Show THEFT IS LEGALIZED How the tile City of New STew York is Bein Being Robbed Rolled CONTROLLED BY A GANG GANGI I CONDITIONS WORSE THAN DUR DUB DURING DURING ING TWEEDS TIME Controller Coler Color Makes Sensational Charges Accuses Corporation Counsel With Standing in With the Bill to Step Stop Practices Practices Practices tices is Defeated in 1 I New York March 3 Controller Coler today attacked the office of the corpo corporation corporation ration counsel In a way that is likely to create a storm He charged whole wholesale wholesale wholesale sale robbery and did not hesitate to say sa that bribery is rampant among amanS the city i office holders who he avers seem to have made the trade of theft respect respectable respectable able and thereby avoid the fate of the late William M al Tweed Robbery of oC the city of ot New York Is Isnow isnow now perfectly legalized he began besan I 1 prepared and sent to Albany a bill that would save the city from wholesale theft a bill providing that the persons 1 selling s supplies to the city eit departments shall not charge more than market prices The officer of the city whose wh duty dut it is to defend such went to Al Albany Albany Albans bany bans to defeat a bill providing that those th se selling goods to the city would not have ha e to prove that they the were over overcharging overcharging charging for them My 1 ly bill would stop legalized rob bc When I have hare held up bills and claims because the prices charged were above the market price the tM corporation i counsel coun el confessed judgment on the J I ground that the city had no defense as asI fraud had not been proved Defeated the Bill I When my bill to stop legalized rob robbery robbery robbery bery was introduced the corporation counsel hurried to Albany to defeat It The city has been robbed outrageously in the purchase of supplies There is a concerted movement on the part of I certain departments to prevent the finance department from protecting the treasury In some cases large reduction were made on bills because they were fraud fraudulent fraudulent fraudulent and the prices charged were more than double the market value yet if these the cases had been taken to court the counsel would not defend because fraud had not been shown I must prove fraud or there Is no defense To prove fraud and actual bribery Is a difficult matter I cannot go into dark rooms TOOms and see the money passed In one case safes were Wee purchased by bythe bythe bythe the city for OO The mayor maor of Mt lIt advertised for bids for the same ame kind of If safes and got for or aOL In another case case carpets were bought at auction for 1 ie a yard that could be bej beI j I bought bo for SS cents ts Tweed did not J W to ln a e em manner m and went to jail jaU in hi conse donse j I quence Legalized robbery of or the city Is now respectable r Things hl are worse o ih liim f I than hi in Tweeds time Thousands u of I persons are subsidized by the city through the purchase of supplies in InI lots Jots that cost less than 1000 The pat patronage patronage I taken away awa by b the civil service is distributed in that way wa wai i I My y bill would stop all this robbery j and bribery brIber and theft but the corpora corporation corporation corporation tion counsel In his official capacity goes I to Albany and uses his influence to de I I for feat eat themselves the bilL The people ran can judge I |