The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-21

I | by which they can look up evidence
 and ferret out crime. They are to en-
 certain complaints made by citizens or
 the police and proceed upon such
 evidence as may be placed in their
 hands, and I have occasion to know that in many instances they proceed | upon insufficient evidence for the sake of avoiding public criticism. Don't un- | derstand this to mean a defence of | Prosecuting Agent Toomey or Prose-
 cutting Attorney Klein. l know noth-
 ing of their official records in this city, l but I do know the requirements of the offices they fill, and the difficulties which they meet in pursuance of their duties. I will say, however, that both
 of these gentlemen received me kindly when placed before them the evidence which had been obtained in this city, | at the request of the Bridgeport Law
 and Order league. Both men acted promptly, and in accordance with every request.
 They have certainly given evidence of determination to push the cases with vigor. It should be as much the solemn 1 duty of honest citizenship to stand by and encourage faithful magistrates as to condemn and expose the unfaith- ful.
 Again, the eternal curse of politics,
 which seldom puts the right man in the right place, makes it next to inn possible to get the best men for police duty. Many an honest policeman in the city of Bridgeport to-day feels
 thta he is wearing some politicians s collar; so that we are driven to the logical conclusion, whether we like 1t or not, that the prosecuting arm of the law is palsed. What Is true in cities like Bridgeport Is true in all our towns; detection and prosecution of crimes against public morality, is flat failure and radical changes are needed. Now what is the remedy? The only remedy
 for existing evils, political and social,
 is, it seems to me, the or
 ganization of the moral forces
 of cur communities I care not under
 what name whether Law and Order
 league, Law Enforcement society, Civic
 league, Municipal club, Good Govern
 ment club, or what not, the law-abiding
 element must be brought together, dis
 oiplined and kept on call. The lawless
 clements in our commonwealth are tho
 roughly organized, well oficered, ready
 to act in an emergency, while the law
 abiding element is indifferent and in
 active. The theory upon I which base
 this statement is this;
 Behind the constitution and the law,
 behind the officials, stands the moral
 and physical power of the people. To
 make that power felt it must be organ
 lzed. The officials if honest, need the
 support of organized citl2enship and,
 If dishonest, it will require organized
 citizenship to compel tine performance of official duty. Sporadic efforts at re-
 form can accomplish little or nothing against the organized and constant viz ilance of evil-doers. We are told that there is no incentive, aim or sentiment
 that can keep the forces of righteous ness in line. If this is true God pity us! know that the incentive of the law less is money getting, but it certainly seems to me that there should be incen- tive or sentiment enough in patriotism alone to warrant the organization of which I have spoken,
 If the Law and Order league does not furnish platform broad enough then find some organization that does, or or ganize anew but in some way let the citizens of Bridgeport get together and wake the city from it's present lethargic and dangerous condition. Has the Law and Order league justified it's right to claim the confidence and support of the community? Let us see When we first began our work we were met with all sorts of objections from all sorts of persons. It who claim that we were usurping the powers and duties of officials; that we were undertaking to form an extra ma gistracy at private expense; that we could not succeed against the business and political rings with which we would come in contact in our efforts to en- force law; that our methods were un- wise; that the testimony of detectives would not be taken in our courts. etc., etc. What has been the result of near ly three years labor along these lines? we have carried over three hundred cases to final settlement and have had | but t thirteen acquittals. Only one judge in the whole state has refused to be- | lieve the testimony of our agents. l | cannot take time to relate the results | of work all over the state, but will l show you what has been accomplished l in two or three specific instances, and | can do better than to quote from the | written statements of reliable parties? |
 Tn the little town of Rocky Hill, few miles below Hartford, we were invited | to undertake the work of breaking up l several illegal institutions, which had | existed there for years. After our work was accomplished the secretary of the local league writes for publication as follows:
 ''Within a year we have secured three against Fl. l.. Taylor, our most determined enemy. The only other rum hole in town, the Hotel de Ryer, has been a notorious place of re- sort for the scum of Middletown, New and particularly Hartford, for twenty years or more, and has been house of ill fame continually. This house is now for the first time closed. Dur league has driven four tough pro- 1rietors from it in the last year, and no me has as yet come forward with the necessary boldness to take it."
 I will also quote from an influential gentleman in the city of Norwich:
 "As a final effort, the few dollars bo1 1poo ram inad