New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-18
PLEA FOR FUSION TICKET.
Continued from Arst page.
counsel at a salary quite out Of proportion u
his experience and standing at the bar

The subordnates Of the Sheriff seventy three In
number. who give personal bonds to MN az,
Rregating S640 500. bonded IN company
which engaged close friend OF Mr Croker as us
general manager in December. 1897. TINS ma,
vidual testified that Mr. Croker had STOCK III
This company and shared his commissions on
the bonding business. which he paid In pls. I.S
said the share OF these commissions whlch MI ~,
Croker received was not Soo,VV yea nr,,,o,
declined to answer, on the GROUND OF 90
business" whether II was as much as S-o'ooo'
CROKER CONTROLS ALL.
Mr.. Croker testified that he controlled the
district leaders pretty well; that the heaos "a
departments were pretty we'll In line Win MN
that 1T was their business as members OF the
organization. to make their appointments IN
line with the will Of the organization; tnat II
was necessary for good many OF the oino'a''
20 take out bonds under the law, ana tha' NC
the head Of the appointing power OF the Guy.
has an interest In the concern TO wh'ch "'o'' Va
them go to get their ofncial BONDS.
Mr.. Croker's partner Peter F. Meyer 10
Dock Commissioner Every department OF the
r,tv government which has Official auction sales
emp,oys Peter F Meyer & Co. TO conduct them'
knowing that Mr.. Croker is a partner and MT
Never a Commissioner. Mr.. Croker tcstineo:
wanted a municipal gas plant built for lam
MANY Hail-buiit for the organization with con-
tracts carried out by the organization uai nin'
right clean through. want 'ic ""o'o ''
can get II.
When possible under the law, as IN the Doch
Department, vast sums are eXpenoeo ny ine"i'o
OF treasury orders to favorite contractors anu
politicians without pretence OF puphc letting
Corporations which have public rights 10 use
and open the public streets under the terms OF
their franchises are VIGOROUSLY heid UP u'''i
they have given their contracts 10 'nose Sa'i''
favored rings Of politicians
Other corporations whose entrance into the
so,a =, connection would greatly lower the
price Of necessary commodities are not per-
nnitted TO 90 business.
II Is the natural consequence OF this theory
and .vstenn of government, touching, as the
Tammany leader brazenly admits. not ohiy tiie
head OF every department. but even the Juoees
upon the Bench ana Ten'i1 in this great organ
ized conspiracy that every agency OF pupnc OF
der is demoraliZed . o.oo,
The Building Department. created to protect
the citizen against the pers of nimsy construc-
zion both as 10 stability of buildings ana as 10
exposure 70 fire has become a tool by whlch DIS
honest builders pe Wbc an thev defend them
selves against honest and respectable pulloeis
and against the public.
A politician wishing to open place OF pubic
amusement seems TO be able to defy with i'm
pupity almost every provision for insurlng the
safety Of the public.
Construction
TENS approved and allowed in any city In the
country cannot gain adnittance here without a
reorganization and proper distribution OF stock
The Health Department lends itself and all It's
vast powers to a little silly attack upon great
transportation corporation and threatens the
enormous public annoyance of a sudden stop
page Of its trains in an attempt TO force y 10
make terms with the leader Of Tammany Han
IN one Of his private business" enterprises
The Police Department has been shown 10 De
hand in glove with the criminal classes us
loc
personal intimacy with notorious characters
and the fact established In evidence that
his APPOINTMENT was brought about In the in
terest Of gambling. Scarcely pretence Is made
OF enforcing the laws against gambling. pool
selling, policy shops. disorderly houses, dance
halls end dives. -
summer overwhelming proof Of the open and
notorious operation unmolested ana unchecheo
by the police OF 10 pooirooms was gwen. avid
p, private houses and fobberies in disorderly
, houses in which acts of crime the police nave
actually assisted. have been proved In great
. number Of cases One hundred and fifty wit
nesses appeared before the committee VINO haa
suffered from such crimes. and in but one OF
such Instances have the criminals oeen cau lsa
4 and punished the property been recovered.
Discipline has gone by the board. Drunkenness
IS no longer punished by dismissal. Patrolmen
sleep through the early morning watcnes ah1 ~;
all the evils disclosed by the investigation OF
1884 have been re-establshed
{. How could Il be otherwise when the hignest
cl1fn 10 favor and promotion by the pIeSeHl du-
thorities is that an officer had been smirched
by the evidence before the Lexow Committee
The ward men make their visits with their eyes
shut They know not what pooroom looks
IKE or how policy is played They see no excise
violations and report few OF the robberies' ana
to records made up the Chief on every ques-
ton touching the administration OF his De,
partment sententiously says The records Will
show"
And for all this the administration IS directly
responsible. after the testimony was given
dov at
Deyery: he is & good man. l believe he is a good
Chief' and the Mayor said: Il think the CT
is in a more orderly condition than it has eve'
been in my memory
The Department Of Taxes. charged with the
assessment OF taxable values. in the hands OF
incompetent and partial men. has conducted It's
assessments in such way as 10 be grotesque Il
Il did not so seriously affect the material in
terest Of the citizen. Adjoining properties ir
substantially the same relative condition as II
1898 have been arbitrarily increased In valua
ton at all sorts Of unequal percentages Sc
great has been the dissatisfaction and so nu
merous the legal proceedings instituted to Sc
aside the assessed valuation that the Corpora
ton Counsel was compelled to confess in opeY
court that IL would take him until January
merely 10 file the returns to the enormous mum
her Of writs Of certiorari to review.
The Department Of Water Supply. with tht
aid OF the President Of the Board Of Public I'm
provements, attempted suddenly TO force
through measure which reversed the long es
tablished practice and policy Of the city In re
.spect to the ownership by the city Of its Owl
water supply, and. utterly without cause shown
attempted TO make contract running for NAM
years with a private water company. with NJ
property but vague options, and no capital bu
speculative hopes. involving an expenditure o
5000 600 600 merely TO get their water to tn
city limits.
Notwithstanding the imperative demands 70
rapid transit, the Corporation Counsel held "
for nearly two years the proposed contract. an
finally approved the same on the eve Of election
Experience Of the working OF the charter o
Greater New-York has convinced the people O
the city that its provisions should be general
revised in the interest Of the reduction OF office
and for the creation Of a less complicated an
burdensome governmental machinery: This de
mand has been formulated by many civic bodies
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