The Jersey City news., 1899-09-12

Parkhurst's Association and Of the Mazet
Investigating Committee, has an article
on New York under Tammany Rule" :"
In the course of IT, in speaking of the
Mazet inquiry and its revelations, he
says
The apathy and the critical disposition
OF large masses Of our good citizens at
this time, when the very liberties OF our
people are in jeopardy, are indeed discour-
aging. 1t is indeed a wonderful thing that
the good people Of New York can witness
the open disgrace of their city without
being aroused to such indignant protest
and contest as to leave forgotten the
comparatively paltry considerations OF
personal interest and safety. The supine-
ness, the lack of adequate public express
against the conditions which weigh be-
y0nd the testimony before the committee.
are matters of common talk among the
people, are phenomena of the greatest in
terest and significance, and sometimes
they make counsel wonder at their own
temerity In earnestly daring to face the
tyrant and his council.
If Mr.. Moss were not so consumed with
egotistical fanaticism as he is, he might
perceive that the public attitude is caused
by himself and a few persons like him.
The city of New York was once delivered
up to their control for three years. Now
the citizens prefer Tammany with all its
monstrousness of selfishness, greed and
corruption, to q continuance or a renewal
OF the rule of the saints. The reason for
this Is to be found in Mr.. Moss paper.
as 1t stands. His assertions are a tissue
of falsehood, actual or constructive of
unreason. OF morbid specialism, of mar
row prejudice and all embracing hypoc-
risy
The opening statement is complicated
faisehood:-
The city Of New York is in a sad con-
dition. It was delivered, in 1895, from an
administration that was signalized by the
public exhibition of the brutality and cor
ruption Of some Of its departments. BY
committed to non-partisan administra-
tion which made great progress in raising
the character of the public service. Then,
in 1897. through a chapter of blunders and
follies, 1t fell into the hands of the same
ISsan'zafi0n is55 that controlled It prior TO
New York was not delivered from any
thing in 1895. Previous to that year, it
had government, upon the whole, as
good as any in the world. Public enter
prise was unbounded. Public money was
well spent. Crime was reduced to
minimum. Gambling was not more prev
alent than is inevitable in a big city, and
the social evir' was strictly confined be-
hind closed shutters.
One great evil certainly existed. There
was more or less comprehensive system
of levying blackmail upon the disorderly
element and the liquor traffic, by some
or all OF the police officials. But there
is overwhelming evidence that this exists
in one degree or another in fifty per cent.
of all the cities In the world. The Lexow
Investigating Committee took advantage
of this one evil. and stirred up condi-
tion Of hysteria in New York which was
as totally unaccountable In its causes as
1t was disastrous in its results. Mr.. Moss
says that the election which succeeded
gave New York a non-partisan and re-
York was State Constitution which dis
franchises the voters of the city and
which depriyes them of all control over
the State taxes, of which they pay four
flfths- 1t gave them the supremacy of the
Platt machine in State affairs, resulting
In the Raines law with its extra tax of
a million dollars year upon the city for
the benefit of the rural counties. In the
city 1t gave weak and inefficient admin
istration. the features Of which were vast
ly increased taxation, corrupt Public
Works Department and police organiza-
tfon on the one hand brutal and tyran-
nical and on the other ludicrously ineffi-
cient. The one redeeming feature of May
or Strong's term was Colonel Warnings
administration of the Street Cleaning De-
partment. Were 1t not for this, not one
favorable word could honestly be said for
these three years of disorder and ex-
travagance.
The -blunders and follies" were there
sure enough, though not precisely the
ones to which Mr.. Moss alludes, and they
brought Tammany back again into power,
no longer moderate party, depending
for It's tenure of power upon giving good
average government to the city, but in
trenched in the strongest of all political.
fortihcations, an intense public hatred Of
It's enemies, a hatred of Plattism. Raines-
ism, Collisism. Rooseveltism, and, above
all. Mossism. What wonder that Tam
many, coming back on the tidal wave Of
an uncomfortable popular desire, and re-
alizing the intense hatred of all that 1t
does not stand for, should have lost It's
head and run to the excesses which the
Mazet Committee is now bringing to light,
and which only too certainly exist!
Mr.. Moss may keep on depioring the
public disregard Of the present revela-
tions. II we do not mistake. Tammany
will carry New York again this fall, and
again ana again. Indeed, he seems to
think so himself