The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-17
BISHOP POTTER TO VAN WYCK
FORTAL COMPLAINT OF THE VICE
INNEW YORK.
The Ii-Trentment of Clergymen When
They Presented the Notorious Com
dtttou of affairs to PoIice-The Mayor
Makes u Quick Reply-sends COM
municatfon to District Attorney
o District Attorney.

New York Nov. 16.-Bishop Henry
C. Potter, of the Episcopal diocese Oh
New Yorl, to-day sent letter to Mayor
Van Wyck in reference to vice III thls
city and especially on the East SIDE
AT the present writing three move
ments are directed against vice, one III
connection with Anthony Comstock 8
society for the suppression OF vice.
another by Tammany Hall ana the
third by Bishop Potter.
BISHOP Potter in opening his letter
tells how when two clergymen called
at the police station of the precinct TO
complain of the notorious conoltloh ol
affairs, one OF them was told by the po-
lice captain that he lied, ana that
when disheartened by such an exper-
fence the clergyman carried his COM
plant to a higher police authority, ne
was met with insolent dirision.
| The bishop says he is not demanding
that vice shall be stamped out for that
"is a task which would demand for us
achievement a race of angels ana not
of men, bu+ lie protests in the name OF
youth and lAnocense of youn-, girls ana
| their mothers, who though living under
conditions often of privation and haV-
ing hard struggle for live hood,
have in them every instinct of virtue
and purity that are the ornaments OF
any So allied gentlewoman in the land,
and before Gc8 and in the face OF the
citizens of New York I protest, as my
peope have a Jed me to do, against
the habitual insult, the persistent men
ace. the unutterably defiling contacts,
to which, day by day, because of the
base completely OF the police of New
York with the lowest forms of vice and
crime they are subject"
"I call upon you, sir" concludes the
bishop, ''to save these people who are
/ in a very real way committed to your
charge. from a living hell, defiling,
deadly damning, to which the crimi-
nal supineness Of the constituted au-
thotitles, set for the defense of decency
and good order threatens to doom
them
i Mayor Van Wyck at once replied to
i the bishop by letter and said he had
passed the bishops communication to
I the district attorney ana promised TO
secure a hearty and efficient co-opera-
( tlon by the police department with all
who are working to do away with pub
lie violation of law and decency.
Bishop Potter smiled when he was
asked this afternoon about the move
I Tammany had made. 1T was all very
clever, very clever, indeed" said he.
! The men who are interested with
Bishop Potter in the work al the Pro-
| Cathedral in Stanton street were equal
! ly reticent.
| The Rev. Robert L. Paddock, rector
of the Pro-Cathedral said: I'VE shall
! watch developments down here closely
| and hope the improvements promised
are at hand Knowing the situation as
thoroughly as we do it is hard some
times to remain quiet and keep the sit
uatio to ourselves. But it absolutely
is necessary to do so at this time, and
we are certain that the wisdom of our
course will be recognized when the situ-
alton clears"