The herald., 1895-08-12

NV 111s
Ono Of the principal sources OF profit
and gain for American city boss govern
ment is the criminal class. By criminal
class is meant not only the criminals
themselves. but also those with whom
they consort. This half world Is formed
OF dive keepers, gam blers. fences, prosti-
tutes, idlers, habitual urunkards ana
degenerates generally. Ono investi ga
tion after another has shown that in
large American cities the police and po-
lice courts are cheek by iowl with crime;
the Lexow investigation in New York is
the most recent showing of this condi-
ton. 1t took peculiarly constituted
body with an awakened public opinion
behind it to get at the facts. The chief
of police, police captains. and even pa
trolmen, were found to have fscome
wealthy real estate owners while in the
poli1e. The bribers ranged front Jay
Gould down to confidence man and thc
hopeless prostitute. A comrlets 5ribs
system was shown to exist, whereby the
criminal class secured protection. Vita
IN lines varying with the condition Of
public opinion and the power and intiu-
ence of an injured citizen, criminals
were guaranteed immunity in the open
violation of law and morality. The Illicit
tolls and taxes on crimes were shown to
be enormous. Partial Investigations
have shown that the San Francisco po-
lice officers are often crime pardoners.
The same tax system, the same deadly
cinch, the same perpetuation OF the
criminal in the same bondage TO make
g. -. t. 20, ha a
. rule in every large American city. The
primary duty of the police is to maintain
order and enforce the law. Its laches In
these respects are notorious enough and
injurious enough, but it is really the
moral side OF existing abuses which is
monstrous and intolersble. In Chicago,
New York, San francisco or any OF our
large cities. a stranger Can hire detect
i've or police go-between to be shown the
city's haunts. refugees and schools OF
crime. He can semi-officially obtain in
PRODUCTION to criminals, fences, bawdy
houses, PROGRESSES. or be placed by a
police agent in touch with any form of
crime, There is thus q confession by the
police of complete knowledge and toll
erance of every form of city crime. That
tolerance is due to bribery. The bribery
is conducted through the boss or political
machine. and goes far to pay the profits
necessary for professional patriot;
The police courts are generally the no.
torious tools Of the political machine.
Their ignorance is only exceeded by their
dishonesty. 1t is no exaggerat;on to say
that the police courts in our large cities
are held in contempt by the citizens.
countryman or some plain mechanic
IN tenn porary difficulty Will be t:eated
held in jail for long periods without trial.
The contrast when the offender or suspect
belongs to the habitual criminal calss or
to the political machine. distinction OF
words only, is great indeed. Such an
influential man viii. get off on straw
bail or after delay step out on some
technicality.
The jails are nests Of lice and filth that
educate and harden the first offender in
crime. There is no such thing as reform
about them. The police, the police
courts and the iails are quite as immoral
as the criminals whom they control,
| There is in our large cities a coterie OF
| criminal lawyers without character who
stand in With the Jail officials in fleeing
both criminals and suspects. The whole
System of treating crime is neither
economical. scientific nor humane. 1t
perpetuates the criIninality OF the GRIM
| inal.
Under our present city plan the off
| representatives of the people have en-
trely failed to cure this condition. 1t
| is not from wanting to cure 1t nor try
ing to cure it, but because the system has
created an unofficial government stronger
than the Official one. and this unofficial
| system makes money out OF permitting
and perpetuating crime.
| The fact that cities in America are
really governed by boss, or political
oabal. is worthy of particular attention.
The elected officers in large cities get their
nominations from the dominant boss
or machine, and are as rule under this
centralized control when elected. Oar
city charters provide diffused response
bility that is practically intangible.
Under them there is no concentrated
power for organization in the interests Of
economy, efficiency or honesty. The
official city chief or mayor is a figure.
head, or at best scold. This is what
opens the door for the real city govern
ment concentrated in the hands of po-
litical machine dominated by boss The
objection which is most often urged
against the policy OF concentrating ex'
ecutive power and responsibility in q
mayor is that it is c one-man power and
| tends to centraliZation.
No better answer can be given than the
| actual fact. We have a centralized one
man power in our great cities through
the inherent weakness of our charter sys
TEN. The only difference. as far as fact
goes, is that, as things now are, our one
man government is self-consttuted.
never elected and officially visible, yet
an all-powerful, corrupt tyranny, run ex
clusively and notoriously for Doodle
while under the proposed reorganization
with an officially and legally powerful ano
response BILE head we will select, vote fol
and hold personally responsible the ex
ecutive chief. In Tweed's time Tweed
was the government of New York. though
never mayor. With the exception OF ar
occasional political uprising the city o