The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-05

seventh street, which he positively denies that
brokers for the sale of places in the police to
candidates negotiated with them, receiving 5000
from each, 500 of which went into the hands of
the broker himself, and the balance to the Repub
lican General Committee; that the whole police
system is political machine;" that the ex-
peDses bave increased half million per anuum;
that il costs for coach hire for the commissioners
|! 1868, and for the single article of stationery
Sll 6l2; that money was raised in the force to
prevent the repeal Of the Metropolitan Police
bill-in fine, tina the consequence of making the
force an engine of party politics is, that most Of
its members are utterly corrupt some are thieves
and robbers, and some have committed rape and
other crimes, in which they have been detected
in the act and yet are retained in their places 10y
the commissioners. Such an intolerable piece
of iniquity was never before practised on a
long-suffering people. 1t is disgrace to the
city and to the Legislature.
For the last two OF three days we have
published the testimony in a case of in
yestigation before the Police Commissioners
into charges brought against members of the
Mayors squad by one Of its former members,
who is still in the police force-cbarges of black
mailing and bribery, and taking of money i'm
properly, by the men, who are represented as
dividing the spoils with the sergeants in order to
be permitted to carry on the game. The present
disclosure reminds US of the old adage, "when
rogues fall out" &c. The sergeant who brings the
charges was removed from the squad in conse-
quence Of some charges against himself
He has been behind the scenes-he knows the
ropes, and admits that he received large sums of
money, under the name of "expenses" The wit
ness further saith that he has no objections that
his wife should receive presents-that, in fact,
she had received gifts intended for him, but
which he would not take for the world himself,
because his doing so would be contrary to the
regulations of the force In this the officer had
good example in the case of one of the Com
missioners
A number Of witnesses have been exam
med, and with the exception Of one, they have
all, on their Oaths, denied "the soft i'm
peachment;" and not only so, but several de-
posed that they had never heard of policemen
taking money. If this testimony is to be be-
ieved, it only goes to show that the police are
ignorant of what everybody knows-of what is,
in fact, matter of public notoriety. Well might
the present captain of the squad observe that
che never heard such hard swearing in his lile;'
for the men who had boosted of the amount of
money they received, now positively denied all
knowledge Of such transactions-in fact, as he
stated in his testimony yesterday it was well
known the police formerly on the Mayors squad
would discharge no duty whatever unless
they received special payment for each case
from the parties interested. 1t came out,
however, though reluctantly, that to have the
charge Of the mock auction shops was deemed
good post for making money. So we should
think from the number of those establishments
winch nvasish in our principal thoroughfares,
under the very eyes OF Tire vNs~~-a--
One witness told the truth. He said he got
money himself, and they all got IT as VOL
as he did, though they did not acknowledge
it. The name Of this honest witness is policeman
James McCloud. Before he came on the stand
he was warned by his brethren that he would be
% broke" If he let out the secret. He said he
did not care-he would tell the truth. We
trust he will not be dismissed for this, but that
all against whom it can be proved that they re-
ceived money and perjured themselves by deny
ing it will be dealt with as such men deserve.
We trust that the Senate will take speedy and
vigorous action on the report of Its special com.
mittee, and that the Legislature will promptly
redeem itself and the city of New York from the
nfamy Of the Metropolitan Police bill, by wiping
it from the statute book and the commissioners
out Of official existence.