Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-01-19
NEW YORK'S VICILANTES.
10 Consist Of Five Hundred Men Of Tried and
Proved TrusMU,hinss and Conservatism
Bp. Potter Advocates It Tells How
Much can be Done 20 suppress
Crime and Corruption.

New York, Jan. l9--rhe World says
The vigilance committe favored by
Bishop Potter Is being formed by in
dlydual members OF the Clty CLUB
There VIII not be $4,000 OF them, nor
5000. and only men of tried ana proved
lrustw0rthlncss and Conservatism WIZ
be ia the ranks. The total NUMBER
may not exceed 900.
The City club as an organization Is
not yet the official sponsor for the COM
mittee oi v.gilantes, but after the Or
ganizatiOn has been perfected a prop
ositlOn may be submitted 90 the mems
beers of the club o. father BODY.
Bishop Potter sand, ia speaking OF the
vigilance committee last night.
II think that a body ul earnest
honest men who would promptly re-
port To "a central committee every ylo-
laUOn of she laws for the restraint o.
vice which came under their notice 80
that the people of the city might know
the extent Of official laXity would
render a service Of the very greatest
value
Referring to an objection made by
some of the members of the committee
of fifteen To the employment OF young
men In the work. the bishop said;
THAT has struck me as rather iunny.
Soberly. / don't see how the young
men of the city are likely 10 fan into
any greater danger than now meets
them an over the city. OF course. !
do not advocate any promlscuous dew
ing into the secrets OF dlsotdefly
houses, or any participation In gam
bling. But there are few men IN the
city who have not 40 one time or an
other been solicited 90 vice. or seen IL
Haunted I'm the streets. How Is II go
ing to hurt them TO make a record Oh
that fact and report IL to the central
committee for investigation? / con-
fess ] don't see.
II have on M desk a letter received
this morning from Harlem telling me
II the existence OF a dis0rderly house
In a certain street and Of the 'roplng-
ln' of men by two policemen tn PLAIN
clothes who get their pay out OF the
men they capture. Now how Is II
gonig To- hurt a young man VINO sees
that from across the street TO report
the matter?
1T seems 70 me that no reform
such as we wish 90 see accomplished
can be brought about In any way save
by the persistent publication OF the
abundant Instances Of police corruption
and collision with vice. IL has been
shown that the whole city Is suffering
from q reign Of terrorism on the part
of the police force. on the East side
this Is particularly marked. Many
small tradesmen do business there sole
Is by grace Of brbing the police
The bishop told Of other forms OF po-
lice cupidity. He cited the case OF
policeman who found the lost son OF
one Of his friends recently The police
man simply did his duty In taking the
small boy to the station house where
De was found a little later by an Older
brother. But the policeman appeared
al the boys house on three successive
days and demanded payment for md
ire the little fellow
I'm afraid that that Indifference Is
no the bottom Of a good deal Of the
trouble What we need most OF all Is
constant concentration of public at
tantion upon the present conditions.
That Is what / believe 20 be essential
o. reform ! see no better way Of ac-
rompNshing Ii than through such Wig
lance committee as l advocated In ST.
pauls church.
A DEFENSE OF NEW KORK.
New York. Jan. 10 Comptroller Co
lar Of New York, spoke last night be-
fore the outlook club Of Mont Clair. y.
j. His subject was THE city OF New
York His address was q defense OF
what he called the greatest city In the
world
THE great city" he said stands in
the glare II conflicting and confusing
li.hts. No matter what the cause. the
dark spots In the city are being held
uu to view and the bright spots are
lost sight Of The city Of New York
as at present IN the thrOes u one Of
those peculiar commissions which breah
out I'm all great cities, The prevailing
opinion that New York Is a wicked
city Is the result Of the efforts ~ a few
men, whose instincts are SO good thai
Co them eyery'N ing beyond their own
shadow Is rOttDSIess and black From
what IS being said about New York
II would appear she has a corrupt gov
eminent and an incompetent govern
ment and that vice and crime flourish
on the streets and everywhere. Every
eyil place which nourishes with or
without police protection, each sink
hole OF crime and moral degradation is
being pointed out and her own citizens
seem TO vie with each other 70 see who
could paint The fair city blacklist"
New York the comptroller declared
was growing better. not worse Hel
revenues aggregated three quarters Of
a million each working day. She spent
more for education, more for charity
more for public Improvements more
FOR the benefit OF the public than all
the other cities Of the country together.
Her expenses approximate those Of the
national government. but nowhere IN
the world was so much good done and