Mr. Clarke In this matter that he has treated mo with great consideration to night, and I am disposed to treat him with just as much consideration.

But I want him to understand that he has fallen into tho error that other men have fallen into in this county and of which more than onto I have been to some extent along with the rest of tho party injured, temporarily anyway, by going on the stump or through the columns of tho public press, and making statements upon hearsay evidence around the corners of the Court House. I would only be too willing to take Clarke at his word that by my proving that he had mnde misstatements of fact, and thus forfeited the confidence of this community. WHAT if charges, "Before any of Mr. Waldo's appointments were made the leaders of the different Assembly districts were called together by the leaders of the organization in the county, and it was announced at that meeting that all the appointments to be made in the office of Commissioner of Records would be divided among the different Assembly districts." Then, after enumerating the number appointed from each district, aggregating 107, he charges lhat "of this total it will be seen that from the districts controlled by Messrs. Dady and Atterbury, the First, Seventeenth and Eighteenth, which is Waldo's, or more than one third of tile total number, were made." 1 know of no such meeting.

Such action would have been entirely inconsistent with the conditions imposed by Judge Steele and insisted upon by Mr. Waldo in the lnt ter's appointment by the former, which conditions were to the effect that none but competent, experienced men were to be appointed. Certainly no one had the authority to announce that tile appointments would lie divided among the different Assembly districts. 1 have already stated that 5U of the 77 men who were employed on the 31st of last December have been reinstated by Mr. Waldo, and I have also stated that nearly all of them were factionally opposed to the present leaders of the organization in this county.

This is a complete refutation of Mr. Clarke's concluding charge. For a more specific contradiction of his statement I submit the following facts: Only eight persons are employed in the office who reside in the First Assembly District, the one controlled by Mr. Dady. Of these Beers, Hilliard, Quimby, Stebblns and Coffin five in all were employed under the commissioners who preceded Mr.

Waldo and were appointed by him without Mr. Dady's solicitation and in most instances without his knowledge. One of the remaining three. Miss Van Tassell, was appointed asn stenographer without Mr. Dady's recommendation.

Deducting these six. whose names I have given, from the eight who reside in the First Assembly District, leaves but two. They are Mr. Buckley and Mr. Sandford, the Tormer of whom is an excellent indexer, receiving only $900 per annum, and the latter is employed as a messenger at 5720 per annum.

This is all Mr. Dady has of patronage for his district Mr. Dady, who is charged by Mr. Clarke as being one of the creators of a charitable institution for his political heelers. Mr.

Atterbury, the other man charged with conspiring to impose an expense upon the people of the County of Kings for his political benefit, is tho leader of the Seventeenth Assembly District. Exactly (en men. just one tenth appointed, were residents of that district, which is the banner Republican Assembly District of the State of New York. Of these ten, Steves, Lockwood, Frizellc, McQueen, Mc Manus, Hamilton and Doolittle, seven in number, were old employes under Commissioners Rider, Meeker and Rasquin, and with the exception of one or two were factional opponents of Mr. Atterbury.

As a matter of fact. Mr. Atterbury secured the appointment of Just two men out of the entire number that were appointed by Commissioner Waldo. They were James Williamson and General William C. Kibbe.

the latter at one time adjutant general of the State of California and the man who more than any one else, living or dead, prevented the State of California from seceding and joining the Southern Slates in the War of the Rebellion. This man, who has been in the public service a large part of his life, recently made the remark that he had never seen a public oifice conducted as well as the rcords' office; that it was conducted on a systematic basis, like a large well regulated business establishment. Superintendent Moss crop, in it recent report to Commissioner Waldo, of which I have a copy, said: "I am pleased to say that, particularly Messrs. Williamson and Kibbe, who have been engaged in comparing mutilated records, have given entire satisfaction. They are both careful, conscientious workers and intelligent men, and I can rely upon the correctness of work that passes through their hands!" And these are the only two men whose appointment was secured by Mr.

