The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-11-22
WORSE THAN RUSSIA.
Lawyer Golf Talks of the
Tyranny Of Tammany.
Not a Business Man in New
York Not Blackmailed.
NO CLASS WAS SPARED.
Not One Dared to Utter a Word
of Complaint.

WASHINGTON, Nov. p. John w
COT, the prosecuting attorney for the
LeXOw investigating committee, who
IS stopping in Washington for few
days, has given the Evening Star an
interesting interview of nearly three
columns on the work of the commit
tee.
Il speak within the bounds Of my
knowledge when I say there was not
a business man IN New York city who
had not felt the power Of police
blackmaiL There were perhaps q
very few instances where honorable
men had refused to give their tithes
OF Illegal tax to the police, but al
most without exec ption these men
were forced out of business.
''One peculiar feature of the black
mail was that it spared no one class,
however obscure its calling. I have
particularly in mind the sail makers
who are among the most upright aud
honest people IN New 4ork. They
are mostly re tired sea captains, com
manders of the old clipper ships, who
have been forced out Of business Dy
the introduction of steam. or their
sons Not one of these honest men
dared open his mouth and complain.
so the question was, what classes
should we apply to and appeal to IN
our crusade. We were urged at times,
and most unfortunately, to 20
higher and nail the responsibility TO
the source of authority On this
question we held most earnest con-
sGltations ana finally decided it
would not be wise to do So Our duty
was to arouse the conscience of the
people of New York. which had
long been smothered, almost
killed The common people, the
voters, the people who most felt
the oppression of the police, would
need to be aroused by different meth
DDS They were to have the i'll
effects of police corruption brought
to their hearts The spectacle of
little boy sitting all night on door
step of police station crying bitterly
for his father, who had been unjustly
arrested and bruta1y beaten by the
than the demonst rat ton that the cap
tain had paid large money for his
promotion or that the commissioner.
perhaps. had been bribed. The COM
mon fellows would not notice such
matters, but they would notice the
woman. over the peanut rooster, over
the bOOtblack, the newsbOy. the
kee per of a small soda water stand,
the owners Of the little restaurants
a great class of honest citizens striv-
ing, struggling for living
L GU may De surprised FNnGn l. say
New York, under the rule Of the
police department as it was con-
trOlled by Tammany hall was far
worse as regards the individual com
fort Of citizens, than St Petersburg
under its most violent police regime.
This was accidentally illustrated by
a witness who took the stand one
day He was a Pole who had been
sent to Siberia as result of the Pol
ish insurrectiOn- He had escaped and
reached this country and about
a year after his arrival he was un-
justly arrested and cruelty beaten.
His story was told with an irresistible
quaintness and pathos. I cannot re-
produce it to you, as have not the
power to initiate his peculiar dialect,
and his earnest manner, that con-
WINGED every body. But when he was
asked how the police of New York
compared with those of St Peters
burg. he answered the Russian police
were gentle and humane compared
with those Of our city
LAS an illustration Of the tremen-
dous power welded by the organiza-
ton I will refer to the difficulty we
had in obtaining witnesses to go upon
the stand and swear to the facts they
had brought to US IN private A |
first this applied to all classes, |
both reputa bic and disreputable. /
When appealed to they would !
cldlLu II bnGF SnOUAA testify the BD-
lice would hound them out of the /
city. When asked if they could not !
20 elsewhere and establish themselves
in business, they would reply tn
persecution of the police of New York !
would follow them to every city in
the country and we gradually re- 4
vealed the astounding fact the pO-
lice Of New York not only dominated
every city but every large community
IN the country