The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-01-09
MISRULE In NEW YORK.
Men Who Buy Special Privileges Re
sponsible Charges Frank Moss.

New York, Jan. 9.-Frank Moss, ex-
president of the board of police com
missioners, speaking last night at the
Universal Thought salon at Winterburn
hall. on the topic Things in General"
blamed the men who buy special priv
neges for municipal misrule in New
York He said among other things:
This unanimous pointing to poor
Senator Sullivan, Martin Engel, Percy
NagIe and Devery is suspicious. It is
suspicious that all the newspapers agree
in attacking vice. It is suspicious that
Tammany itself points to the particular
vices of gambling and disorderIy houses.
1 am inclined to look behind and see
what greater evil is shielded. The men
overthrow Tammany are themselves
guilty of doing practically the same
thing. The men who have been build
ing up this system Of corruption know
that the men who were in control in
New York life were buying privileges
and were fattening upon the fruits of
special purchase privileges.
'Devery is bad enough. but he is
mere creature, a mere product. The
commissioners are as guilty as Devery,
yet they talk OF taking one of them to
be the single head of the department.
He is the very man who broke his faith
with a chief with whom he had no fault
to find to put Mr. Devery where he is
at the behest Of politicians and gam
blers. There has been all this discus
sion about vice, but he has done moth
but he is not the ultimate criminal He
is the creature of a system.
Croker 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 York who are
great financial powers and who have
been furnishing the brains for Tam
many Hail for years and profiting by it,
and they have been using the rough
man who is the nominal head to con
troll the masses, and they have given
him the rough mans price"
Mr.. Moss described the enormous
value of the subways as an illustration
OF the special privileges which he said
a certain few men were interested in,
and he said that it was to protect them
in the enjoyment Of that monopoly that
they maintained Talnmany and through
Tammany prevented a construction OF
the pipe galleries which would carry
wires in competition with the subways.
This is the condition yet the mis-
cradle public is aroused over dives and
gambling dens, and the holders Of spe-
cial privileges slyly say: Wen see If
we can't get the refOrmerS to put in
nomination for mayor some man who
won't interfere with our special priv
ileges.
zone of the biggest builders in New
York said to me: If I We're to tell you
some of my experiences it would turn
the city upside down.
why don't you tell me?' I said.
Oh it would end me, was the reply
What white-liVered men we are in
New York. I have seen men turn pale
when 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 50
much in politics. One can be a railroad
Wrecker or an absorber OF corporations
and be considered respectable The
strife that is now on will go on until
a race of men who have patriotism and
civic pride will redeem the city.