The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-11-20
TO INVESTIGATE CHARGES OF VICE IN
THE EAST SIDE
Mr.. CROKER MAKES A SPEECH
To Tammany Executive Committee,
Urging This Course-He Introduces
Isidor Strauss. who Speaks on the
Investigate the Moral Conditions OF
the Cfty-Croker Bids Tammany
Farewell-He is to Sail for Europe

New York, November 15.-The exec
utive committee of Tammany Hall
held a meeting tonight at which Rich
ard Croker bade all the leaders good
bye and took a hand in starting a
movement to rid the city of vice. In
a little speech the Tammany leader
said he was going to Europe for health,
not pleasure, and introduced Isidor
Strauss, president of the educational
alliance, as a man who was acquainted
with the condition of things on the
east side, adding:
Il hope you will give attentive hear
ing to his statements of the conditions
of vice that exist there and that after
ID have heard what he has to say
{Ou Will use your every effort to cor
ect those evils as far as lies in your
bower"
= Mr.. Stauss said he had met Mr.. Gro
ker at dinner accidentally and had
talked with him for two hours over
the conditions in the east side, and Mr.
Croker had asked him to talk to the
executive committee of Tammany Hail.
and then addressing the committee
Mr.. Stauss told of what was needed
on the east side to suppress crime. He
said that he as a democrat had fire.
quently had cast up to him the state
ment that Tammany receives the
greater part it's revenue from people
in these evil conditions of life and that
no good can be accomplished unless
the power of Tammany Hall is destroy
ed. Mr.. Strauss had repeated this to
Mr.. Croker and the latter asked him
to come before the committee with the
statements and had promised his aid.
Lewis Nixon, then, by resolution, had
a committee of five appointed to in
VeStigate the moral conditions of the
city and to receive and suggest reme-
dies for the corrections of abuses
Mr.. Nixon was made the chairman
and the other members are George G.
Clausen, president of the park board !;
Colonel Michael c. Murphy, president
of the health board; John ]. Scannell,
fire commissioner, and John w. Keller.
charities commissioner.
Mr. Croker then arose and said: II
have nothing to add to what has been
said to you by Mr.. Strauss, because
he is familiar with the matters on
which he has spoken to you. l hope
that this entire committee will give
it's full strength towards helping him
and his work. We should heartily
endorse his remarks and aid him in
the work of crushing out this awful
crime. And right here / want to re1t-
crate what / said three weeks ago to
you, and that is not one dollar comes
into my possession from landlords OF
pool rooms and houses of ill fame, and
if any one of you gentlemen are col
Iecting from any of those people, you
had better get out of the organization
1t has no use for you. You are a dis
grace to it. The organization cant
and won't stand for any such thing"
The meeting broke up in confusion
because of the attitude of Coroner
Fitzpatrick, who denied that there
were any disreputable houses in his
district. He said that if there was
vice there it was in tenement house:
and could not be controlled.
To this Mr.. Croker eXcitedly replied
that the coroner did not know wha
could be done until some effort wa:
made.