Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-04-12
THE POLICE.
LABOR DEMANDS AN lNVES-
TlGATlON.

TiGATION.
August Senator'S In Quandary.-
Politicians Afraid to Turn the
"Fassett on the Augean Stables
OF Mulberry Street.
At the regular meeting of the Build
ing Trades Section last week, the fol:
lowing address to the Senate Investi-
eating Committee known from the name
of its President as the Fassett Commit
tee, was unanimously adopted:
TO the Senate Investigating Committee:
As citizens vitality interested in honest
government we address you on subject
Of the gravest importance.
The investigation as thus far con-
Quoted by your committee has served to
justify the oft-repeated charge of organ
lied labor, to wit: That the government
of this city was in the grip and at the
mercy Of men. whose only interest in
a public trust was the opportunity it
gave them to plumber the people. The
evidence already before you shows that
one Of the most important departments
of this city and county has been man
aged largely in accordance with the
principle that prevails on pirate ship
and which actuates bandits.
AS men who have noted the trend
of public affairs we feel justified If we
declare that the rottenness characteriz.
ing the Sheriff's Office prevails in nearly
every municipal department, and that
it differs only in degree. Therefore it is
that we, representatives of the largest
organized body of citizens in New York.
ask your committee to begin at once
an investigation into the affairs of, the
Police Department, which, as it exists
to-day, Is menace and disgrace to the
city.
The police force is composed Of about
three thousand men, whose maintenance
costs the people about $4,OO0,000 a year.
The business, the duty of these men is
to protect life and property. While it
is true that the department contains
men who conscientiously perform their
duty, yet it is equally and lamentably
true that the force, as a body, is dis
honest, brutal, even criminal. 1t has
reduced the art of Matchmaking to a
science; maintained system Of terror
ism over certain helpless classes of the
community; exerted itself in the inter.
est OF certain candidates; established a
system of espionage over respectable
citizens for no other purpose than to
prosecute them should they offend the
powers that be.
1t has made the police business SO
profitable that men pay large bonus
for position on the force. Such pc.
sitions Us sergeant, captain and inspec-
tor, are prizes that bring large sums OF
money to men who have them at their
disposal. Promotion does not depend
upon merit; man must buy his grade
from roundsman to superintendent,
That the business is profitable may be
judged from the fact that there are
police officers in this city living like
nabobs and at rates that merchants can.
not Afford One police official has a
$4,000 mansion in this city and two
seaside residences, one at Far Rockaway
and one at Red Bank, N. j. True it is
that many police officials have married
heiresses, but it is a significant fact that
the ladies were never known as heiresses
until after their husbands had attained
the rank of captain or Inspector
1t is a matter Of common notoriety
that police officials regularly levy trib
ute on every immoral den in this city;
that the outcasts who walk the streets
pay toll for the privilege of plying Their
kat sails
ers are compelled to pay for police pro
lection, and that every gambling den in
this city pays for the privilege of exist
ing. Every man of affairs here knows
that police officers have acted as agents
for certain brands Of liquor, and that
saloon keepers who purchased it were
allowed to do business day and night
while those who could not be coerceC
into making purchases We're systemati
cally prosecuted. 1t is a fact that police
men have compelled storekeepers t
purchase tickets for entertainments OF
books in which high officials of the de
partment were interested.
As to the morale of the force, thai
may be judged from the fact that al
many as 5000 charges have been pre-
ferred against policemen in single year
Allowing that a certain proportion o
the accusations were born of malice
yet we come within the bounds of VERT,
when we say that for every charge pre-
ferred three Otfenses were committed
To-day there are in State prison police
men who were convicted of murder
robbery and other felonious crimes
Four are in Sing Sing for murder
Scores of policemen have been arrested
within brief period for robbery, lar
ceny, burglary, extortion, assaults ant
offenses against women.