Connecticut western news., 1893-06-15

political privileges and public offices from governor down to street sweeper, all of which are auctioned and sold to the highest bidder. This mummy boss is reputed to be one of the wealthy men of New York. Did he come honestly by his wealth, or has it been wrung by in- direction from the pockets of the tax payers? The question concerns us deep ly, directly, vitally. But few years ago Dick Croker had no visible means of support. He is a rich man today and indulges in the costly luxury of fast horses and racing stables that may well excite the envy of prince or potentate.
 "It is uppermost in every thoughtful citizens mind how the leading politi- clans of Tammany Hall have made big fortunes on small salaries. Have we ah~ other Tweed ring2 Oh. mol There is no stealing going on now. Our rulers are not made of the coarse stuff of common thieves. They are refined in manners as well as methods. All that we can charge against them is that they belong to the new school of political prestidigitators. Without stealing outright, after the clumsy fashion of the embezzler, they still manage to amass enormous riches. How do they manage itp By birthday presents, by taxing crime, by assessing oficeholders, by dividing salaries, by bleeding merchants, by extorting cam paign contributions, by selling legisla- tive votes, by commissions on public contracts, by shares in corporations in return for political favors, by stock spec ulations on the strength of secret tips given in advance of decisions or con- templated actions of judges or legisla- tors and by an infinite variety of artful subterfuges and plausible substitutes for direct theft.
 "Oh, no! We have no Tweed ring, but if Tweed were alive today he'd open his eyes in amazement at the Improvements invented since his time. He would have to apply to Tammany leader for course of lessons in the elementary prin- ciples of the new political art of getting unrighteously rich without having to serve a term ill Sing Sing prison"
 This is the report of a man elected by the Democratic party ruled by Tarr.- many Hall in this state. He knows what he is talking about. He knows it from personal observation.
 DIR. PARKHURsT's SOCIETY.
 Fifth-We observe it in the fact of the collusion of officers with criminals them selves. The present debauchery of the city is due in large measure to the fact that men charged with the execution of the law have themselves become the companions of lawbreakers-haveth them. selves become the partakers of crime by profit by crime. Official blackmail is a fact-a painful fact-that has been thor oughly established by the crusade which Dr. Parkhurst's society has been so suc- cessfully making in the past. Our cities are rotten to the core because our of fcers, tempted by the corruption of poli- tics, have fallen victims to the evils they have sworn to suppress. And the time has come when the men who represent the supremacy of law in our citizenship must rise in their might and cleanse the whole legal machinery of our cities, or we will suffer relapse in the very fundar mentals of civilization itself.
 Sixth-The oppression of the poor is the direct result of our infamous gov ernment. The extravaganza of our mod ern municipal governments is something amazing. The city treasurer of New York receives annually the enormous sum of $90, ,000, ,000 More than half this amount is spent directly in the city gov. ernment, and yet our streets reeked in filth through the past winter and were not cleaned at all for the length of three months, and yet we have thousands of children turned into the streets for the lack of buildings to accommodate them. Our public franchises are sold by our of fcers for personal profit. The city is cheated of millions of dollars which should go into the public treasury and bear the burden of taxation. The pres. ent comptroller of the city declares that the franchises now in force in this city, for which we do not get cent, should bear revenue sufficient to pay the en- tire expenses of the city government. Out of all this enormous income the peo- pie of New York were swindled, and the people must bear 1t. The landlords pay the taxes, and the people pay the land lords.
 Is 1t any wonder, then, that New York furnishes twe-thirds of all the convicts who are in the prisons of the cityp That there are at least one murder or man. slaughter and 10 suicides week? That there are 82 ,000 men and women arrest ed every year? That there are 22, 1000 who arc arrested for drunkennessp Fifty per cent pass through the Tombs prison every year. New York has 100, 900 child workers. There are 1000 working women, some of whom work at gingham waists for boys for 2i cents dozen. There are 15,000 children, 60,0O0 men and women without homes, wandering in the streets and sleeping in them at night or in any fugitive shelter they can obtain. Thirty acres of land have IT, 900 people crowded on them, and as many as IA people are found in one bed room! On one cold night in winter 600 human beings fought for the privilege of sleeping on the bare plank of the dirty police station lodging houses.
 With these problems staring us in the face as municipality the government of the city, so far from removing the causes and relieving the distress, is busy adding wrath to the day of wrath, and this condition of affairs is in large meas ure due to their misgovernment, extrav. agance and oppression. How long this can continue and the city not threaten the foundations of national and state government, who can tell?