New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-16
CRYING EVILS 1T THE TONI S.
SHOCKING OVERCOMING CONSTANT
LY PRACTISED
r,,so>rps ,,,.DD,rn AMID FILTH AID vERMIN-
AN OPPORTUNITY To ElIl.D NJ"
ADDITION.

ADDITION
Utter Indifference - public heai'h was ~ 'o"e
a mark Of Tammany m.srule In TINS Guy '""' u
became familiar to every intelligent ci'i@e"' -
was shown in the filthy condition or III" TUee''
year after year In the shocking condi'loh Vi
some Of the buildings occupied ns pubic i"s"'"
tons IN the almost criminal treatment vi ''e
poor and insane wards Of the city by Iaih'"a"S
thugs installed as keepers. by the neglect ~ pro-
vide ample room for prisoners In the Ja'iS an" !"
countless ways whenever TammahN o''Ce-
holder could make money out Of the misfostuhes
OF other people.
Millions upor millions were spent 10y a"'"o'''
OF the Legislature or Of the Board or Esufhate
and Apporionment in paving and repaVing the
streets but the work was done ny IamiNa"E
contractors and under Tammany SUPERVISION ana
so much Of the money was stolen or diverted
az brides that the work was badly done as
rule and the condition Of the street ptven"n'S
grew worse instead Of better. on" who month
ago looked at the asphalt paw 'm"nt III flsh'h-
ave. laid only n few years ago. ana noticed us
broken and shabby appearance. with innum"r-
ahle mudhoIes in wet weather. would have
got an idea Of how much Tammany cared
for the health and comfort II the public Re-
pairs have just been made. Look at the con-
dl,ior If the plvement at broadway and Thirty
fourth-st.. whore tho pavement should be fault
les. on account OF the constant passing Of crowds
OF people, day and night. ard where several INES
OF streetcars intersect and then try - imagine
tho condition OF some of the streets In the
densely popuat, tenement-house districts. II
has been a standing cause for r,proach that
some Of the strce's In the tencmen-house as
trlcts were so filthy in all kinds Il weather as to
invite an epidemic Of disease. and when there
were fears Of an epidemic OF cholera a few
wears ago the Health Board sent gangs Of men
with wagonloads Of liquid dslnfectanis 10 be
applied to the recklnG pavemenis and cutters
Other features If the universal disregard ~
Tammany FOR publ, health and decency have
been 30 open and visible that there was no ren-
son why anybody should not recognize them.
Abuses on the islands were heard 4 frequently.
but they caused l"ss public Indignation De-
cause there were So many others closer to all ~
tho citizens. The abuses In the Jails In ms
city have illustrated the same wanton disre-
gard Of health and Gcroncy which Tammany has
shown In every part 4 tn" town. In the testl-
mony before the I.cX1w Committee II was made
plain that at Least two = the jai.s attached -
the police courts We're used hy Tammany officials
or by privileged Tammany workers % establish
a regular brgaadagc Io0r ard ignorant Jpco-
pie were compelled 10 pay roundly FOR the priv
ilcge OF visiting relatives who w're arrested on
fimsy excuses and thrown into the jails. and
they had 4 pay heavily for ,he privilege 4
getting them released on bail Another place
FOR blackmail and cxtortion has been the ludlow
Street jail. That prison for debtors gained an
Infamous name under the control ~ long line
OF Tammany shcriMs.
The ov"rcrOwdng - tho regular city prison.
the Tombs. has been standing cause u r'prlach
for years That prison. occupy INK an 'riirr nlD'
O., the city. was built IN ISIS. when tho plpula-
tion 81 tn. city vas about 300 Opp Tho population
has increased ski III SIM" then. huf ta' Nny
addition T. the prison has been IN" 're ton - a
builIing ln which there are only eighty cells For
many years there have been -, cells in "a" To'nhs
and each cell vas designed - hold only orc
prisoner AZ time. bat the number - prisoners ~
The Tomhs mas ranged from 400 70 coo daily. AMI
the warden has been competed t. crowd i"1.
three or even four prisoners into IN" cell Many
Of the coils damp and close. and The sanitary
arrangements mr.. 50 defective ~ 20 !nNii" ds"as"
when the prisoners are thus crowded. TAmmnny
District Attorneys have been urged 20 hasten
trials Of prisoners In order - kcc? down N" over
cr,wling A. much ds possible" but IN spit" ~ urg-
ing and public ouicry at times th'rr nave been
cases IN winch prisoners have been kept In the
Tombs FOR months and even for "A year OF longer.
vany begging FOR an opportunity t. be tried
Some Of the prisoners IN the Tombs have com
sons free from vcrmin IN IN" place. An At
mosphere OF pcs,ilcnce IS said to pervaie the place
at times Many OF the prisoners VINO ar" Kept
there for months awaitnL trial are acquitted a.
soon a. n Jury can pass upon their cases. In the
mean time they may have incurred incurable as
ease
The new Criminal Courts building. occupying
the entire block adjoining the Tombs was butt AT
enormous cost and the public supposed That "a
soon as the building was completed there would
be some step taken T. relieve the "V'f'r""dlhS
l...I st..I ..str FI. t,as II
the Tombs building one for the Court OF Special
Sessions and the other for the First District
Police Court On January the Cour, or Srccial
Sessions moved to a more connexions room In
the new building Although there Is spacious
room for the police court In the new building also
the police justices have refused 10 occupy IL De
cause the architect forgot or neglected to pro-
vide pen for prisoners. There has been Huch
room wasted In the new building. but the archi-
tect could find no room for prison pen TOT the
olce court A pen viii have to be constructed.
OF course and the police court room in the new
building will have to be used Then tn" space IN
the Tcmbs inclosure now occupied ny thc olh
police court and by tho former abode or me court
OF Special Sessions can be used AZ site Tor he"
prison building.
such an extension o. the prise system at tn"
Tombs should have been provided by the ram
many rulers years ago. but they preferred 10
spend money In projects for street widening which
would afford more display and furnish fat con
tracts for Tammany favorit"s. II w"ull p' pos
siblc to build new prison IN inc i"l'"S III
closure AT "A moderate cost. make II large enough
To- hold 300 prisoners In safety and nav" II per-
feet in It's sanitary arrangements Such an tx
tension t. the prison system would prevent over
crowding in the cells for many years II tnc ms
trict- Attorney and the courts p' rfprmei th"ir
duties with reasonable dispatch. IL would seem
10 be urgently demanded for reasons cf justice
and humanity. Nobody VIII contend that IL ~
either jus or humane TO keep a man exposed u
disease and death In a crowded prison ior months
because he has been Indicted for crime OF "hrh
ne may be innocent and Is not able 10 secure Da'i
There WDul1 have been Su'n II Nl9iilb WI
n Tammany had been In the least concerned
about the health OF the pubic.