Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-06
A DOUBTFUL EXPERIMENT.

Societies for the prevention of crime are certain ''get themselves disliked" by bad men, a i'd some of these societies use such methods that even all good men do not ap- prove of them. The good men who object do so on the ground that there are limits to the mean advantage which it is proper to take of those who break certain laws. They do not find fault with regularly organized police man if he sneaks about and lies in wait in dark corners to catch @ burglar, an incendiary, or murderer, or even if he perches himself upon lonely and unfrequented fence to watch interesting proceedings in house of ill-fame. But when ssspy" of the Society for the Pre- vention of Crime inveigles unsuspecting bar keepers into selling illegal drinks their gorge rises. The societies, it must be confessed, have good defence against their critics. They stand in the attitude of vigilance com mittees in communities where they declare it a disgrace that the law is not so enforced that vigilance committees are not needed. And they ask, with considerable pertinence, how better state of things is to be brought about unless they attack law-breakers in the only way by which it seems possible to catch them. They also point to the good results which fol- low their work as justification of it.
 The Society for the Prevention of Crime in New York city has taken course which, while it seems calculated to be effective in soaring some out of the commission of crime within the limits of it's jurisdiction, will cause great deal of discussion as to it's wisdom. It is planned to watch those who are ''habitual frequenters" of disreputable houses, gambling hells and other vicious resorts, and to keep 8 record of their names. These names are not to be published or otherwise improperly used. But it is proposed to bring such pressure to bear upon those who get on 'sthe black list" as will induce them to cease their visits to the objectionable places and aid in breaking them up. If the warming given is not taken raid is on the programme, and respectable gentlemen" will find an opportunity for repentance in the DO lice court. MT. Whitney. the chief executive officer of the society, in explaining and de- lending the plan, says: ''No good man can pos sibly suffer from our system. People who only visit these places casually or out of curiosity, who go once or twice, or take friend from the country with them to see the sights, why, we never interfere with them. It is the habitua prohigates the hardened ones, that we are af- ter, particularly those who, from their wealth and position, aid in protecting and extending the evil Besides the disreputabIe houses and places of assignation, we keep close watch over the gambing hells. When a respectable man enters one of them and begins playing our detectives take note of him. If he plays deeper and deeper, we try to warn him. If he goes on using the money of his employers
 we try, if we can do so without oHense, te warn his superiors. Sometimes these persons take the warning unkindly. In that event we can only break up the house and arrest the in. mates and the respectable men among them
 have one case under my eye now-that o cashier in large banking housewife is losing large sums weekly. If we can save hin we shall we shall raid the house at al
 events"
 Every precaution has been taken to proven an improper use of the information gained bl the detectives employed in the work. The records are kept in Mir. Whitney's own pos session, and no one else is allowed to set them. Astanding reward is offered for proo of the slightest attempt on the part of any
 of the detectives to levy blackmail on account
 of their knowledge. One batch of the records | if reporter is to be believed, is deposited 1T Ca magazine drawer" with about two pounds
 of dynamite, so arranged that when tempered with it will blow up the thief and the records l together.
 Unquestionably this scheme is intended to | do as much good and as little harm as possi | ble. MT. Whitney is an honest and uprigh
 man, and will not use the knowledge he gainl
 from his spies wrongfulIy. But it is too mucf
 to expect that his detectives, who must neces
 sarily be men of hot very high character, vii all refrain from making their knowledge, l which will always be theirs, serve their owr 1 ends It is also 8 question how much th' I aggregate of crime will be decreased. Th | only ground on which the plan seems to be al all defensible is that it will do more good thai
 harm, and it would take great deal of testi mony which is not yet available to prove that '