The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-27
A TOTTERING CHIEF.

The history of this country has never
disclosed more scandalous story than that
of corruption in the municipal government
of New York. 1t was hoped that the rot
tenness uncovered at the time of Tweed s
downfall would check the rapacious spirit
of municipal thievery. This did happen
to a certain extent, but although rascality
in the legislative branches of the city gov
eminent, including corrupt collision with
contractors and the rascally sale of fran
chises and other privileges, became less
open and rampant, the Police Department
has remained disgrace to civilization.
The first blow to purify it was struck by a
preacher of wonderful courage, DR.. Park
hurst. His efforts caused the appointment
of the Lexow Committee by the Legisla-
ture, which did some good but not nearly
all that was required.
Out of this movement of reform has
come one of the strongest of all the men
who believes in right and decency; he is
TIL eodore Roosevelt, the brains and cour-
age of the Police Commission. twas gen.
orally believed, and by DR.. Parkhurst
openly charged, that the Lexow Com
mittee stopped short of its duty by reason
of the tremendous pressure brought into
play by leading men of New York, who
were at the mercy of the police. 1t Is
herein that the most dismal and instruct
i've feature of the whole scandal resides.
The public believed and Parkhurst averred
that Inspector Byrnes, one of the most
brilliant detectives and able executive
police officers that this country has pro-
duced, would have been exposed, degraded
nd cd hoo ha Ha6
lection at the hands of the rich and power
full citizens whose disgraceful secrets re-
posed in the pigeon-holes of his desk.
Doubtless Commissioner Roosevelt I'M
derstands this as we'll as another; and as
he himself is one of the strong and rich
men OF the city, his conduct in crowding
Commissioner Byrnes to the wall and his
determination to strip him of power and
possibly to land him in felon's dungeon
is a wonderful thing to see. 1t is only in
such men as he that it is possible for us to
find a hope of decent and stable govern
ment.
The chief of the detective force of great
city may WELD a power more formidable
than that of the President. There neces-
sarily comes to him proof of knaveries
practiced by all classes OF men, and if he
himself is corrupt his opportunities for
blackmail are enormous. In the hands of
such a man the law is a whip for the poor
and extortion for the rich. 1t is largely in
his power to punish crime or fatten upon
it. In the pursuit of his corrupt course he
can debauch all the officers under his
charge and force them into completely with
his own crimes. The extent of the harm
which he can do is Unreasonable.
1t must be reflected, on the other hand,
that the ADLER and more conscientious the
detective, the more numerous and power
full his enemies, and allowance should be
made for this. Here, then, is the opportun-
ity for the display of courage and shrewd-
ness by the officers whose immediate duty
it is to supervise his work. 1t has been too
often the case that police commissioners
have been honest men incapable of per-
forming their duties, or mere instruments
of the police. Roosevelt is conspicuous
example to the contrary. He is rich
enough not to fear the police, industrious
enough to master his duties and suffi-
GENTLY courageous to perform them. The
whole country is learning valuable lessons
from these police scandals of New York.
We have learned thus far that police de-
partments require the most intelligent,
painstaking and courageous supervision,
and that a Parkhurst is needed in every
city to discover corruption and Roosevelt
to punish it.