Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-13
PROBLEMS OF GREAT CITIES.
Rev. DIR. Parkhurst Speaks About His Work
in New York.

Rev. DR.. Parkhurst Speaks About His Work
in New York.
Rev. DR.. Chas. Fl. Parkhurst Of New York lee
tured Thursday night in Baltimore on Problems
Of Great Cities" Treating on those lines las.
night he did no. mince his words, but in scath-
ing terms alluded to the municipal government
Of New York city as one of great corruption,
and Tammany Hall as the alder and abetter Of
crime and vice for revenue only.
DR.. Psrkhurst commenced By referring to
the all-absorbing problem OF reforming city
life and government. saying: IF You change
the city, you change the contiguous country
territory; change New York, and you change
the state"
He called attention to the excellent municipal
government of Manchester and Birmingham.
in England. and then continued: "You have,
therefore. this fact. that in Birmingham for the
major part OF sixty years. council of one
political complexion has selected the high mu-
nicipal officials from the opposition party. Try
to imagine parallel of that city council here
in Baltimore. and that a republican council
annually elected a democratic MAYOR, or vice
versa. 1t is enough to make one dizzy to i'm
agine such possibility"
DR.. Parkhurst thought people could do some
thing to reform city governments, for, said he
"One man can chase a thousand. / am not
Dragging. for [ have done it, and any man can
do it," He strongly urged the great need Of
best citizens controlling government speaking
eloquently Of the holy obligations of citizen
ship to vote only for righteousness. He said it
was an immense satisfaction to speak under the
auspices of church, and he urged the duty Of
church people to aid in purifying politics
II answer the question, What can be done to
reform our cities? in nine words" said be. Get
the facts, state them, stand up to them. If
have done ANYTHING in New York city have
done that. and nothing more nor less Lately
they sentenced an agent of our society in New
York for blackmail. am not here to defend
him. but will only say that a combination
crowded him to the wall because he tried to do
| what they claimed to have a monopoly of. Only
turn little daylight on crimiuality and pet
crimes and they will prosecute you. The only
reason Tammsny hates me is because tried to
snatch the mask from their face. We thought
the police we're paid enough by the city to pun
ish criminals without being psid again by the
criminal classes for protecting them. 1 tried
| to cut off their revenue. Had gone to Albany
| and aided them in getting a little more of the
| stuff l could have been a prince among them.
1 might have been police justice or captain by
this time. They proposed to put me in the
penitentiary and later in the Salvation Army,
and then they dressed me up with horns and
| tails. Any man who bucks against criminaity
n New York. here or elsewhere. is sure to be
hated.
almost everything 1 have said tonight l
know. and what do not know 1 am sure Of.
We want to be fit for heaven. but we want this
world to be fit to live in before we go there.
We will trust Gods providence. but it will not
answer to presume on it, The evil will have to
be overcome by the good, and personality is
| the thing that will have to do it, and with con-
| victions and courage, remembering always that
the security and honor of a community lie not
SO much in its great statesmen. in its powerful
leaders. or even in its educational advantages.
as it does in the number of its men and women
with whom righteousness is a chronic passion,
civic duty part of Christianity, and political
| corruption in any of its multitudinous shapes
a sensitive irritation and permanent challenge