New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-28

and yet venture to say that this great assem-
blage here which stands for the mora! and the
material strength of this community, this
| crowded hail. indicates that others VIII nnd the
same difficulty in controlling their feelings and
hat they are witnessing here what is equivalent
20 an uprising Of the better forces or TINS com
! munity, determined to shake OH oetestao4e
why, gentlemen, things have come to such s.
pass that 1. for one. do not doubt the sincerity
of the Purity Committee of Tamrnany Han.
There are decent men among them, as under
stand Mr.. Croker himself has said, and they are
compelled TO recognize the horrtd abyss OF evil
which has opened at our feet-tnat is IN our
| streets-and that has made our city. OF Wnlcn we
were once SO proud. reproach to us, Ihey rec
ognize that things have gone Tar Beyond the
limits which they have intended TO allow ana
believe that they are willing TO cur on the
fringes of the evil. They realize that this vice
| which no one believes it possible in great city
| to eradicate but which we wish 70 prevent from
| entering the streets from overlooking all the
borders of decency-they recognize that 1t has
| attacked the homes Of the poor that II mas IN
| vaded the sanctuary Of childhood ana 90 mol
| doubt for moment that they want 10 CORRECT
| this extreme force of evil
RESPONSE TO AN AGONIZED APPEAL.
How did the committee of which I have the
| honor of being chairman corle to deal with this
matter at all? 1t was a work in response 20 an
agonized cry from the tenement house districts,
| in response to appeal from the young men OF
| that district, For Gods sake. do something; do
| something to protect our sisters and the little
| children" This vice has gone into the tenement
| houses. People who want to protect their fam
| lies decent people who are compelled 10 live
| the very same floor with the netshhOring
rooms Haunting evil when they complain 10 the
| landlord they are told that the rental received
| from those persons Is twice the ordinary rental
and that, therefore. if it Is question which
will have to 60 the decent people Will have 10
emissaries unconsciously, as advertisers of vice,
and they see that little children-I am not cx-
'aggerating, although it may sound to you like
an eXaggeration-that little children seven ana
eight years of age are being infected III this
horrible way. Tales which even in an audience
OF men it would be impossible for a decent
tongue to repeat are brought TO them and these
young men ask for help, and committee con
shutting a considerable portion of the refined
and the social elements Of this city-let me
correct mistake which has appeared in the
public papers-a committee of public morality
has been mentioned, not committee Of the
Educational Alliance. The committee embraces
representatives of the Educational Alliance, but
contains all the representatives Of social ele-
ments in different parts of the city. For year
this committee has undertaken TO do its little
share in ameliorating these conditions
NOW repeat that. in my opinion, Tammany
Hall and its leaders realize perfectly from hon
est motives and apparently from motives Of
policy, that these extreme forms Of evil must
longer be allowed to exist What feel is that
they connected with these extreme forms OF
evil and more reconcile sources Of evil me
be plain. The great gambling trust Of this city
owns garnb bling and poolrooms from which social
vice is constantly fed, from which the ranks of
the worst type OF vicious men are constantly re-
cruited, and I cannot help entertaining very
serious doubt whether, under the auspices Of
the Tammany Committee, we should see an
eradication of that more deep seated evil, and
unless it is attacked and unless the connection
between tfat committee and those who contr /
the political power Of this city is exposed or
that connection ceases-unless that is accom-
plshed we shall nothing but passive
spasm or very partial. insufficient correction
OF the evil We shall not have It cured
What I hope, gentlemen. therefore, is that no
committee which this great body this great and
formed from any movement primarily political,
not az all political in its object SO that the
question before us shall not now be to remove
the power of Tammany Hail. or to shake it, but
that this committee shall lend itself to appoint
executives who will TO it that the evil is
searched out in a more radical manner than we
can hope from any Purity Committee that en-
anates from Tammany Hall itself let the conse
quances be what they may.
Superintendent Hallimond of the Bowery Mis-
sion described at some length the experiences
which he met with in fighting vice the East
Side, and referred particularly to the criminal
character OF what were popularity known as
nickel and dime museums a-1 which were
established upon almost every block along the
Bowery. He cited many instances Of robberies |
which had been committed in these places with
the apparent connivance Of the police.
COLONEL ERHARDT SPEAKS.
He was followed by Colonel Joel B Erhardt.
who, in the course OF an extremely interesting
address said:
agree with the Mayor in the statement that
whichever way you look You must look to the Pc
eminent. They are bad to-day; / do not believe
to-day. l
per f Of them no 6asve fG ha the
them should be Dismissed Ths ma have " od NUM- n!
Der Of them with the same frankness that am !
assented- The captains may not have agreed upon |
The Mayor is the head Of the corpora1io on The
for the governing OF the force. Individually they
have no power whatever any than a single |
regime TO find places. and I think within very /
few days after became a Cornmissoner advo /
in order to fix responsibilities. II would make no
the worst man in the city of New-York was at !
the head of the force or the best for the worst
short time. But the four made for the pur- |
pose, and two are appointed because they disagree
that is what you cali bipartisanship. Confusion
results from that and you never will succeed in |
out to organization which consists OF four mem
bers, in which two are appointed because thew
go aground, not army but what would speediiV
become demoralized, under such system.
GAVE DIR. PARKHURsT HIS FIRST LESSON
Nearly I twenty years ago Dr.. Parkhurst called on
me m ana we nag discussion and said that the
Of h @ef SPIES bey a69Ts they only
scenes, and the result was that Dr. Parkhurst went
out with me to dinner and took him up on tbe |
out and showed him everyth fne eb5 5ha tb he
was to see and that led him to go through an
is Your remedy for this eTt s am ne 1+ said What
hare thing to decide My impression is I WoniS |
0S said No aS e Hza DO you mean to esaizs
Afterward he took the field on his own account
started on his career. glad that he ala m,
a van, 10 say IN regard to that that does moi
Saged IN a hght. He used the caymore otheIs ne,
me me r d HIS heart vas in the right place and b
= type or me crusader thar fears nothing bur Cod
tEJ1vSa