The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-16
EVILS OF NEW YORK CITY.
MAZET COMMITTEE REPORTS TO
THE LEGISLATURE.

Majority Report Says the Central
Power Is Not the Mayor. Hut the
Man behind His ChRir--Nnnipuln-
ton of Public Offices Charged.
Crimes That Are Not PunIshed--Mi-
mority Says the Report Is Unfair
and Partisan In the Extreme.
Albany. N. Y, Jan 15.-The reports of
the majority and minority members OF
the Mazet Investigating Committee were
presented tonight to. the assembly. The
majority report says:
an many of the offices and departments
in New York city grave evils were dis
closed. For such as We're 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 the In
vestigaton is that we have in this great
city the most perfect instance of central
lied party government yet known"
Ii declares chat we see the central pow
err, not the man who sits In the Mayors
chair. but the man who stands behind it,
We see the same arbitrary power decid-
ing appointments. directing officials, con-
trolling boards, securing members of the
Legislature and the municipal assembly.
We see the powers of che government
prostituted to protect criminals to demon
alize the police, to debauch the public
conscience and to turn governmental func-
tons into channels for private gain, The
proof is conclusive. not that the public
treasury has been directly robbed, but
that great opportunities have been given,
by manipulation Of public offices, to en-
able favored individuals to work for their
own personal benefit,
Grimes Go Unpublished.
"The conduct of the present police force
of the city of New York Is unqualihedly
bad. Not only are the laws against pool
rooms, gambling houses, policy shops
dance halls and wicked resorts of all kinds
enforced in such a way as to be ridiculous
w ineffective. but grave offenses OF per-
sonal derelction in the way of drunken
ness. and inatttention to duty go unpun-
ished.
'sRobberies. bunco games. deceits,
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
Unfair and Partisan.
The minority report says
"As to the report of the majority In gem
eral, we feel justified in claiming that !,
is grossly unfair conspicuously partisan,
coarse in language, vituperative In tenn
per and absolutely unjustifiod except by
the reckless disregard and perverslon or
the proof adduced before your committee.
The committee was from the beginning
discredited before the people. The partl-
san purpose Of it's creation was unlver-
sally recognized.
A most striking illustration of the par
tisan arrogance and hypocrisy which has
dominated the committee from it's very
inception is to be found in the paragraphs
OF the report wherein the majority give
expression to the pharisaical Indignation
with which their souls are filed upon
discovering that there is a boss system
associated with our politics. But even In
this the majority of the committee lack
both the courage and candor to point at
the typical though easy boss. They 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 to the stand as a
most unique necessary and desirable ex-
hibit"
Here follows a bitter attack upon Sen
ator Plat and upon the majority of the
committee for not calling him to the wit
ness stand.