Atterbury for his own district Mr. Atterbury. the other man who is charged with having conspired to establish an institution for his political heelers. Please remember, my friends, that Mr. Clarke made this statement, which I quote exactly in his own words; "One hundred and seven men were taken from the various assembly district, but more than one third were taken by Dndy and Atterbury from the districts controlled by themselves." Now, have I or have I not in this particular matter maintained as I have in all that havo preceded it, if if if (Well, I think that comes very near disposing ef the sanitarium charge my friend.

Board of Estimate Kesponsible for the Law. Now, Mr. Clarke's next charge is that Messrs. Ryder, Meeker and Rasquln were legislated out office because practically and I want to be fair with him because ho has heen very fair with me. (La titer.) Ho goes on to say, "Although they were Republicans," not "Because they were Republicans and wore lawyers who had no superior at our bar." He has repeated that.

(Laughter.) Now if that is so, why did the Democratic Board of Estimate and Apportionment refuse to Rive them the money that they claimed due, 000, for supervision and $15,500 for salaries, almost as much for superintending the work as for the doing it. (Laughter.) Well then he says that they were legislated out of office by Republicans. But I say that what put those men out of business was the Democratic Board of and Apportionment in the City of New York. (Applause.) And thoy came to Albany with a bill which I have described to you in full the Davis bill. These men one of whom has been playing into the hands of my opponent one of the men of whom you have heard to night I did not believe it until I heard it (applause) this very man came to Albany I mean this man Ryder came to Albany and asked me to pass the Davis bill.

(Applause.) (Here the Lieutenant Governor turned toward the box in which Mr. Ryder sat and continued.) 1 look up to Mr. Ryder as he sits there and make that charge, and I am very sorry that I have to make it, and 1 base it upon this fact that Mr. Clarke, for whom I have much respect, has been led to make an affidavit as I understand, ho has made an affidavit and not Ryder on I he strength of what Ryder has told him. (Laughter.) And he says in that affidavit, which he did not read, but which he cited the principles of, that Ryder says that the commissioners never favored that Davis bill, that Mosscrop got up that bill, and that it was the bill of the local organization, and was not the bill of the commissioner.

Now let me read the letter. This letter is addressed to the Hon. Nevada X. Stranahan, the chairman of the cities committee of the Senate of the State of New York: Dear sir The undersigned, the Commissioners of Records of Kings County, learning of the reference to your committee of Senate Bill No. 173 (the Davis Mill, which act relates to the affairs of this commission, wish to state that they are unanimously in favor of the proposed legislation and that they consider the same of public benefit, and respectfully request that your committee take favorable action upon it.

They have been unable, because, as they believe, of their being Republican officials, to obtain from the authorities of the City of New York the moneys provided by the present laws to be raised for the purposes of their commission. If your committee desires to hear the Commissioners upon the subject of the bill, they will be pleased to appear before you whenever notified to do so. Very respect I'uily. (Signed) JOHN II. RIDER.

HENRY X. MEEKER, HENRY S3. RASQUIN. Could Not Apply Civil Service. Now.

Clarke's fourth charge is the statement that the records bill was so constructed as to provide and he reiterated that ho recites that the records bill was so constructed as to provide employment for an unlimited number of political workers without their being required to pass civil service examination. Now, I won't devote much time to that, but I can just settle it. in one minute. Every man in this audience knows that there is not a county civil service commission or county civil service authority in existence (cries of "Right" and applause) and has not been. The White civil service law which Just passed a few weeks before that bill passed, the final records bill, which is under discussion, provided for a state civil service com mission and for city civil service commissions and then said whenever said civil service commission, when it is deemed necessary or expedient, could apply such provisions of this bill to the other civic divisions of the state they may do so, bvit they have not done so.

