The Forrest City times., 1901-01-11

New York, Jan. 9.-Frank Moss, ex- president of the board of police com missioners, speaking at the Universal | Thought salon, at Winterburn hall, on the topic, Things in General" blamed the men who buy special privileges for municipal misrule in New York. He said among other things: Look Behind the Veil.
 "This unanimous pointing to poor Senator Sullivan, Martin Engel, Per cy Nagle and Devery is suspicious. It is suspicious that all the newspapers | agree in attacking vice. It is sus- picious that Tammany itself points to the particular vices of gambling and disorderly houses. l am inclined to | look behind and see what greater evil is shielded. The men who might start an organization to overthrow Tam many are themselves guilty of doing particularly the same thing. Then men who have been building up this | system of corruption know that the men who were in control in New York life were buying privileges and were
 
 c;id purchased privileges.
 Commissioners as Guilty ns Devery.
 "Devery is bad enough, but he is mere creature, a mere product. The commissioners are as guilty as Dev- cry, yet they talk of taking one of | them to the single head of the depart ment. He is the very man who broke | f,,.% l. .l. | had no fault to find, to put MT. Dew very where he is at the behest of | politicians and gamblers. There has | been all this discussion about vice, but he has done nothing. There has not been single trial, but he is not the ultimate criminal. He is the creature 1 of a system.
 | The Brains Behind Croker.
 "Crokcr is certainly an object | against which we have to turn our | batteries, but I don't know that he is the worst one. There are men in New l York who are great financial powers, and who lave been furnishing the brains for Tammany hall for years and profiting by it, and they have been using the rough man who is the nominal head to control the masses and they have given him the rough 1 mans price,"
 Enormous Value of PriyiIeges Mr. Moss described the enormous value of the subways as an illustra- tion of the special privileges which he said a certain few men were interest | ed in, and he said that it was to pro- tect them in the enjoyment of that monopoly that they maintained Tam many and through Iammary pre- vented construction of tn. pipe | galleries, which wonld carry wires in competitor with tn, subway, | The Condition as It Exists.
 This is the condition. yet the mis- crable public is aroused over dives and gambling dens and the holders of special privileges slyly say, Wen see see if we can't get the reformers to put in nomination for mayor some man who won't interfere with our special privileges
 | Would End Him If He Told.
 ''One of the biggest builders in New York said to me: "If I were to tell you some of my experiences it would turn the city upside down.
 Why cont you trli me? 1 saId
 "Oh, it would end rut,' was the re- ply.
 Men Dare Not Speak Ont.
 What whitelivered men we are in | New 3ik! have scrr men turn pale when l suggested that they speak out. Though vice is bad, it is not the worst thing. If it was not for corruption in business life there would not be so much in politics. One can be a rail- road wrecl;er or an ;bsorter ,f cor porations and be considered respecta- ble. The strife that is now on will go on until race of men who have pa triotism and civic pride win redeem the city"