New-York tribune., 1901-11-14
THE NEAPGLTT4N TAHHANT.

In New-York we have called our Camorra by
the name of Tammany thus casting somewhat
OF a sur upon the memory of an estimaoie
Indian chief In Naples they have been calling
their local Tammany the Camorra. after the
fashion of Philips Macedonians, who called a
shade shade For Camorra, being interpreted,
means organized outlawry. and that phrase Is
precisely descriptive Of the party which mas OF
late borne sway in Naples as also OF It's proto-
type and exemplar in New-1ork. NOW comes
the welcome news that the people OF Napies'
following closely upon the example set LOT 'heih
here last week have achieved that winch thelr
faintbearts on the one hand feared. and which
tho Camorrists on the other hand boasted, was
imrossible They have rallied at the polls Tor
honesty and decency. and by ma1orit! snlali
but sufficient have defeated all the Camorrlst
candidates and thus rescued the city from
spoliation and shame.
rammanv-that is TO say. the Camorra-got
control of the Neapoitan government many
wears hack. and did n vast lot OF crooked work,
hut il did not openly assert its pratical charac-
ter until about five years ago. AT that time IL
elected to the mayoralty an estimable figure
head. the Marquis di Campolattro-tust as our
New-York Camorra tried to keep itself in power
hv puttinc forward Mr.. Shepard. But that
rasnectable feurehend soon found-as Mr.. Shep-
ard some time ago declared must be the case
that he could not keep the government honest
The evil influences which had elected him ana
which surrounded him were too strong Tor him.
So he resigned and Il thorough paced Camorrlst
succeeded him. whereupon the brakes We're
thrown off and the whole municipal machine
went Full speed ahead"' into state OF affairs
which caused a Milanese journal 10 eXcialm'
"Ouanto fangov'-What a lot Of filth! Pracu-
cally every department of administration was
corrupted and demoralized-police streets ana
sewers lighting. water and all the rest, ana
all according to the most approved 1amnahy
methods. Thus the Mayor exacted Slo,oSo from
tho street cleaning contractor for giving him the
contract. and then the streets were not hah
cleaned. Policemen who enforced the law
against criminal friends OF the Camorrist dig
nitaries were reprimanded and abused quite IN
Devery's own stvle. Electric street lamps were
put up at a contract cost OF S120 each, and the
city treasury was charged 1920 each for them.
Nearly $500 900 was illegally paid To n default
ING sewer contractor In the Water Department
there was fine old Ramapo system, by which
the city was heavily mulcted for the profit OF a
private company In brief, there were shake
downs" blackma extortion and similar prac-
tices on every hand.
In one respect the Neapoitan Tammany diff
fered from the New-Yorle Camorra. That was
in the attitude of the press The Neapohtan
press was generally purchased to the support Of
tho ring or at least silenced. There were some
honorable exceptions TO the rule, however, and
indeed the exposure of scoundrelism was largely
due TO the bold and vigorous efforts of one news
naper-"La Propaganda" Perhaps the most
homeless feature of the was that the people
-the honest people-of Naples got into pess1-
nistic state Of mind. accepted the Tammany-
izinr of their city as inevitable, and thought
there was no use in trying to do anything In
the direction of reform. Happily 1t was found
to he possible to pull them out OF that slough oil
despond. chiefly through the organization oi
non-partisan fusionist movement whose sole aim
was 70 overthrow Tammany-or the Camorra-
and 10 secure honest administration or
rounirinal affairs We do not know how much
connection there was between the two Incl
dents nor how much New -York's campaign
AGAINST its Camorra may have stimulated and
encouraged Naples in its revolt against its
Tammauy: but at least it is most gratifying
coincidence and one full of happy omen. that
two of the worst governed cities in the civilized
world should have been able, only week apart
to break the bonds of infamy and to work out
their own redemption.