The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-01-18
THE MAZETERS REPORT.
The Evils in New York as Seen by
the Investigators Majority.
THE MAN BEHIND THE MAYOR.
jOrity Speaks of His Arbitrary
ity, In Turn, Pay Respects to Plntt.


Power In Municipal ATairs-Minor-
ity, In Turn, Pay Respects to Plntt.
Albany, Jan. 16.-The reports Of the
majority and minority members of the
Mazet investigating committee were
presented last night to the assembly.
! The majority report says:
"In many of the offices and depart
ments in New York city grave evils
| were disclosed. For such as were ad-
| ministrative in their nature the
remedy must be sought at the ballot
box, and not at the hands of the legis-
lature. The one clear and distinct
fact Thought out by this investigation
is that we have in this great city the
most perfect instance of centralized
party government yet known.
I'VE see the central power, not the
man who sits in the mayors chair,
but the man who stands behind 1t. We
see the same arbitrary power debating
appointments, directing officials, con-
trolling boards. lecturing members OF
the legislature and the municipal as
sembly. We see an enormous and
ever increasing crowd of Office holders,
with ever increasing salaries. We see
the powers OF government prostituted
to protect criminals, to demoraize
the police, to debauch the public con-
science and to turn governmental
functions into channels for private
gain. The proof is conclusive, not
that the public treasury Gas been di-
rectly robbed, but that great oppor-
tunities have been given, by manipula-
tion OF public offices. to enable favored
individuals to work for their own per-
sonal benefit.
"The present mayor has not con-
ceived his duties to be as contemplated
by the charter commission. 1t Is a
fair inference. from all the evidence,
that he has practically abdicated his
powers and exercises merely a regis
tering function of the determination
Of the leaders Of the party which elect
ed him. We are strongly Of the opin-
ion that the mayors term is too long,
and advise that 1t should be short tened
to two years. to take effect with the
next incumbent.
THE conduct of the present police
department Of tho city of New York
is unQualifiedly bad. Not only are the
laws against poolrooms, gaming
houses, policy shops. excise violations
dance halls and wicked resorts Of all
kinds not enforced, or enforced in
such way as to be ridiculously inef-
fective, but the general discipline is
lax, grave offenses Of personal derelic-
tion in the way of drunkenness, alb
sence from post, inattention to duty
=. 60 unpublished or are visited with
such small fines as almost to be an en-
couragement and not deterrent for
wrong doing.
"Robberies, bunco games, deceits
frauds. thefts, have increased in an
alarming degree. and the detection OF
these crimes and the recovery Of prop
erty has steadily decreased during the
last two years.
1--WE believe that the great mass OF
the rank and file of the department
under proper leadership would exc
cute all the laws with courage and
vigilance, but 1t is not in the nature OF
things that subordinates dependent
upon their superiors for continuance
and promotion in rank should conduct
themselves In direct opposition to the
clearly known views Of superiors."
The minority report says:
"As to the report Of the majority in
general we feel justified in claiming
that 1t Is grossly unfair, conspicuously
partisan. coarse in language, vituper-
alive in temper and absolutely unjus-
titled except by the reckless disregard
and perversion of the proof adduced
before your committee. The commit
tee was from the beginning discredited
before the people. The partisan pur-
pose of its creation was universally
recognized. A most striking illustra-
ton Of the partisan arrogance and
hypocrisy which has dominated the
committee from its very inception is
to be found in the paragraphs Of the
report wherein the majority give ex-
preston Of the pharisaical Indignation
with which their souls are filled upon
discovering that there is boss sys-
tenn associated with our politics.
But even in this the majority lack
both the courage and the candor to
point at the typical, though easy,
boss. They may try to mask and con-
ceal him in quite the same subservient
manner that they protected him from
the subpoena Of the committee, and re-
fused our insistent demand that he
should be called to the stand as a most
unique, necessary and desirable ex-
hibit. The people demanded, In a
spirit Of fair play. that the boss of
our state politics should be questioned
as to the source and sanction of the
authority which he admittedly exer-
cises, as to his identification with the
family law firm and his personal
profits therefrom, as to his accumula-
tions by reason Of his political con-
nections and political domination, as
to whether the signing of the Ramapo
water bill increased his income, as to
whether the failure Of the Astoria gas
grab had disappointed his financial ex-
pectations. The peoples call for the
production and examination Of the
state boss was both loud and long. but
without effect"
To Protect Cuban Forests.
Havana, Jan. 16.-General Rius RI