The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-22
GOFF ON TAMMANY.
Everybody in New York City
Was BlaCkmailed.
But the Vast Power of the Machine
Has Been Broken and
Scattered.

WASHINGTON, Nov. N.-J0hn w. Golf.
the prosecuting attorney for the Lexow
inves tigating committee. who is stopping
in Washington for few days, has g ven
the Evening Star an interesting interview
on the work of the committee.
"We know positively" said he, that
the Police Department of New York was
systematically black mailing all classes of
citizens. l speak within the bounds of
my knowledge when | say there was not
a business man in New York City who had
not felt the powers of police blaekmail.
There were perhaps very few instances
where honorable men had refused 10 give
their tlthes of Illegal tax to the police, but
almost without exception these men were
forced out OF business.
Zone peculiar feature of the blackmail
was tina. il spared no one class, however
obscure its calling. You may be surprised
when l say New York, under the rule of
the Police Department controlled by Tam
many Hall, was far worse as regards
espionage Of the citizens than ST. Peters
burg under its most violent police regime.
las an Illustration of the IRENE ndous
powers welded by this organization,
will refer 10 the difficulty we had in Oh
tanning witnesses to 60 upon the stand
and swear to facts they had brought TO us
in private. AT first this applied TO all
classes, both reputable AMI disreputab BILE.
When appealed 10 they would claim that
if they should testify the police would
hound them out of the city. When asked
ii they could not 90 elsewhere and estab-
lish themselves in business. they would
reply that the persecution of the police of
New York would follow them to every city
in the country, and we gradually revealed
the astounding fact that the police of New
York not only dominated every city but
every large community in the country.
The lower classes OF citizens were made
to believe blackmail was lawful and regu-
lar. They came to consider the captain IF
their precinct as the source of all NUM-
cipai authority. In effect he was such to
them.
You ask me If 1 think this power is
now crushed. do most emphatcally. I
think that the public conscience having
once been aroused, the machinery of this
nauseOus system exposed, there will be
perpetual bar against the development of
such an organization in the future. l con-
slider the great danger to our form of gov
ernment lies in the possibility of municipal
misrule. The tendency is too strongly to-
ward the grow tn of the urban community
at the expense of the rural. This feeds
the machine. that ii not watched and
checked, will grow to such vast corrupt
influence as that which we have just de-
stroyed In New York. Capitalization,
believe. as the investigation has proved, Is
the danger Of the day.
II cannot speak too highly of the compo-
sition of the committee which employed
me as Its counsel. Though appoin ted by
Republican Senate and containing a ma
joriy of The memb ers OF that party, these
men have acted throughout the iDvestiga-
ton like non.partisans. and they have up
held The counsel in every move that has
promised to demonstrate the problem that
confronted us.
u cannot answer the question as to
where The blackmal money went or in
what proportions it was distributed. for
that is personal matter which would
force me to mention names. There are
still many points to investigate. great
deal of rounding up, finishing up as 1t
were. We will try to finish the work by
the 1st of January"
ALBANY, n. Y. Nov. 21.-Upop COM
plant of he Good Government Clubs of
New York, Governor Flower to-day noti-
fed john r. E flows 10 show cause why
he should not be removed from the Office
of District Attorney for New York County
for neglect of duty. The complaint was
maize by Preble Tucker. Fulton Mcmahon,
Charles Taber, r. G. yelling and Charles
Goadoy of New York.
The specific charge against Colonel
Fellows is that he has failed TO bring
speedily to trial twelve persons accused of
homicide. One OF the accused was COM
mited November 16, 1891; two in April,
1885, and the others In March and Apr,
OF the current year. Colonel Fellows is
given eight days within which he Is to an
swer the charges.