If wc had put this in and every one of us had been il service reformers from the soles of our feet lo the crowns of our heads, that could not have been put in the bill, it was utterly Impossible. (Applause.) Now. there is this personal matter come in here that I am very sorry about. Mr. Clarke, in his statement tho other night, did make the statement, and I have got it in the exact words that were published in all the papers, that Mr.

Prendergast and Wilson argued against the passage of the bill before Governor Roosevelt. Now, of course 1 took that to mean that he meant that Mr. Wilson argued, that means that he must have been there to do that. I suppose he got that from Republican authority. (Laughter.) Somebody must have overheard me, because 1 have stated to one or two.

In consideration of this subject, that Mr. Wilson did not go, and I have said that Mr. Clarke's saying that he was there was just as much a misrepresentation of because it involved a tangible physical appearance of an individual at a certain place, as his other statements were misstatements of fact, that involved only some mathematical calculation of an abstruse subject. (Laughter.) Now, Mr. Wilson did not go there and of course therein Mr.

Clarke bears out my argument again by saying that he did not go there. i( Laughter.) Well, in connection w.ilh that, you remember lie so vigorously asked me so that he almost, made me interrupt him In the course of his remarks, to answer about Mr. Prendergast coming to my house last Friday night, and what Mr. Prendergast said. Mr.

Clarke, in his speech two weeks ago, delib used these words: "Mr. Woodruff tried to bribe Mr. Prendergast" with an office not to so to Albany and appear at the hearing before the Governor: and then he went on and quoted Mr. Prcndergast's statement correctly, but there wasn't anything in that to furnish a basis for any deduction that I had tried to bribe Mr. Prendergast.

I simply asked my friend not to go to the capital on this particular measure. Mr. Prendergast did come to my house last Friday night at my request, and I asked him if he had made any statement from which any. such deduction could be drawn. Uis reply was: "No, nor did I ever dream that you ever thought of such a thing." (Applause.) There were three witnesses to this that I can call upon if it is necessary.

I asked him if he didn't think he had better put it. down in black and white. His answer was, "I don't think I had better put my pen to paper on that subject because to do so would be to insult your intelligence and mine, too." (Applause.) Mr. Clarke's Charges Answered. Now, the fifth charge that Mr.

Clarke makes is that the appointment should not have been made vested in the District Attorney. Well, when I read that in his speech the other night I thought that Mr. Clarke was not familiar with the state constitution. (Laughter.) When he said that, he meant that Mr. Wilson not the introducer or the bill, but my beloved triend.

the postmaster (Laughter) said, when he criticized the bill, namely that it was an outrage that the power of appointment was not vested in the Mayor of the City of New York, or. if that would not do, in the Governor. Having no board of supervisors in Kings County, the bill, to be constitutional, provided that the District Attorney should make the appointment. Certainly, no one of the other four county officers, till of whom were Democrats, could be vested with the appointment of the successors of Republican commissioners, when that bill was to relieve the office from a Democratic "hold up." Therefore the appointment devolved upon Judge Hiram R. Steele, the present District Attorney, who, in the admirable appointment made by him, demonstrated that the confidence of the Legislature and the Governor in him was not misplaced.

In refutation of this fifth charge of the Democratic candidate for District Attorney only the provisions of the constitution constitute the refutation. While it is evident from what Mr. Clarke has said to night that he realizes that now if he did not two weeks ago to night. (Laughter.) As to what he says about Judge Aspinail, I am inclined to think that lawyers will bear mo witness that it would take Judges Hurd and Aspinwall together to constitute a county authority, and if that be so. that they do not separately and individually constitute a county authority, and if it takes the two together, it would have been rather absurd to have vested this power in them, when one is a Democrat and one is a Republican.

