Evening star., 1900-03-29

But the reformation has been short-lived
Already over the countenance of the hypo-
critical Father Knickerbocker is stealing
an expression that indicates the change
from DR.. Jekyll to Mr.. Hyde, and in an
other fortnight the hands of the city will
again be reeking with sin and crime and
shame.
power there will never be any sort of re-
form unless that reform means money in
the pockets of the leaders. When ne
churches can afford to pay more money to
Croker for the privilege of having the dives
closed than the dives can pay for the privi-
lege of running, then, and not until then, will
vice be banished from the city. 1t is all
matter of dollars and cents SO far as the
Tammany Hall leaders are concerned.
When Croker was interested in the race
tracks in the suburbs of the city not pool
room was allowed to run in the city of
New York. There was something in it for
Croker provided he could keep the pool
rooms closed. Men anxious to place a bet
on the horses were driven to the race
tracks, thereby putting money in the hands
of the boss" Now that Croker has trans
feTred his racing interests from New York
TO England and there is nothing in it for
the boss" it is arrant nonsense to talk
about closing the pool rooms of the CITY.
If the church people of New York will raise
Sl,OooO0O as a cash fund to be distributed
among the Tammany Hall leaders they can
Keep the pool rooms and the gambling
houses closed for three months, unless the
followers of Satan raise their ante. But
as long as the Tammany leaders are al
lowed 5000 go a year as their rake Off
from the pool rooms it is foolish to imagine
that these places will remain closed.
Dives Flourish Under Tammany.
AS for the dives, there never has been a
minute under the present administration
when they have not been strictly in it
Take the case of Ackron, the proprietor of
the Tivoli, the worst dive in the city of
New York, as an Illustration. 1t was the
boast Of this man that he had a pull"
and that the police could rot touch him.
that started this latest uprising of the
forces of law and order. Ii was the ex-
posureS Of DR.. ParknGrSt that vice was pro-
tected by Tammany Hall that caused the
downfall of Tammany Hall and the incom-
ing OF the Strong administrator. And the
church people thought they saw in Ackron's
def. so bravely issued, indications of a re-
viVal of this old-timc system of biackmail-
ing. During the armstrong days, when the
| lines Were drawn, many old-time demo-
Gratis, many good men in Tammany Hall
| for strange as it may be found, there are
good men in Tammdny Hall-manN good
men in TamTany Hall argued thus: I'VE
| don't care If the saloons open on Sun
day, Tor We don have to patrOnize them.
we don't care If the pool rooms and the
| gambling houses are open, the men who
| are fools enough to go there ought to Ioscs
| their money anyhow: We don't care if the
| city, keep away from them anv-
! how. But do draw the line on black
| mail, and We do object to tEesc places pay
| ing tribute money to Tammanv Hall" And
| when Tammany Hall was convicted by DR.
| Parkhurst of taking this tribute from places
| where vice and crime fiourishcd these men
| bolted and voted the republican reform
\ ticket Hence il happened that Ackron'c
| brazen and defiant notes startled the good
| people of New York. Can it be possible
that Tammany Hall is again taking this
blood money! they inquired. Some there
| were VINO We're even confident that reform
| under Tammany was possible. They thought
| the tiger had been taught q valuable les
| son four years ago. And the tiger had
| been taught a valuable lesson. Four wears
i ago Tammany Hall would have been hoIJ
| enough and brazen enough to laugh at the
/ forces of law and order But the remep,
| brance Of the advent of the Strong admins
| tration on issues precisely parallel was
I fresh in the minds of the Tammany lead
| ers. -Four years ago they would break
| rather than bend; today they are all agreed
| that Il is better to bend that break.
Big Gambling Houses Running.
The large gambling houses are once again
| doing business at the old stand, though
some of the little fellows have been suueez-
ed out by reason of the recent reforma ton
movement. The present policy of the Van
| Wyck administration seems to he To at
| tempt to give the city a clean bill Of health
so far as the morals of the community are
concerned Mayor Van Wyck, who kent
under cover during the crusade, has now
come to the front with the statement that
there is 500 times as much drunkenness in
any large Europeah city as in New York,
| that there are 500 times as many gambling
houses in the cities on the other side of the
Atlantic as in New York. that there are
500 times as many abandoned women on
| the streets of European capitals as can he
| found in Greater New York. Inasmuch as
the bureau of vital statistics estimates the
number of abandoned women in the city a,
| 10000 1t would seem that the mayor is
] either on on his mathematics or else thai