The morning call., 1894-12-31
EXIT THE LEXow COMMITTEE.


sine die. 1t accom- plished work the ifn-
portauce of which can hardly be overesti-
mated and which will pass into history.
1t demonstrated that the Police Depart
ment of New York was from Commission
ers to roundsmen foul and corrupt beyond
anything ever suspected Or dreamed of.
Here 1t stopped. On the last day OF its
session ex-Superintendent Byrnes in IL
mated that other departments of the city
government would be found equally cor
rupt If they we're probed. There is as yet
no evidence before the public to sustain
this allegation, but It bears presumption
of truth on its face. Where there was so
much dirty work going on in one branch
of the municipal machine ii is not likely
that other branches were pure.
Most of the rascality brought to light by
the investigation can be traced to Tam
many, but some of it was the work of
Republicans. One of the first results of
the inquiry was the exposure Of Repub-
lican Police Commissioner, who, having
won his Office by being party-worker in
the Repu blican ranks. was detected, dis
graced and driven into dishonorable re-
tirement The New York Tribune con-
fesses that some of the most conspicuous
offenders who have been exposed 're-
ceived their appointments and emotions
as Republicans and through Republican
influence" 1t goes on to say that these
Republicans were 'dovetailed into sys-
tenn of organized crime in such fashion as
TO divide the responsibilities for it be-
tween the two great parties, and to
strengthen by coun terfeit and fraudulent
nonpartisanship the basest and wickedest
partisan machine that ever existed on the
face CT the GLOBE" 1t is of New York
that the Tribune speaks, not of San Fran
cisco. The explanation is necessary. be-
cause without it San Franciscans might
fancy that our New York contemporary
was describing the coalition between
Burns and Buckley. which has yet to be
subjected to the Lexow method.
To expose the corruption of the New
York police it was necessary TO resort to
eXtrajudicial methods, and TO override the
law of evidence which is enforced In the
courts; the truth could not have been
elected without the use of inauisitorial
processes. To the legal mind the brow
beating of witnesses by the lawyer. Golf.
has been shocking. No Judge would have
tolerated for a moment the style of exam
ination which he adopted. Our law as
sumes man 10 be innocent until he is
proved to be guilty. Golf assumed the po-
licemen who came before him to be guilty
until they were shown 10 be innocent.
Herein he pursued the French procedure,
which, in the opinion OF many level
headed lawyers. is better calculated to elicit
the truth than our mealy- mouthed way of
dealing with witnesses. Like the French
JUICES Construction, Golf knew the truth
of the matter upon which he questioned
his witnesses; he knew that they would
lie if they got chance, and therefore he
over helmed them with storm of vi
tuperation. which impressed them with a
conviction that be knew the truth, and
that 1t was useless to try to deceive him.
The wisdom of his method was Demon
strated by his success in laying such a
stress on some of his culprts that they
were driven to confess their guilt.
The investigation brings the people of
New York face to face with the problem
whether--and If yes. by what machinery
police force can be organized in that city
which shall suppress vice and crime in
stead of abetting them for a share of their
profits. 1t is no: an easy problem to solve.
When Fernando Woods police were over
thrown and the system was superseded by
the METROPOLITAN police system it was sup
posed that purity and efficiency might be
secured by dividing the ruling power be-
tween the two political parties. This was
sound in theory, but in practice the work.
ing politicians of both parties soon saw
the advantages of cooperation for the
division of the patronage and the spoil.
Dali ~,
came spoilsmen first and Democrats or
Republicans atterward. They were prob
ably true to their party in other matters,
but when vice was to be blackmailed they
knew no party. How to contrive a police
commission which shall not be guided by
this maxim is the problem of the hour
not only for New York but for other cities
as we'll. 1t will be feather in the Free
holders cap if they find way to solve IL
for San Francisco.