The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-20
Ho Desired to InAugurate a Cru-
sads Against Vice and Inn
morality.
Sustaining His Charges Against tho Nav
York Police Dapsrtment-Tho OBJ
Ject He Had Ia View.

! trust, however, that ! shall be acquitted
Of any p~resnmptuous intention, moro Ell
p~ecially AZ up to this time have not pennet
= single word either in acknowledgment o
the support that has been accorded ms o.
in reply to the criticisms that have beer
passed upon me.
Even new my object ID not so much Il
defend the methods which I have seon i
wise to adopt IS to put in distinct shap,
tho one object toward which ! am working
whether ~ preacher or As president Of thu
Society for the Prevention of Crime.
In the sermon which was preached from
my pulpit on ths 14th of February last, the
ons point urged was that ono Of the great
ont difficulties which thu church has to on
counter in tbs prosecution Of its work ii
the licsnse which 10 municipality allowed te
vice. This was Immediately met on tho
part Of municipal euthorities with a tenn.
pest Of raillery which illuminated in the
pressntmsnt OF this February grand Jury.
Twas told that my charRea we're general,
that l had no idea what I was talking
about, and that the whole tendency OF such
vituperation was to bring tbs government
into disrepute.
In the sermon preached from the same
pulpit four weeks later I accepted the
position and squared myself in it. or tried
10. and took and maintained tho position
that not only we're the general charges that
I had previously made supported by facts,
but specifically TINT liquor saloons, gam
Bling houses, and houses Of prostitution
ware protected BY tbs police Department.,
apparently for u valuable consideration.
My contention Was then, is now. and will
continue to be with the controlling powers
OF the police department, considered as
the guardian OF crimiaality. meaning by
sentiment Of the March grand jury, which
held mp that department before the commu-
nifty in the character Of q criminal, and it
still hangs there.
The evidence which, with the aid of de-
~tectives and friends I was easily able to
collect, was secured with the distinct end
Of showing by unimpeachRble testimony
something Of tbs extent. infamy, and pub
licity Of certain crimes. with the necessary
inference that if . police force as compe-
tent as ours is conceded to be, and in the
possession Of all those legal powers known
TO be accorded TO it, fails to hold such
crimes in stern check, IL can only be be-
cause Of having entered into some OWL al
lance With them. It was not at all a mat
ter between me and any Individual parties.
284 affidavits I said: "Centleman, / have
no interest in the conviction of these pat-
ties. Evidence has not been secured
against them for the sake of inducing you
to indict them. My object has been solely
to secure in the general mind an indiot-
ment against the police Department.
Whom. therefore, for instance, the suit
against tho keoper of that low resort on
Twenty-seventh street ia represented as a
contention between DR.. Parkhurst and
Hattie Adams, there is not a suggestion of
truth in it. I have no personal controversy
With hnr n with this koa,,op ~ Apv nfhav
disorderly house or gambling house. My
contention is only with tho police, who al
low this crimes Of such houses to be 80 vile
and accessible, in disregard of ono OF the
rules of the department, which IS that
"Enoh .patrolman must, by his vigilance,
render it extremely difficult, if not impos-
sible, for amy one to commit crime on his
post"
Ny connection with the dispossess suit
recently initiated against the les8ee of the
house Just mentioned il due rimply to tho
accident Of my own knowledge Of tho char.
aoter OF that houne. obtained for another
purpose. but naturally enough utilizsd by
the landlord when it became necessary for
him to make a show Of attempting to dis
possess his tenant. My only object in re-
the smok that the pol1es department and
others in alliance with it are Blowing into
the air, and to bring clearly to the alton
ton of the public tho fact that the Grim
inal par e1oellsuee is not Hattie Adams,
nor Drink" Davis. nor "silver Dollars
tho grand jury SO vigorously scored-n
scoring, by the way. which derives no
small part of it's Significance FROM the fact
that it expressed the unanimous consonaus
OF q jury that was composed OF Catholics,
Jews and ProtestRnta, and mado up Of rep
resentatiyes Of every political party.
Now, l am NOS going to enter into any de-
Tense of the methods which I adopted in
order to secure my evidence. / will only
take the liberty of saving that those meth
DDS were adopted after n prolonged balanc-
ing of tho pros and %contras, and in face of
every criticism that has been passed, or
that may be passed. I desire to stand up
in the presence of this community and aay
that it was the only method by which I
could have cut to the quick of this whole
corrupt business; II was tho only method
BY which | coald earn the power to shy, II
Know / have waded through quantities
of filth in order to win that knowledge, and
to win the vantage power that came with il,
md would vado through it all again boz
foro ! would surrender that vnntags power,
even though 10 dearly earned.
lf the police fear me and hato me to. day
do not say that they do, but il they do
1t IS because they are aware that I know
whereof affirm. and beonnss they are as
snred that Reither their threats nor their
plots nor any kind of Safeguarding will
shake me- from tho held which nv personal
knowledge of the iniquity which they prac-
tioally NOT to say actually, protect, has So
cured me.
As to certain criticisms that have been
passed, even by my friends, 7 want to saw
that l give Thorn full credit for sincerity in
their structures; at the sams timo il ID al
waya to DO remembered that 1t is n thou-
sand times easier to c~riticiRA anothcr'e no.
ton than IL id to act ones self, and if while
! was planning how / could do something
to help the cause some one else had devised
a better method than tho one | was worltinr
out, l nm sure ! should nave been only too
happy to strike into it and work at their
hide and under their lead.
1t has been claimed that work of 80 dirty
a character l ought to have hired some ono
to do for me. / loaths this suggestion and
] loathe tho craven spirit that prompts ii.
Ii 1t was Visions in me to visit those places !
myself, IL would have bssn equally vicious,
an added element OF damnabls COW
to get some one elss to do ID for me,
suoh system of ethics NJ that has either
the moral vieor or this intellectual acumen !
to bore into the heart Of e1iating eorlup.
lion.
In this connection, I think IL will not BIZ
improper for me to acknowledge my obliga-
lion to my frisud, John 1LapRdon Irving,
! have just learned to know with sx. !
neptional intimacy. | trusted him when | /
look him into the work, and tentold +.
ID the confidence that | have In his
manly purity to-day, for ! know how he
has shrunk from the disgusting task which
bO has had In sMrfnr., H. A. ;,.tzLa ia.