The morning call., 1895-02-17

Think of such man as Police Commits
sioner-he who violates the laws though
he has charge of their enforcement. LII
there is any justice in this city and these
allegations are true he ought not to retain
his position. | am glad to see that he has
been stung by the use of the word. | fail
to see what moral distinction there is be-
tween men who accept money from such
women.
"Of course, if Mr. Tobin says that he did
not know the use to which his houses were
put we must accept his disclaimer. Ii he
wants to plead the baby act let him do So
1t has been common repute for years that
he owned houses in which lived women of
Ill fame. | believe it has been pub
lished in the newspapers more than
once. He was denounced by James
H. Barry on the platform of the Metro
politan Temple at our first mass-meeting
several weeks ago. Still, in the face of all
these public notices, Commissioner Tobin
says he never learned of the charges
against him until made by me. | made
the charge before the Grand Jury that MIR.
Tobin owned property which had been
rented for immoral purposes. have 1t on
positive authority that the excuse made
for Mr.. Tobin by Captain Lees was that
while Tobin had owned the property for
many years and had received the rents
regularly he had leased the houses and,
therefore, could not control the renting of
them.
II am willing that Commissioner Tobin
should bring a libel suit. That would
cause a ventilation of the whole subject.
Mr.. Tobin is not the only wealthy man
who lets houses for vile purposes, and per-
haps to the shame of a great many it may
be said, that some men who sit in churches,
or even pass the plate, accept revenue from
the earnings of fallen women.
eve might believe, perhaps, that Mr..
Tobin leases property at a forty-year
stretch and looks helplessly on in the
meanwhile, his righteous soul vexed at the
ungodly deeds of his wicked lessee, but
that by strange coincidence these places
were purged of their filth just after this
agitation begun.
'sThat last fact would seem to indicate
that we have at last found tribunal to
which our eternal Police Commission is
| amenable, viz: the high court of public
opinion.
''Mr. Tobin is welcome to the benefit of
| that rather fiimsy plea, as he is to the ben
eft of the suit for libel which he threatens
me with.
~ was out of the city and did not see the
article on reform in THE CALL of yesterday
until last night. In common with most
good citizens, thank THE CALL for those
| ringing words.
sTHE CALL has winged shaft that has
| pierced the hide of some of our official
pachyderms and has made them break the
discreet and dignified silence they have
| hitherto preserved-a silence that, in some
cases at least means, What are you going
| to do about It'll
GAS to Foreman Gagan's alleged stric-
| lures upon me in Yesterdays interview /
must say | never saw Mr.. Gagan in my life
| outside the Grand Jury room until to-day
and never repudiated any statement at
| tributed to me by the press upon this sub
| ject."
Mr.. Gagan called at THE CALL Office yes
| terday and stated that it was Rev. j. s..
| Dickson and not Rev. E. r. Ollie, who
| denied having made such utterances against
the Police Department as were published
| on two occasions.
| Continuing, Mr.. Ollie said: "Mr. Gagan
| is himself reformer in the best sense, and
| I believe the same thing can be said of
every member of the present Grand Jury.
/ gave the following facts before the Grand
| Jury and / now submit them to that still
| higher tribunal the public:
"a sham raid upon gamblers, the name
of the sergeant involved, and of witnesses
| thereto.
1.-THE names and addresses of witnesses
to election frauds.
Particulars about the character of the
/ lewd shows now running in some of the
dives and low theaters of this city. City
ordinances and State laws are being vio-
| lated in these places nightly, notably in
| e.
The performances upon the stage and the
language used would suffuse the downy
cheek of our District Attorney with Grim
son, nay, would almost make a mule
blush.
81 called the. attention of the Grand
Jury to the transcript of evidence and
some of the witnesses in the historic Witt
man case, and suggested that a review of
that case by the Grand Jury might lead to
| interesting results-for most people be-
lieve that that case was one of whitewash-
ing sepulcher full of dead mems bones
and all uncleanliness.
~ gave the Grand Jury the location of a
gambling game then running on Third
street, but now, as | believe, closed, to-
gether with thirteen other games which
were running Just before this agitation,
and which have also been closed, by the
advice of the police, till this thing blows
over.
81 called the attention of the Grand
Jury to the three filthy shows then run
ming on Dupont street, within a single
| block-shows unspeakably filthy and vile,
but which ran with perfect immunity I'M
der the eye and with the eonnivance of the
police until quite recently.
''These shows were visited little while
ago by some of our number, they almost
falling over policeman in entering them.
We were assured that the police had also
given the shows the straight tip to stop
till this thing blows over, and upon a call
upon them 10 substantiate the fact, Ser
geant Martin, who had been shadowing us
went in at one entrance and we at another
and he did the Hawkshaw act secreted in
another room, which shows police vigi-
lance is one thing when lucrative crime is
in question and quite another when law,
abiding citizens are striving to drag it and
its blue-coated accomplices to the light
"Let me give Chief Crowley few more
facts. There is an ordinance commanding
the police to keep the lower stories of the
houses of i'll fame on Dupont street, above
Bush, closed. / walked in the shadow o
a stalwart policeman and saw painted
face in nearly every window a few nights
ago, and was solicited several times in
single block. What about the Chinese
courtesans who follow pedestrians alone
the street and lay hold on them with the
most indecent language and behavior, 6
spectacle that can be seen any hour of the
| III ,4<.l ~.