New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-26
. SpfcE TOR THE TNPREJTDICED."

+
, Tho suggestion of Senator Lcxow has merit.
Sncalinc of the mass meeting 10 he hclu nj
Coopc. Union tomorrow night. ana III" reason
why II would have no influence whatever upon
the LEGISLATURE he said. in Il somewhat Wclghly
way: THE meeting will not be representative
unless those in favor Of my bills are heard
"Spaco for the unparalleled should be Reserved
ION the platform aud in the hail. ana thcll there
"wnuh be a fair massmcctinS, the cuhclu-
"sions OF which would receive consideration.
II NAV hc said, Of course that after the Senate
has rather contempmousy refused hearing Ia
those who are opposed To what Senator L'N"W
calls "rov hills" and insisted on those measures
being put at once upon their passage II To-
uuirps some assurance 10 ask that reserved
space and special hearing be granted thoSe
who favor the bills in a mass meeting cll'd lot
the specific purpose of protesting against th'm.
But we hope the gentlemen who nave IN" ar
rangements for the meeting in charge VIII not
permit themselves 10 be Influenced by motives
Of resentment in matter of this importance.
They ought TO be- and we believe are, able Ia
rise above any personal feeling that may hay"
been engcndcrcd by the apparent slight pul
upon them and their representatives,. IN" mann
purpose OF the meeting is 10 secure a hearing
for measures which have been drawn lis ih"
representatives Of the majority ~ the voters 81
this town. As they are not In accord win WHAT
Senator Lcxow calls my bills relating 10 ne
same subject. he not unnaiurally aStrib"N them
to prejudice As he seems 10 be potential
factor in the situation, il may perhaps -" well
TO conccde that the Cooper Union meeting viii
be gathering OF prcjudccd persons. and act
ing upon his suggestion. reserve space for the
unprcjuliced" The attitude Of mcckncSs in the
presence of power is always becoming and some
times persuasive.
The question will naturally arise in r'scrylne
"spacc for the unprejudiccd." How much space
will be rcduircdr And this depends. of course.
upon the number Of the unprecedented" No
census having been taken II these as yet there
may be- difficulty in making the allotment. Per
haps however. that difficulty can be- obyiaicd
by making application nj the headquarters Of
the "nnprcjudiccd" In lower Broadway. An ap-
proximate estimate might be made from the
lists Of disappointed applicants for office, which
could be furnished by Mayor Strong. Comms-
sioncr Brookield and other heads of municipal
departments but Mr.. Plat undoubtedly has
complete catalogue which he would gladly fur
nish in order TO make 1t IA fair mass-mcctinc,
Grafton" At any rate. space should be- re
served for Mr. Plat himself, who not being
voter in the city, is beyond all question the most
unprciudiced man on the subject Of municipal
reform that can be found anywhere between
Spuytcn Duyvi and the Battery. Senator LeXow
gave no intimation conccrnAg the amount Of
time he desired to have allotted 10 the 'unpreJn-
diced" at the meeting on "Wednesday evening.
Ipl..st
CONSPICUOUS and influential of the ''unprcju'
diced" desires TO be heard In favor OF Mr..
LcXow's bills the Committee Of Arrangements
will make no mistake in aifoung him ample
opportunity and giving him all the time he may
ask even II 1t involves n curtailment OF other
oratory Probably 10 statesman in the whole
country would be listened 10 with such rapt al
tenton as Mr.. Plat If he lets himself loose in
his calm, unparalleled way on this subject II
is so long since he has addressed his fellow
citizens from the platform the last time We be-
licve was at Rochester. Mt State Convention,
some time in the scventiesthat we are conf
dent his appearance would be hailed with en-
thusiasm.
Moreover. he can throw more light on the
municipal situation in connection with the pres
ent police system. the precise points where 1t
needs to be reformed, and the minute details OF
the necessary legislation than almost any other
living man. His well-known intimacy with the
Tammany leaders, by whom that system was
made part Of the most complete and effective
political machine ever put in operation, has af-
forded him the opportunity To gain n thorough
knowledge Of its most intricate details. To hear
him talk for an hour or two on that subject In
his calm, unparalleled way with his frank in
genuousness would be worth at least the rent
Of the hall. The announcement OF 1t would call
out an immense audience and everybody would
stay till he got through No one knows so well
as he what advantage would accrue to the Ke-
publican party-that Is, the unprecedented portion
of the party which does business ut No. ~
Broadway-from the retention OF certain feat
ures of the present police system. And If he
should tell all he knows about IT, there Is no
doubt but that II would 60 great way toward
removing the existing prejudice. Should the
committee reserve space for the unprejudiced'
as It certainly ought upon Senator Lexow's sug-
gestion, and Mr.. Plat should occupy Ii as the
most conspicuous representative Of that class OF
citizens, he would have the right to insist upon
the privilege accorded the LeXow witnesses Of
exemption from prosecution on account OF any
disclosures he might make In the interest OF
municipal reform. 1t would be only falr mat II
should be granted him. And we desire to say
here and now that 1t would. in our judgment.
be a gross violation Of the propretes II any
person in the audience should interrupt him
| with questions as to what he did with the
100000 which he got from the Republican Ma
tional Committee in 1885, 1t would hardly be
| pertinent.
Anyhow. space should be reserved for the