New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-06


only 10000 in 5000 cast, wn elected
Major. TIE City Judge and Recorder. from want
of time or inclination paid little attention to their
duties q, Com nss:oners, save that whore the party
vas ipte,e-ted the Recorders voice was smoss
invariably with the Mayor. 1t need hardly be
st.t.d that 40 able aud unscruPulcus man I"
Major Wood at once TnPed and welded tue
Police for bis own advantage, converting it slowly
but surely into great electoneerlDg mschine, 70
Be managed a. he might deem IT. This h.s1ns
abuse of power became 20 manifest on bis rs-
election in 1856, that there Was universal demand
for some restriction upon his highbanded proceed
jpps. This demand resulted 10 the Metropolitan
Police Act, of tie passage and stormy Inauguration
Of which our readers have vivid recollection.
The prejudice and bad feeling which met this
radical change in the government OF the Police
having in great measure worn of-st least 90 tar
a. the law is concerned-we think the people at
large are ready TO concede that some excellent I'M
proyemenis have been achieved. The outrageous
conduct Of Mr.. Wood threw ont Of the Department
many Of the beat officers, and the new Commission
we're obliged to supply their places with raw re-
cruts That some Inefficient aud some bad men
should get in among FIVE or ak hundred new names,
or that some Of the worst of the old force should
msnsge to retain their places, is not surprisns; IN
fact, considering the number Of that sort counten-
anced under Woods rule, it is wonderful Ihss
there are now 80 few. There has, too, been tim
idity of management in the Commission, and par
tcul.riy in the Superintendent Office, which has
failed to make improvement if it has not tolerated
abuse-a timidity which We have reason to believe
is rspiiiy disappearing, to give place to vigorous
and energetic administration.
Comparipgtbe present force with the model NUM-
cipa Police, or Mayor Guard, Of 1885, We fad that
we have better men, better discipline more general
prevention of crime, and better enforcement Of
lava relating to the peace and order Of the people
Gambling is less VIGOROUSLY prominent; street
begging is almost suppressed; rowdy brawls are far
less frequent; crimes against the person are lever
and mider; highway robbers and garosers are
seldom heard of; strangers are reasonably protect
ed at steamboat landings; h,ck-driSers and emf
grant runners are under wholesome restraint; the
public parks are no longer the hidins-paces OF
bswds and DULLES; Harbor Police has materi Ally
interfered with river thieves; mounted force
keeps needed watch over the sparsely settled dis
trcrs north Of arlem there is no chance for rogues
to escape New York justice by fleeing to Brooklyn;
the low grog..bops in the city are kept under strict
surveillance; liquor selling on Sunday has been re-
stricted to greater degree than ever before, and
the quiet and order Of that day have been insured to
an extent that few persons year ago would have
deemed possible.
1t would be easy to present from the records Of
the De partment, an array of figures to show an
immense increase in the general work done, but
these are not needed. That the arrests are quad
ruped in number, only proves that the old Police
neglected their duty and that the present force 90
not 1t is rather in the general tone of the Depart
ment, that we fud the chief improvement. There
is an air of business about the men, self respect
an esprit du corps quite different from tho oafernh
negligence SO mu,h and 30 justly complained OF
few years ago. There are exceptions. undoubtedly;
but this is true of the men generally.
II should be added that whatever the Police have
done for the prevention and punish nent OF crime
has been accomplished in spite Of the indirect oP
position of the Magistracy. While the judges OF
petty criminal courts are in duty bound to use
all legal power to sustain the Police, we soc in
this city that the rufhan or the lawbreaker often
finds his warmest friend on the Bench. Take
single notorious instance, that Of wellknown
ticket swindlipg emigrantb house keeper.
A dozen times or more have the police arrested
this fe low in cases so plain that he did not even
deny them; yet his political influence is such that
no magistrate thinks it safe to punish him, and so
only the transparent sham Of taking straw bail 10
enacted, and the confirmed swindler goes forth to
seek fre,h victim, as likely as not threatening the
officer with beating for daring to arrest him.
Such cases, of all degrees ofmportance, are Of daily
occurrence; most of the petty magistrates find in
these reckless criminals the men who made them
candidates and elected them to Office, and either
fear or gratitude is pretty sure to bring His
Honor" to the scoundrels relief whenever any
one of them falls into the hands Of the Police. II
to the improvements in executive administration
recently commenced, the Police could have the
support, or even be relieved from the opposition of
the Courts, We feel sure that another year would
show the Metropolitan Police to be the best or
ganzed, most efficient and respectable police force
in any country. The general history Of the city
for the year, thus far in its paucity Of such crimes
as . Police ia able to prevent, speaks strongly in
favor Of the present system; and altogether, con-
,idering the extraordinary difficulties which al
must overwhelmed the experiment, we think the
oider.lo7ing public will agree with US that the
Metropolitan Police Law has worked for the gen
erL welfare Of the District, and particularly Of
the City Of New.York