New-York tribune., 1901-04-28
FIRST PAYMENT: $500"

The open mouthed wonder with which the po-
lice contemplate that mysterious item In the
books os the Broad-st. gambling house is de-
lightful. What can be the meaning of an enig-
matte entry in a set of books in which all other
items are put down with clearness and particu-
larity? What could $500 have gone for without
detailed record-gone. too, evidently, part of a
series. TO be followed. no doubt, in due time by
second payment" for some unknown purpose to
some unknown person? One police officer thinks
IL might have gone 10 establish a barber shop,
and that guess is good as any other for men
innocent that they do not know that such
thing a gambling house exists in the city,
though other people find it perfectly easy TO
discover and raid them. if the project is care
fully concealed from the aforementioned inno-
cents and the gamblers are not tipped off,
cordingly.
OF course, everybody else understands what
that first payment was. 1t was the regular
price paid for police protection. Justice Jerome
quotes three police captains as telling him that
a gambling house cannot exist in precinct for
two days without the captain knowing it. OF
course that is true. 1t Immediately becomes q
matter of common knowledge, and a captain
who attends 10 his business cannot help learning
about IL, even against his will. The Committee
of Fifteen has found no difficulty in discovering
the existence and location of houses elaborately
fitted up and evidently in business for long
time. 1t is no use for the police 10 pretend that
they have not known they Were running. Tam
many officials could visit them freely enough in
search of sport or wayward sons. Commissioner
York, at the beginning of the Tammany vice
crusade, himself declared that illegal resorts
could not keep open without police protection.
and that he was convinced OF the existence of
stream Of tribute 10 the pockets Of somebody
actually or supposedly able 10 give protection.
Now find a gambling house record of a
First payment $500" Payment 10 whom? If
not TO the police, then by what influence did the
house run within step of the police station un-
molested? There is no use trying longer TO keep
up the prefence of innocence. The Committee of
Five has retired from business The bluff of
virtue is played out. Commissioner Murphy has
discovered that questions concerning illegal re-
sorts are not properly police business Tam
many might just well throw off attempts at
disguise and face the situation frankly, as IT had
TO in 1894. Then the testimony given to the
Lexow Committee showed Enthusiastically the gil
gantic system Of organized blackmail Of honest
business and partnership with vice and crime
Everybody understood the situation. There was
no use for Tammany TO deny the criminal char
actpr OF the government it had maintained and
II made no attempt to do 1t merely tried TO
brazen the difficulty through and carry the cleo
zion with the aid Of those who wanted corrupt
rule 1t might as well adopt the same tactics
now, for everybody understands its character.
No honest man in all this metropolis is under
any delusion about its methods or Is puzzled
over the meaning of First payment: $500"
Anybody who continues 10 support Tammany
does 50 because for some reason or other he
prefers the blackmailing system Of Tammany 10
clean. non-partisan government So the police
might as well take their ostrich heads from the