Then we'd have another hold up. (Laughter and applause.) Now the last and concluding charge in this great speech somewhat ameliorated bytheeon dilions that obtain here to night Is the sixth charge that Mr. Waldodid notattemptto carry out the policy which had been adhered to by Messrs. Ryder, Meeker and Rasquln. Ho were it.

not for the fact that, these statements, instead of being just generalities about, the taritf or something or other they are direct, charges upon bis political opponents, and if they had not been taken right up by somebody as thoy were, and refuted as they have been here now, (hoy would have done some injury. (Loud applause.) Now, 1 haven't got half way through. I was going to devote thirty minutes to refutation and thirty minutes to accusation. There will be no more trouble about proving lite accusation than there was about disproving the other. Woodruff Quotes the Eagle.

1 find in outlines of a news article in the Brooklyn Eagle the following about a Democratic county clerk: "Rankin's ruin. The Hall of Records Thieves Exposed. Positive Proof of Rascality." etc. Rankin held the office, from 1 s.st: tsss, inclusive. Then I found, under date of 2, an article in the Brooklyn Eagle, the of which were as follows: "No Trust, in County Records.

Gaynor Says They Are a Discredit and a Reproach. A Scorching Letter Sent to the Board of Supervisors." In his letter to the Beatd of Supervisors Judge Gaynor says: "I find tiic book, incorrect as to be untrustworthy, ami title searchers refu.se to mint, them. An examination of them develops fix. win errors, lx.ooo uf which are grave omissions in names and fhe like. The handwriting is inferior and obscure ami very difficult, to decipher." etc.

This had reference to the administration of the office under Cottier, another Democrat. And then I find, under date of May 211. 1804, an article in the Eagle, the headline of which are: "The Fine Hand of Finnegan. Some Light on the Gigantic Re Indexing Scheme. There Is Nothing at All Slow About It." In the body of the article is a statement as follows: "The bill (referring to the Finnegun bill) is not.

in the Interests of the county or the lawyers, but is in tho interest of thoise to whom it will give employment and of the Register. (Kenna. another Democrat.) It provides that the Register may be enabled, at a cost of perhaps $2,000,000. to do his work more easily and more cheaply, but it, does not provide that there bo any reduction of cost to the public." Editorializing under daie of May "0, the Eagle said: "Th responsibility for the bill providing for tho re Indexing of the records in the county Register's office seems to rest on the shoulders of Assemblyman Finnogan According to the theory that was accepted yesterday lie expects to be appointed to supervise the work. If It costs two million dollars to introduce the new system, the man who hits charge of it ought to make considerable money.

There are supposed to hi, ways of growing rich from fees received from copying records. An ingenious man could devise ways of making a fortune out of fees for indexing records. Unless the law requiring the work to be done is repealed or amended next winter the public will soon see where Mr. Finnegun comes in and where It (the public) is out of pocket. In an article under date of July lii.

IMtl, will be found tile, following in toe Eagle: "Register Kenna appeared before the board and made an oral statement in detail as to toe pronnuie cost 01 trie worn. 1:1. will impose upon me a duly. That, duty is to malic some estimate of the sums required to carry out this work. franklv say now that to carrv out the law fully fo past year.

and up lo January 1 xt would. my opinion, ca nearer to uno.nuu than to I'licn." the Eagle goes on to say, "the re. olution was adopted by the votes of the three Democrats, Supervisor at. Large Fitchte voting against it." "Work under the Finnogan bill was at once started, but. a Republican county clerk and a Republican register were elected in the fall of and took office on the 1st.

of January, lyie. Therefore, the work of re Indexing under the Finnegan bill continued only for a few mouths, bin will It; it did last it was of such a character as to tie characterized by Judge Gaynor. In his letter to the Board of Supervisors on May 2ft, as "so incorrect as to be untrustworthy, and title searchers refuse to trust, it!" And thes" copies, nindo by still another Democratic county clerk and thus characterised by Judge Gaynor, are to day rotting in the cellar of the Court House of this count y. Calls the Bill a Link in Reform. All this led the Republican Register who came in on January 1, ISM, to apply to the Legislature for an act so amending the original as to cut out the useless Indexes provided (or by sections 11 and 27, for the en.