New-York tribune., 1901-11-04
POLICE CORRUPTION CONFESSED.

Mr. Shepard has attempted to meet the wide
spread belief in police corruption with sneer
He recently pictured in magniloquent language
the charges made against officials. told or the
raids and trials spoke of the activity or the
District Attorney, and concluded with the state
ment that the result of it all was the conviction
of Zone wardman" That doubtless raised n
laugh among the thoughtless. 1t was smart
LAWYERS way of evadng the subject 1t was
the challenge to his advocate to prove what
all intelligent men, himself included know 10
he true Justice Jerome has proved good
deal of it. and that is why Tammany is so
enraCed at him. Moreover. there are pending
lot of indictments yet untrled, owing TO the
unwillingness of the defendants to race 1urles
which when taken account Of seriously detract
from the ironical impressiveness of that "one
wardman' speech. But even If there We're no
proofs and no indictments, there would yet be
confessions to show that Mr.. Shepards smart
ness was unworthy Of himself and his pretence
of desire for reform. Last November, when
Mr. Croker set the example TO MI shepard OF
cleaning up Tammany from the inside ana
appointed his purfcaton-by whltewash-coh
mittee President York of the Police Depart
ment himself acknowledged that the police were
fattening on blackmail. on November Il, 1900
In the full flush of n delusive confidence that
Mr. Croker really disa pproved Of corruption ana
did not stand for Deveryism Mr. York said:
There is no use denying it, the hopeless thing
about all these attempts at reform IN TINS wee
situation is the distrust among all the people
that the police not doing what they can 10
correct the evil because of considerations or
various kinds that they receive. That Is the
whole trouble. Nobody knows that better than
We do II is charged that the police take money
for protecting and taking part in that KIND or
business There = mincIng matters
If places nre run openly on the East Slae or
captain of the precinct They cannot run
OPENLY without his assistance No man
above him has the right 10 order him to do
that there men who hnve been punished
for refusing TO do wrong It stands
to reason when vile place is running so
openly. day after day. that every passerby
knows what II is and go in without any
trouble that the captain is getting some con-
sdera tion for letting this thing go on But II
Is difficult to prove this thing against any
policeman That kind of thing is morally
proven, but 1t is next to impossible to prove It
in court
Has Mr. Jerome said anything harder than
that: Here the head of the Tammany Police
Board acknowledges that the charges against
the police nre justified Yet Mr.. Shepard and
his advocates sneer at these charges and ask
voters to believe they are partisan libels. Only
"one wardman'' convicted, As Mr. York says
ii is next TO impossible TO prove the corruption
in court But he also says II is morally proven.
Is Mr. Shepard much the lawyer In his cam
paign that moral proofs mean nothing to him?
Is he the smart advocate who without thought
of justice is merely trying to get from a jury Of
the people for his client, Tammany. now on
trial. verdict mot legally proven? Is that
the sort of q moral leader he is: