The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-16
TAMMANY IS ARRAIGNED
MAJORITY REPORT OF THE MAZET
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.
Administration of the City Of New
York Accused of RObbing and Not
Enforcing the Laws.

ALBANY. N. Y, Jan. 15.-The reports of
the majority and minority members of the
Mazet investigating committee were pre-
sented tonight to the assembly. The ma
jority report says: 'In many Of the offices
and departments in New York City grave
evils were disclosed. For such as were
administrative in their nature, the remedy
must be sought at the ballot box and not
at the hands of the Legislature. The one
clear and distinct fact brought out by this
investigation is that we have in this great
city the most perfect instance of central
feed party government yet known
The report declares that We see the GEN.
trail power, not the man who sits in the
mayors chair, but the man who stands be-
hind it, We see the same arbitrary power
debating appointments. directing officials.
controlling boards, lecturing members Of
the Legislature and the municipal assem-
bly,. We see an enormous and ever increas-
ing crowd of officeholders. with ever-in-
creasing salaries. We see the powers of
government prosttuted TO protect GRIM
inals. to demoralize the police, to debauch
the public conscience and to turn govern
ment functions into channels for private
gain The proof is conclusive. not that
robbed, but that great opportunities have
been given. by manipulation of public Of
fees, to enable favored individuals to work
for their own personal benefit.
1.-The conduct of the present police force
of the city of New York is unqualifiedly
bad. Not only are the laws against pool
rooms. gaming houses, policy shops, excise
violations, dance halls and wicked resorts
of all kinds not enforced, or enforced in
such a way as to be ridiculously ineffective,
but the general discipline is lax, grave Of
lenses of personal dereliction in the way of
drunkenness, absence from post. inatten-
ton to duty, etc, go unpublished or are Wis
tied with such small fines almost to be
an encouragement and not deterrent from
wrong doing. Robberies. bunco games. de-
ceits. frauds. thefts, have increased in an
alarming degree, and the detection of these
crimes and the recovery of property has
steadily decreased during the last two
years..
The majority presented eight bills for the
consideration Of the Legislature The i'm
portant one provides for the appointment
of commission by the Governor to revise
the New York city charter
The minority report says: LAS to the re-
port of the majority in general we feel
justified in claiming that IL is grossly I'M
fair. conspicuously partisan, coarse in lam
guage, vituperative in temper and abso-
lutely unjustified except by the reckless
disregard and perversion of the proof adj
duced before your committee The COM
mittee was from the beginning discredited
before the people. The partisan purpose of
its creation was universally recognized A
most striking illustration of the partisan
arrogance and hypocrisy which has dom
mated the committee from its very incep-
ton is to be found in the paragraphs Of the
report wherein the majority gives express
sion TO the pharsiaical indignation with
which their souls are filled on discovering
that there is a boss system associated with
our politics. But even in this the ma
jority of the committee lacks both the
On ra Oa n a 10
though easy boss. 1t may try to mask
and conceal him in the same subservient
manner that they protected him from the
subpoena of the committee, and refused
our insistent demand that he should be
called 10 the stand as most unique. neces-
sary and desirable exhibit.
Here follows bitter attack on Senator
Plat and on the majority of the committee
for not calling him TO the witness stand.
In conclusion the minority report says that
1T has but a single recoIo mendation to make
that the people of New York be permit
ted to govern themselves.