STATES & CITIES: O'Brienisms (Cont'd)

When Mayor John Patrick O'Brien, Tammany's big-bodied, lantern-jawed stopgap, moved into New York City Hall fortnight ago, he promptly hung up in his private office a picture of Rev. Michael Earls who had taught him English at Holy Cross College. Last week the O'Brien English continued to make front-page news as veteran reporters, accustomed to the neat nothings of James John Walker, attempted to extract sense from the new Mayor's utterances.

The Board of Estimate pledged a $40,000,000 budget cut—half in salaries, half in other expenses—to bankers who had helped the city...