, 1874-11-22

The extent to which large city iB infested
with gamblers. thieves, confdcnce-men. roughs,
and the dangerous classes generally, depends on
the vigilance Of the police in driving them out.
The rule is that every city must take caro- OF
itsolf the effect Of its application is, that the
cities whose authorities are la1 hayo more than
their proportion. The gamblers and thieves be-
long to nomadic class, and migrate before con-
stituted authority. There is certain " Ma-
sonry about their organization which enables
them to communicate secretly and quickly the
relative chances in the various cities
aro changed according to circumstances.
This year It will become generally under
stood, perhaps. thas they will find no
comfort in New York Or Boston next year that
adelphia or St. Louis and 50 they avoid the cities
where they have received warnings, and congre-
gate in larger number in those cities where their
operations are treated with greater leniency.
When the Peoples Party (?) went into power
in Chicago about year ago. there vas general
advertisement to tho gamblers and thieves
throughout the country that the policy Of the
Chicago authorities would be ''liberal"; the re-
suit was thnt the dangerous classos flocked hero
BY the scores and hundreds. As they found that
the policy had not been misrapresented, they
have been constantly increasing instead Of de-
creasing ever since
Most Of the other cities in this country have
decided advantage over Chicago and othar nli-
nois cities in tho possession Of mora stringent
laws for the apprehension or dispersal OF the
known bad characters. These LAWS have been
generally adopted by State Legislatures after the
model Of the English code for ar1esting profess
sional criminals when found in suspicious places.
In Philadelphia, for instance. there ia what is
known as the tt Ninety-Day Law" which author
ICES the police to arrest any man known to be =
thief, conideuce-opesator, bunko-roper, or noto-
ploymeut or in place likely to develop his Grim
inal propenslties. When arrested, the nan is
taken before magistrate, who is author
ized to hold him over for good be-
havior to any amount which may seem
proper. II the known criminal fail to furnish
bail he is sent to prison TOR ninety days, and he
may be rearrested when his term il finished II
he is again found under similar conditions to the
first arrest. When bail is furnished, It is
usually under the condition that tho vagrznt
shall leave the city. New. York has law known
as the IS Professional Criminals Act" OF like
application and so, We believe, have Detroit,
Milwaukee, and several other large citiea. As
long as the Illinois Legislature neglects to pro-
vide similar law for the protection Of Chicago
aud other cities in this State, ne shall be at =
constant disadvantage. The bun1o- gamblers.
confdence-men, and thieves driven out Of
other cities under these Laws will come
to Chicago, where no such danger awaits
them. Moreover. our police and Justices
have this excuse of defective law constantly at
hand to urge explanation OF their failure
to suppress the criminal c!asses. The municipal
authorities of Chicago should exert themselves
to induce the Legislature which meets next
winter to provide law by which known crimi-
nails may be arrested when they are found loaf
ing about as vagrants, and be compelled by our
Police Magistrates to give bonds for thoir good
behavior OF go to jail, where, il they must be
supported at the expense Of the law-abiding,
peaceable, and industrious classes, they will at
least bo prevented from committing criminal
depredatons on the public