Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-14
Vice Held in Check by New Reform
Movement.
ANTI-TAMMANY FORCES At WORK
Government Buys Land on Card
ner's Island for Forts.
PREVALENCE OF SMALLPOX

III teen IdS !lOt succeeded IN getting down
to the work of hunting vice. Most of the
time has been spent in trying to get promi-
nent men willing to serve on the commit
tee. Several days ago the newspapers of
the city discovered that all of the men Sc
lecled TO act on the committee were wealthy
men and that the laboring interests of the
city have not been represented. Since then
several designations have been received and
Bishop Potter and Others who led off In
the crusade against vice have pronounced
in favor of giving the workingmeu of the
city at least one member on the committee
1t will be some time before the committee
is permanently organized. About all that
is known is that Charles Stewart Smith has
announced that the committee will not be
enlarged. The permanent organization will
number fifteen. the number originally fixed
upon at the chamber of commerce meeting
Meanwhile the public s evidently losing
interest in the movements Of the Tammany
Hall committee of five. appointed for the
purpose of wiping out vice in New York be-
fore the chamber of commerce vice hunters
could fairly get to work So far as the
East Side is concerned there is no doubt
that the wave of reform which has been
sweeping over the city has made it cleaner
than 1t has been since the days of Mayor
Strong and Police Commissioner Roosevelt.
Just where the vice hunters will go next or
where the next movement against gam
blers and immoral women will break out 1t Is
difficult if not impossible to determine. The
Tenderoin appears to offer the most fruit
full field for an investigation.
Vice Is Less Apparent.
Taken all in all, no matter whether the
democrats thank the Tammany Hall COM
mittee of five OF the republicans and re-
formers thank the chamber of commerce
committee of fifteen, vice during these lat
ter days appears to be keeping its head
pretty we'll under cover. This is not to say
that immortality in the metropolis has de-
creased 20 any considerable extent, but
whatever of gambling and vice Is going on
is not so pronounced. Vice has been scat
tered far and wide and the women on their
way to church on Sunday, the children on
their way to school are not in danger of
being insulted. That Matchmaking is still
going on there is no doubt: that the dives
and the saloons are still running Illegally
in a quiet sort of way may be taken fo-
granted. but the condition of the city Is
undoubtedly much cleaner than it was be-
fore Bishop Potter championed the cause
of the clergymen of the Pro-Cathedral, who
were insulted at the police stations by high
officials because they dared to protest
against vice in Its most odious forms in
proximity to their churches.
For the Overthrow of Tammany.
The political leaders who are organizing
in the next municipal election say that the
great number and variety of such organiza-
ticns already formed or forming is the best
possible guarantee that all elements work
ing for better government can be united in
support of one ticket. They assert that eN-
perence has demonstrated that it is easier
to bring about working agreement be-
tween a great number of small political and
civic organiza tons than it Is to unite two
or three strong factions. Most of the men
who now leading the anti-Tammany
movement took an active part in the cam
peign Of 1894. which resulted in the election
of the city ticket selected by the commit
tee of seventy. They have the experience
of that campaign to guide them and they
recall that fully score of separate and
rather antagonistic organizations combined
in support of ticket. The successful
anti-Tammany campaign Of 1894 was organ.
lied and most of the expenses paid by
non-partisan committee of citizens, known
as the committee Of seventy, but the de-
tailed work of the campaign was all done
by minor organizations, most of them dis
tinctly political in character.
Government Buys Land.
The government has acquired all the land
on Plum Island, in Long Island sound, the
recent purchase of CAT acres from Abram 8.
Hewitt, former Mayor of New York, COM
pleting its title Sixty-four thousand dol
lars were paid for the last section, by
which perfect defense for New York in
case of war will be complete. The Span
ish- American war called attention 10 Its
weakness on the side of Long Island sound
and there was then begun the system OF
defenseS which it is believed 1t would be
practically impossible for a hostile fleet to
pass. 1t includes Fishers and Gull Is
lands, besides Plum and Valiant Rock. The
first work was done on Plum The island
is nearly opposite Mantle, on the Connect-
cut shore, and is three miles long and one
at he widest mart. The shane Is ike
a leg of mutton. Buildings for the new
military post are there, and cost the gov
eminent $4,000 Ten are intended for the
use of artillery. They are arranged to
form a square of 500 feet each side, and
facing north the large barracks, among
the finest in the country. AS Plum Island
is particularly bleak in winter, the struct.
ure is made strongly weatherproof Gull
Island which is eight miles from the main
land and lies off Plum fairly bristles with
The powerful Pinch guns
will sweep the sound from shore to shore.
Besides these there is a rapid-firing 1o-inch
gun in position. On the westerly end of
Gardeners Point the island of that
name, near Long Island, similar defenses
lust below Watch Hill, R. l., one of the
heaviest pieces of ordnance the government
has will be placed. Work preparatory to
it has been in progress Tor
months When all these guns have been
put in place there will be little use for
old Forts Griswold and Trumbull, for an
lnbroken chain from Long Island to Con-
necticut will have been made.
The Christmas festival of the little chill
dren of the stage will be without its guar
dian angel this year. Aunt Louisa Ell
bridge who was the founder OF the annual
and has become the president
of the organization carrying 1t on. has re-
signed from her position and the festival
this year will miss one Of its pleasantest
features.
Vaccination In Manhattan.
There must be in the neighborhood OF
900 600 sore arms in Manhattan at the
present time. The board of health figures
that by the end of this week that num-
Der of persons will have been vaccinated
in this borough alone. All records in the
numbers of vaccinations have been broken
by the department. The corps Of vaccina-
tors sent out by the health department has
been increased, and the demand for vac
cine virus by physicians to use In their
practice exceeds all demands in previous
years. Fifty-two cases of smallpox exist
in the borough of Manhattan. as reported
by the health department. However, eight
persons stricken down with the disease and
dispatched to North Brother Island were
from that institution today as
cured No reports of smallpox have been
made from the boroughs of Brooklyn.
Queens. Richmond or the Bronx: Nineteen