New-York tribune., 1901-03-22
REPORT OF TIE FITE.

II would he hard imagine a more in
nocuous document than the account of their
stewardship which appeared Yesterday over the
siqnatures of Mr. CrokeI'S Committee of Five,
lewis Nixon chairman 1t is said that some
body industriously mutated the report before
il was permitted 10 the light. and that the
original draft actually contained several inter
esting acknowledgements but in its present
form il is extraordinarily unimportant. 1t in
forms the community that in a particular East
Side district vice is now pronounced to be
.'repressed 10 such an extent that il is kept
within bounds: that Il troublesome contingent
from South Africa has dispersed: that common
sense regulations are better than drastic meas
ures: that in case offensive conditions are re
stored anywhere hereafter. report 10 the cap
tain OF the precinct will place the responsibility
on him hut that II would he advisable TO let
the Commissioner also know that there was
room for improvement and that every effort
should he made 10 raise the ideal of civic gov
ernment So far as we have been able to dis
cover. the report contains just three statements
which would attract some attention if they had
not been made before in much more emphatic
terms. though subsequently modified. on the
authority of Mr.. Nixon. One is the assertion
that THE gambling situation is in control Of
bling could not continue in their respective
precincts without their knowledge. Another is
that the committee has supplied the District
Attorney with Il great deal of evidence relating
TO gambling of which II expects him to make
effective use The third is that abuses having
their origin in police protection do exist"
1t will he observed that not a word is said
about the terms on which police protection for
the various abuses described and suggested has
been procurable. There is not the remOtest allu-
sion TO that powerful and audacious combina-
ton. including at least one man high in the
councils of Tammany Hail. which according To
Mr.. Nixon's solemn announcement weeks ago,
had been collecting blackmail from lawbreakerS
with great energy and success, and which he
was its victims would drive out Of town
in their wrath as soon they learned how
they had been fooled. Nobody but Mr.. Nixon
has ever been able 10 why rascals who had
regularly obtained all they had paid for should
be so desperately angry. but he appeared 10
entertain no doubts on the subject. If such an
uprising has occurred. and the bold bad men
of the combination have been compelled 10 fee
for their lives, Mr.. Nixon has missed a brilliant
opportunity TO tell the public all about It, Or
did the committees original report contain
vivid description of the exodus, which was re-
morselessly edited into Tammanys official
waste basket?
The report is defective in another respect.
Ii does not explicitly say whether or not the
Committee of Five has gone out of existence.
though the impression is conveyed that ii has
retired from business. single headed Police
Commission no longer requiring its assistance.
If il is actually defunct no particular
reason why that fact should cause Tammany
TO rejoice or the rest of the community 10 put
on mourning. But nothing could induce us 10
be unjust to Mr.. Nixon and his colleagues. and
ii would give us sincere pleasure TO ascertain
that Mr.. Philbin had found their evidence in
valuable.