Perrysburg Journal

DOES NOT BOW TO CROKER.

The Mayor of New York Gives Some Interesting Testimony to the Legislative Investigating Committee.

New York, May 17.—Mayor Van Wyck was in the witness chair yesterday before the assembly committee appointed to investigate the workings of the municipal departments.

He was questioned as to whether he consulted with Richard Croker regarding the conduct of the city government and flatly denied that he did so.

Mr. Van Wyck denied that he had been elected mayor by Tammany. He had, he said, been chosen by the people of Greater New York.

"Who is there in the organization which is sponsor for your administration that has more power than Mr. Croker?" asked Mr. Moss.

"Nobody has more power than I have," replied the mayor.

"Have you done a single thing contrary to the wishes of Mr. Croker?" demanded the lawyer.

"I don't know," said the mayor.

"You have never been called to account?"

"Nobody dare call me to account," responded the mayor, warmly. "I cannot be called to account except the court shall organize some judicial tribunal. No individual can call me to account."

Mr. Moss, counsel for the committee, asked Van Wyck a question which implied that the mayor was financially interested in pool rooms which are alleged to be running here in violation of law.

Mr. Van Wyck indignantly denied the imputation and challenged Mr. Moss to produce the evidence. The only satisfaction the latter would give the mayor was to tell him to wait a day or two and he would learn something that he evidently knew nothing about now.

The mayor said he had dismissed Chief McCullagh because he thought he was not a fit man for the head of the police force.

Police Commissioners Phillips and Hamilton were also removed because he believed they were unfit. Phillips had been indicted, and the mayor wrote to him that he must seek a speedy trial or be removed. The latter happened. Hamilton had told the mayor that he would consent to no transfer of any member of the force without previously consulting Senator Platt.

"I told him," testified the mayor, "that the police department could not be run from Washington."

The mayor said that from rumors he believed that just before Hamilton was removed a combination was being formed between Hamilton, Quigg, Gibbs and McCullagh to sell positions on the police force. That was just previous to Hamilton's removal. In an interview with McCullagh he had told the chief of police that he was a liar when the latter had stated that he knew nothing about the politics of any police inspector or captain. Any chief of police, said the mayor, must know the politics of his officers.

The mayor said that if Devery was as bad as McCullagh, he ought to be "kicked out, too."

Whether Devery was better than McCullagh the mayor did not know. He had tried to find out, but about all he knew was that the city was in a more orderly condition than it ever had been in his memory, and that the laws were better enforced.

The mayor was questioned about his personal experiences regarding the immorality in this city and the mayor retorted that Mr. Moss was morbid about vice.