The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-11-16
BOSS CROKER
IN NEW ROLE
WANTS NEW YORK RID
OF VICE.
HELPS PURITY MOVEMENT
At His Suggestion Tamany Will
Take Part in Correcting
Existing Evils.

New York, Nov. 15-The executive
committee Of Tammany hall held a
meeting tonight at which Richard
Croker bade all leaders good bye and
took hand III starting movement
for ridding the city Of vice.
In little speech the Tammany
leader said he was going to Europe for
his health, not pleasure, and then in
troduced lsidore Strauss, president of
the educational alliance, as man
who was acquainted with the condi-
tion of things on the east side, ad-
ding: IT hope you will give attentive
hearing to his statements Of the con-
ditions of vice that exists there and
that after you have heard what he has
to say you will use your every effort
to correct these evils as far as lies in
your power.
Strauss said he had met Croker at
a dinner accidently and had talked
with him for two hours over the con-
ditions on the east side and that
Croker had asked him to talk to the
executive committee Of Tammany hall,
and then addressing the committee,
Strauss told of what was needed on
the east side to suppress crime. He
said that he as democrat had fire.
quently had cast up to him the state
ment that Tammany hall receives a
greater part of it's revenue from the
people in those evil conditions of life
and that no good can be accomplished
unless the power of Tammany hall is
destroyed. Strauss said he had re-
peated this to Croker and the latter
had asked him to come before the
committee with a statement and had
promised his aid.
Lewis Nixon, then, by resolution,
had committee of five appointed "to
investigate the moral condition of the
city and then to report and suggest
remedies for the correction of abuses. !"
Nixon was made chairman and the
other members are G. j. Clausen,
president of the park board; Colonel
Michael G. Murphy, president of the
health board; j. J. Scannell, fire COM
missioner, and John w. Keller, chari
ties commissioner. Croker then arose
and said:
II have nothing to add to what has
been said to you by Mr.. Strauss be-
cause he is familiar with the matters
on which he has spoken to you. I
hope the entire committee will give it's
full strength towards helping him and
his work. We should heartily endorse
his remarks and aid him in crushing
out the awful crime, and right here I
want to reiterate what said to you
three weeks ago, and that is that not
one dollar comes into my possession
from the owners of pool rooms CT
houses of i'll fame and if any of you
gentlemen are collecting from any of
these people you had better get out of
the organization. 1t has no use for
you. You are disgrace to it. Our
organization cannot and will not stand
for any such thing"
The meeting broke up in confusion
because of the attitude of Croker.
Coroner Fitzpatrick, Tammany leader
in the Fourteenth assembly district,
denied that there were any disreputable
houses in his diHtrict. He said If
there were any, they We're in the tene-
ment houses and could not be con-
trolled. To this Croker excitedly re-
piled that the coroner did not know
what could be done until after some
effort was made.