The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-04
Tackled the Wrong Man.

RoOscVclt's nature is showing up with
new lustre i'm his spirited acceptance
Of Richard Cookers challenge to com
pare honest enforcement of law in New
York city with the Tammany system Of
government by blackmail Listen to
these hull's-eyc shots
IF Mi Croker wishes 10 pit himself
against me he shall he gratihcd. He
attacks my administration of the police
department. | should he sorry. indeed.
If it had merited hiS praise. He says.
in effect that under my administration
crime went unpunished That state
ment is simply untrue. Near the close
of my two years term Of service the
presiding judge of the month in the
court of general sessions stated that
crime had diminished until it was less
than ever before in recent years. Mr..
Croker does not really object to what
we did with crime. What really makes
that CALLED Jade vince is what we did
with vice. The acknowledged financial
partnership existing between certain
leaders Of Tammany Hall and protected
4
! York. IT was on this that | warred. |
! broke up that partnership and ] will
| break it up again whenever the chance
comes. 1t is small wonder that | should
, be denounced by those who exact trib-
, ute from purVeSors of vice, who rob
! the honest poor. and who care as little
/ for civic pride as they do for decency
I
who plies his vile trade unmulested in
! consideration Of the blaCkmail which
gives the true reason for the existence
! Of the wide open pOliCy--every such
man cheers MIR. Croker TO the echo
| when be attacks US because we made
! the police force honest. 1t is tit that
Mr.. Croker, now seeking to corrupt and
degrade the bench. should rail at the
! men who drove out corruption from the
police department.
He now runs the city through one
/ of his delegates; and swollen with the
power which this gives him, he tries to
strike down an honest Judge because
that Judge is not his cringing sycO-
phant. If, through another delegate
he gets control of the state, the honest
men of the state may expect evil times
indeed. Tammany now hlackmails vice
but it has already again begun tt
blackmail honesty where honesty is
helpless. If it gets the power ii viii
extend its system Of corruption al
through the state. This was done once
before. when Tweed was dictator; il
! behooves the good people of the state
to see that it is not done now. Mr.
Croker's governor could send Mr.
Croker's judge To any part of the state
and If Mr.. Cruker'S mayor We're charged
with malfeasanCc it would again be Mr.
Crokcr's governor who tried him. Wha
"a travesty ON justice such trial woulj
hc, Mr.. Croker, through his tools
turned out the best chief of police New
York has had in many years, John Me
CullaGh, and put in a man who h,
knew would carry out his behests.
man whose appointment was an insuI
to every decent citizen. "A man who
while chief of police, while chief office
of the law. has publicly indorsed Sena
tor Hill's scandaIous incitement t,
laWlesSness and riot at the polls. Mr.
Croker is striving to render the judges
his equally servile tools. He has tn,
mayor: he wishes the governor. If tn
police force and the judiciary, the ex
ecutive at Albany and the executive il
New York. all become his supple-kneeC
servants, his power will he supreme
and We will have no single way o
making effective protest against an,
extreme of corruption or lawlessness.
When Croker tackled Roosevelt h
tackled the wrong man. If not clea
now this will he clearer next Tuesday