The sun., 1900-11-22
The Police and Vice and Crime.

The Police and Vice and Crime.
The theory put forward by A Patrolman
| OF the Fourteenth Precinct " in The SUN OF
Tuesday. that the vice now under police
protection and illegal license in New York
ia necessary topreserve womanly virtue from
assault. is old but 1t Is now and 1t always
hos been utterly fallacious. Moreover. it
bears no relation whatever to the police
question as brought out In the letter OF
Bishop POTTER to the Mayor.
The situation in New York against which
| public decenCy is now arrayed-and We
hope not spasmodically merely. as at the
time OF the Lexow investigation--has moth
ing to do with that theory or any theory. but
is a notorious fact. disgraceful to a civilized
community. No argument as to the In
evitable and ineradlcable existence OF the
depravity Of which the patrolman speaks is
at all pertinent to that situation Even II we
grant that practically the evil is inseparable
from society as II Is and has been at all
! times. ancient and modern. under pagan
| ism and under Christianity. we do not re-
lieve the police In any degree from the degra-
dation into which they have fallen. The
dCCutdtlOH 10 hOt tudt b&lC CNIt cAlstos Dut
that the police are made partners in main
tanning It. virtual panders. agents Of a
base and unlawful system for the e1tor-
ton o. bribes and hush money as the price
| OF their silence and their neglect touching
It: and that also various distinctly criminal
practices are pursued under this purchased
protection.
This accusation Is not founded on mere
suspicion. but on evidence which Is indspu-
table. The revenue obtained from such
police partnership with crime and vice.
under system long established and car
ried to great perfection. Is unquestionably
large even enormous. The Herald OF yes
terday computed that the corruption fund
collected from the lawbreakers In the name
Of Tammany Hall" during the month OF
October aggregate ed 1895 800 from gambling
houses, poolrooms. policy shops and dis
orderly houses. Other illegal and criminal
practices and practitioners receive like pro-
lection or purchased liberation by similarly
sharing their profits with the police or tho
authority over the police. Police Captain
SCHMITTBERGER. testifying on Tuesday at
the trial OF pawnbroker accused OF
receiving stolen goods. when asked ~ he
got money from gambling houses. replied.
mo. but others did; and when pressed for
an explanation he said. The money was
given to me and / passed II on up" That.
naturally is the method Of procedure. for
obviously so great revenue would not be
left altogether as the perquisite OF the police
agents collecting it, It or the main part OF
It is passed on up; but to whom7 That
II is extorted on a great scale is no secret.
hut where precisely the vast sum goes can
only be suspected. though that It is to
the authority over the police Is reasonably
inferable.
That is the great evil with which the citi-
zens Of New York have to deal. and they
can eradicate it in no other way than by
driving from Municipa! power and influence
this corrupt and corrupting authority. Tho
question is not as to the necessity OF vice
for the protection of virtue. " concerns
the protection and stimulation Of vice and
crime by the police in return for bribes and
hush money Systematically collected.
The police force cannot justly be accused
NJ having created this infamous system.
The great mass Of these officers Of the peace
are men Of intelligence. self-respecting and
faithful TO their duty. who are as much out
ragged by these proceedings rs are decent
citizens generally. They are Inundated by
them, Probably comparatively few in the
police ranks are engaged a. active agents I'm
the vile business. though the existence Of
the system must be known 10 all OF them.
General demoralization of the force, accord
incly is the inpvitabl result
That is the evil 10 he comhated and over
thrown. Obviously the destruction can
never he accomplished by the Police Com.
missioners and the authority over them. for
the authorship Of the infamous system must
have been in them. or course. Police Do
partnent investigation ~ its own degrada-
tion Is absurd. So also is an investigation
by Tammany Hall. the authority over the
police The only investigation which will
amount to anything and promise any pos
sible remedy must come after the Municipal
Government Of New York has been purged
Of Tammany influence.
Only after that is done at the Municipal
election of next year will the theory pro-
pounded by this patrolman Of the possible
limits Of social purifcation become perti-
nent. The rescue Of the police from cor
rupt. demoralizlng and pernicious partner
ship with vice and crime IL now a duty
before the people Of New York. and 10 that
purhcation there are no possible or tol-
erahle limits.