New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-01

CALLED LIAR-sENAToR LEXow
DENIES THAT THERE WAS A
DEAL IN BYRNEs's FAVOR
THE socIETY's WORK
TO 60 on.
The Rev DR. Charles II. Parkhurst shut him
self up in his study, in hi, home at No. 1873 East
Thirty -ffth-st. yesterday. and spent some hours
in the preparation of statement about Police
Superintendent Byrnes ano the Lexow Commit
tee. Late in the afternoon he carried what he had
written to the Office of Frank Moss, in the Ben
nett Building, and there Mr.. Moss and T. d.
Kenneson read it over with him, and MADE
sorie suggestions for additions and subtractions.
When the statement was ready to be copied for
the newspapers Mr. Moss said it was the per-
sonal statement of DR.. Parkhurst indorsed by
the Executive Committee Of the Society for the
Prevention Of Crime The full statement is ap-
pended
In stating my position touching certain questions
now lying before the public mind. | cannot eX-
press myself too appreciativey OF the splendih WORK
that has been done by the Senate Committee ana
It's talented counsel. There has been created
tory OF our city, and there has been secured at the
polls A municipal revolution that would nave oeen
Of Similar TASfp SRd l1 And e is but just that 90
further than this, and recognize the work OF this
which IS contributing very largely to similar mu-
nicipal upheavals throughout the entire country.
cia,es do not stand in need Of our recommendation.
but 1t is pleasure as we'll as duty to accord it
and it is accorded with earnest cordality.
II Furthermore he promised that any strict
that may feel i, necessary to pass are
prompted by no spirit OF anim2sty toward any man
does not enter into ths question with US There is
for itself ard particular ends which we have been
efforts pers nalities are merely an incident
II the re ,ders Of this statement will put them
spring. they viii rememSet that at that time the
writer OF his statement and a few associated with
esy Of purpose % Of the the senate s Committee s The
newspapers were almost unit in their conviction
our Municipal deveraasS was S rS to- ean apon
broken reed | remember very well saying 10 Mr.
ciates that ! had just come from New-York. where
the entire atmosphere was pervaded with utter dis
mittee. became convinced, however, by my per-
and two or three of their ccessues Sa the com
mittee could be counted on to do honest. faithful
to them my entire condencep used DR. my s' best eors
to break down the spirit Of disrust which prevailed.
Executive Committee of the Society for the Pr
venuon OF Crime. put at The service OF the sena-
have been avaing OF those resources up to satur-
Gay night last & We have watched the actions Of tho
surance. They have bored into the rotten tissue OF
10 e chara sr po wn or utter 5 as
they struck Knowing nat their report would have
be sure become little Solictons lest thev Mere qa pop 90
allowing sufficient time for examining the higher
about, and that they would not do anything that
would even look like stopping their work without
Matters had been for so long time conducted
n enrFe m & &h9r0ughhess ness tha we had even forgotten
venlber the Indications were clear that the invest-
same energetic and .unsparing manner that had
been followed up to that date A good many days
ried the public which made substantial addl-
ton 20 knowledge already gained, and which
frittering away the time that we knew ought to be
expended upon the inspectors and Superintendent.
We knew that the character of the police force
executive and his immediate subordinates. and that
however many captains might be 5esmrched, and
however many sergeants might be cashered. the
genius or the matter would not be reached I'LL
mad arrived at the quality of the five men who
gether constitute its executive headship
FLINCHED WHEN THEY TOUCHED BYRNEs
In view Of all this justified in saying that
while the committee stood up to the rack magnif-
Gently through all the earlier portions of the in
vestlgation, they finched the crisis AS long ago
as when Mr.. Moss undertook TO adduce evidence
against Mr.. Byrnes in the Marrett matter. the 2
fence Now that Is not thing to be debated. Their
attitude was instantly recognized By those in at,
the next morning. The pursuit of lines that might
possibly have conducted to the real inwardness Of
Byrnes's conduct and character was discoura ged--
discouraged as 1t has been discouraged in the case
Now there reason for that. We are not say
ing just yet that there was anything that could
the committee withheld their support from efforts
made TO show that there was something that could
be proved against Mr. Byrnes. We are not saying
that there was anything in the Marrett case that
was dscreditable to the superintendent but we
the matter thoroughly ventilated in order 20 dis
cover whether there was anything in il dlscredit-
able to the superintendent Their thoroughness
broke down at that point. They stumbled just at
the completion ion Of 1 their work & the & chairman Of the
II have used that word advisedly he will recognize
dns Of Mr. Bypnes and not desire e to act in view
Of ali the probable or ascertainable facts In Mr..
Byrnes's
THE HEAD OF ROTTEN FORCE.
Now the presumption is the side Of the Su-
perintendents being criminal as any other mem-
Der OF the force; that the hesitancy to handle
him as Williams was handled could proceed
from any prlori conviction OF his innocence. Wher-
ever they have stuck in their fork they have found
rot. and whether Byrnes be rotten or not he has has
been in rot for thirty-one years and has been tho
executive head of rot for the last two years me
presumption therefore was against him 80 @ tnat
nave been the ground of some other consideration
than that Of his presumable rnocence
There are two ways in which Mr.. Byrnes has put
the committee under obligations, and TO that de-
gree destroyed their independence. He put them
ender oble9ijcns ,5y consentng to help defeat Tam
many Hall ana it is to be renemberei that this
commlttea is first and foremost an anti-Tammany
and came down here for ant-Tam-
many purposes. We are not saying that 1t was stp-
shoud be remembered in his behalf but in the very
nature Of the faYors have TO be reciprocated.
we are not going disparage Mr.. Byrnes's good
offices at election: only IL is TO be remembered that
ne did nothing than he ought to have done
without being asked 10 do II. and nothing
than he had the same authority 70 do in previous
use his authority.
THE COMMITTEE WAS MORTGAGED.
The sec.hd way in which the committee put them
selves under obligations to him by taking him
nto their confidence and allowing him to become
with them in breaking down the force.
TO the degree in which they obtained help from Mr..
Byrnes they put themselves practically under obli-
cations to protect Byrnes. Now / know the Ian
yuage that Byrnes used touching precisely this
point. and when heard 1t knew that everything
vas up. 50 far as a square investigation OF him
vas concerneG Their acceptance OF IT had mort
aged the committee to that extent, and one pecu-
iarity OF mortgage is that it has to be paid OFF