The record-union., 1894-10-27
GHE EXPOSURES IN NEW YORK.

a1HE EXPOSURES IN NEW YORK.
The Lexow Legislative Committee dis
closures of police and Aldermanic rotten
ness in New York City are simply
astounding. It has been proved beyond
all possibility of successful denial. that
FPolice Sergeants and Captains rent to GER
tain parties the privilege of occupying
and obstructing the sidewalks; that the
police levy tribute upon retail dealers in
order to secure to the latter necessary
police projections; that shopmen and
manufacturers are compelled to make up
large purses to buy presents for Police
inspectors, Captains and Sergeants; that
innocent men and women are arrested
and bled Of money to regain their free
dom; that tenants are charged falsely
with immoral lives, in order to compel
the landlords to fee the police; that pros
aitutes buy immunity by regular weekly
payments to the police; that Aldermen
and police officials through Police Cap
'tains and Sergeants levy tribute upon
merchants, shopmen and manufacturers.
THAT even peddlers and sidewalk nut and
fruit stands pay tribute to the men of the
metropolitan police.
Officers have taken the stand and tes-
tilted to the legislative committee that
Jheir superiors have compelled them to
swear falsely in cases before police courts
ia order to retain their places. Officials
OF the Soda Water Manufacturers Asso-
ciation-representati of a dozen rich
cases-have sworn that they were COM
PEELED to levy tax of 81 week upon
soda fountain proprietors to raise purse
OF $500 to bribe Aldermen to grant per-
mits for the fountains. Zone day." said
the Secretary, "every stand was closed
up, and the next all were opened" be-
cause he had. in the meanwhile. paid up
.Ihe blood money that was little behind.
He testified that he himself had forty
soda stands. but held permits for but
two, the thirty-eight being under police
'connivance and paying no license fee.
In fact, to catalogue one-half the sus-
Hained accusations made against the
police and Aldermen of New York City
before the Lexow Committee would fill a
column in this journal
1t is a hopeful, most encouraging
thing. that it is possible to show up these
outrages; that witnesses testify to them;
that Legislative committees probe them,
and that the guilty are brought to pun
1shment. 1t proves that under a free
government we are capable of applying
self-correctives, and that while official
corruption, bribery and lying are sins as
old as time, in this day we are capable of
exposing them and of bringing the guilty
to punishment. Aldermen of cities are
convicted and sent to the State Prison;
dishonest bankers are doing time" in
~penitentiaries; corrupt administrators are
dragging ball and chain in prison quar-
-Ties; boodling political bosses and their
1ieutenants are serving out sentences in
penal institutions.
Brooklyn and New York within ear
have alone convicted and sent to prison
twenty eight of these corruptors of the
'ballot-box. In Chicago. New York,
Boston and Philadelphia dishonest o1li-
Gals have been exposed, condemned and
are now undergoing punishment.
We repeat that, while the time once
Svas when conviction of such rascals was
almost unheard of. in this day society
does follow up and punish derelict off.
-cials to greater extent than is generally
supposed, and that public courage in this
direction is steadily augmenting. All
which is a hopeful sign of the times.