New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-01
THE POLICE COURIS And THE PEOPLE

THE POLICE COURIS And THE PEOPLE'
The resolutions unanimously adopted ut the
sneciollv called and largely attended meeting or
tho Chamber Of Commerce on "Wednesday de-
clare that. in the general administration or the
noIice courts. "the innocent poor the unforu-
nate. the helpless as well as the criminal
classes. are oppressed and justice ana ludS-
"mcn, are fasrantly perverted; ;ha. these
courts have become scandal ana a humiNa
"tion to the citizens Of Ncw-York." and that
"public sentiment has cmph1'ca'ly demanded
choir abolition" These propositions. which
certain cases Of peculiar cnorlnlty are clteu 10
illustrate rather than prove, fifty introduce 'he
demand that the Legislature pass promptly the
bill now before il. and the resolutions end WITH
a solemn declaration that the Chamber is actu
ated in this matter solely by the desire to pro
mote public morality decent government ana
the welfare of classes incapable of protecting
themselves This Is a brief but complete state
mont Of the case for tho people of Ncw-lork
II WAS propelly amp...,,. "a enforced by the
uttorances of prominent citizens ut the meeting,
bnt il really needs no elaboration. 1t precisely
exnrosscs not s,IrmiSe or merely reasonable
belief. but explicit and absolute knowledge
knowledge as universal as it is certain, ascer-
tanned by long and bitter experience procmimed
wherever decent citizens discuss municipal al
fairs. not denied by the roSues VINO are en-
deavorng to perpetuate the monstrous evll, or
by their more r,'uabe assistants whom seH-
interest blinds to public necessity.
And yet this is one Of the ISSUES with which
members of the Legislature have been urged
or ordered. and hitherto successfully, to play the
dirty game Of political manipulation. There are
men at Albany who are willing and still dare TO
make the Police Courts bill the basis of bar
gain between Thomas c. Plat and Tammany
Hall. There are men in this city who are stoop-
ing TO promote the scheme in various ways.
One Of them, IAN eminent lawyer appeared
Yesterday, in an interview in THE Ncw-iork
SIM" with the assertion that police magistrates
ought not TO be- lawyers His proposition Is
familiar. but his argument IS novel. He con-
tends that men trained in the law. II put on the
police bench, would infallibly detect and i'm
partiallv punish offenders. and hence the jails
would all be filed and the demand for new ones
could never be supplied Total ignorance Of the
law. therefore. on the part Of police justices is
the ideal 10 strive for. They are TO use their
"common-scnsc and to keep people out Of Jail
rather than put them i'll II.
We cheerfully concede that this eminent law
ver' has stated with perfect clcarnc>s the prin-
ciple which Tammany has practis"d with UNI
VARYING consistency. IF We cared 10 engage in
an acadcmcal discussion we might say that his
logic is defective Why, for example, should he
assume that what one eminent lawyer sees
with such distinctncss would not be discerned
bv other eminent lawyers in time to avert the
catastrophe which he predicts? But he and all
the rest Of those who are trying 10 prevent the
abolition Of the police court system, except on
terms satisfactory TO Tammany Hall and its
Republican allies. are Indifferent 10 questions OF
logic They are endeavorng TO effect com
bnation which will their purposes; 10
that end they are perfectly willing 10 aifront
and defraud the people, and hitherto they have
had the audaciy to pretend that they did not
care whether or not they were caught in the act.
1t Is the business Of the people to thwart the
schemers by adopting the appeal OF the Cham
Der of Commerce as their own and sending it TO
Albany with an Endorsement which the Lcgis-
lature vii, not dare 10 dishonor. They have
ample power TO do this. and they should not
wait long for evidence that such action is I'M
necessary II the Legislature does not show
prompt and unmistakabe signs OF docility they
should take decisive steps to reduce it to sub
mission.
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