New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-17
YORK FOR LICENSED VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE POLICE BOARD AD-
AIITS THE CORRUPT STATE
OF THE FORCE.

President York of the Police Commission
when asked yesterday afternoon what the Po-
lice Board going to do in consequence of
the beginning OF the Tammany crusade upon
vice In this city replied that he was ready to
go to any length in cooperating with the Tam
many committee with any other committee
which proposed to better the conditions in
this city.
There is NJ use denying it," said Commits
sioner York. the hopeless thing about all these
attempts at reform in this vice situation is the
! distrust among all the people. that the police
are not doing what they can do to correct the
evil. because of considerations of various kinds
that thev receive.
That is the whole trouble Nobody knows
! that better than do 1t Is charged that the
! police take money for protecting and taking
part in that kind of business.
There no use mincing matters. II places
openly Enst Side any
side of this city it is the fault of the captain
of the precinct. They cannot openly
without his assistance.
| He is the man who is responsible for them.
The law makes him accountable for the pre-
cinct he is at the head of. No man above him
! has the right to order him to do anything that
| is not right. II may he true that there are men
who have been punished for refusing to do
wrong. There are also commanders in this De-
| partment who have refused take part in dirty
! business. and who have not been transferred.
| No man will be punished for doing right if can
! help it.
| "Is Is true, you sny. 1t stands to
when IA vile place is runnInf so openly, day
! after day, TINT every paSSerby knows w hat
| IL iS md go in without any tro lbIe. that
the captain il getting confederation
for letting this thing go n. Bat Ii dIhi-
cult q prove this thing against nny police
| man.
hat Eir5 z iS hut ic
next to impossible prove it in court This
will be apparent to you when I say that every
man. except one. who dismissed from his
command after the Lexow investigation for that
kind of thing is back in the force. And
Captain DOherty. who convicted IN two
appellate courts of the thing has been
pardoned and Governor Roosevelt has signed a
bill to give him trial.
This is the way tied up in this thing
They talk about a State constabulary helping
things out. 1t is foolishness to say So l in
vite anybody to show politics in the Depart
ment. I want you to show me any captain
who is doing this kind of thing on account Of
politics. There is just much of one kind of
, politics another in that kind of police bust
ness.
81 do not mean to reflect ON anybody when
} repeat what I have snid before till I nm
tired that ono headed Police Commission
Is the best change for this Department.
"Over on the East Side the people live huddled
in a small space When the weather is warm
enough to permit anybody to stay outside the
sidewalks are crowded We have no right to
compel those people to keep indoors They have
as much right out there as you have What is
often called Irritation in Fifth-ave becomes
soliciting II some people it over in these
districts.
The police not altogether to blame for
that. Even for the vice they are not altogether
to blame. These women who show themselves
over there wouldn't solicit If there were not peo-
pie there who want them. They would go away
law is to blame, too. for lot OF that business.
But the police the ones who get the criti-
cism. We went far a little while ago as to
send Chapman over there with an axe to chop
things down. but ne got more criticism for that
general belief that the police permit that thing
to exist for a con- Iteration prevents any kind
of harmonious working IN any way with some
people whose aims the same as ours are.
THE only way that the vice situation is to be
finally met and solved Is to do away with
sense way. Hypocritical laws give the corrupt
men in this Department their chance. and 1t
sometimes looks as II they were intended for this
purpose.
.TVice will exist The people will have this
| Kind of thing. and IL might well he SEN
afbIy treated. i have had men admit that O
me here. hut when ask them to come
afraid to do 40.
EIGHTY-FIvE CLUBS
Arc within from fifteen minutes OF he