The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-06-16
A RICH MINE.


The investigations of the Lexow Com
mittee appointed by the New York Legis-
lature to try the charges of corruption
brought against the Police Department
af New York city are exposing with pain
!ul precision, in the cold, white searching
light of day, some Of the sources from
which Tammany Hall derives its innu-
9nce, and from which the boss politicians
who control it gather their mysterious
millions 1t appears from the evidence
given before the committee that the police
force Of New York is one great agency for
che levying of blAckmail. There is a reg
ular scale of prices fixed for police pro-
lection, the payment of which is relent-
lessly exacted, and whose aggregate yield
IS estimated at something like 100000
. year. 1t is computed that of the seven
thousand saloons in New York city one
half, at least, in defiance of the law, do a
side-door Sunday trade. In this it is nee
essary for them to obtain the Gonnivance
o, the police and for this connivance their
owners are accustomed to pay, some more,
some less, but on the average not less
than ten dollars a week. Assuming that
40 more than one-half of the licensed
saloons do Sunday trade, and that the
zverage amount of blackmail is not more
than stated, the annual receipts of the
police from this source alone would be
$4,000
That is quite a neat little sum, but it is
not a circumstance compared with the
She total of the tribute money contributed
by the houses which are technically
known as disorderly. OF those there are
thought to be about nine thousand in the
9ity; and the tariff which the police i'm
gcse on them is elaborate and high
Upon the opening of new place of this
character there is an initiation fee to be
paid, the amount Of which varies accord
lng to circumstances. II an entire house
aas been taken, the police are said to ex-
act the payment of $500, whereas if only
a fiat is occupied the contribution OF $500
satisfies their demand. The initiation fee,
however is not all. Supplementary to
that, the keepers of these places are COM
2elled to pay a monthly tribute Of from
$50 to 500, and every once in while a
tsmand will be made for extras upon some
pretext or other II patrolmen finds
himself in need of a five or ten dollar bill
he satisfies the want by striking one OF
ahe houses on his beat. As all the places
fNist on sufterance, they are completely
at the police officers mercy, and no doubt
1t is their practice promptly to accede tC
any and every demand which it is at al
Eithiu their power meet. Altogether il
calculated that the mass of these an
anal contributions for police protection
will exceed eight million dollars. Gam
a1ug-houses are supposed to yield beg
carly slt5,O0 while the odds and ends re
leiyed from peddlers and business mel
are set down at $4,000. In this way the
total estimated sum of $40, $4,000 annua
aggregate Of police blaokmail is made up
It need hardly be said that this grea
IUua does not remain in the pockets of tn
letrolmen. They, as the collectors Of il
are allowed to retain a commission 70
themselves, but the lions share goes T.
Geir superiors, and in devious ways tn
a1lk Of these remarkable contribution
goes to the enrichment of Tammany Hal
aizd the men by whom Tammany is con
lr8lled. Every member of the polio
iosce has TO pay for his appointment 1
ne is a simple patrolman he pays $500, bu
saptaincies and sergeantships and tn
lther superior positions come mucl