New-York tribune., 1902-05-06
WISKINKIE OF PEDLERS.
STREET CLEANING FOREMAN
THE COLLECTOR.
PUSHCART BOY DEFIES POLICE WHEN
EFFORT is MADE TO ENTORT
FIVE CENTS FROM HIM.

have resulted in action among the pedlers
themselves. Yesterday afternoon the president
of one Of the four divisions into which the push
cart pedlers' association is divided informed an
investigator that he willing furnish evil
dence 10 show that a certain foreman of the
Street Cleaning Department was collecting
money in Hester-st. a place had been agreed
upon. said the informant. where a dollar was
deposited each week at a given time. This
ultimately made its way to the foreman.
The way the poor and helpless are imposed
upon by the collectors the blackmail agents Of
the police. is well illustrated by the case of
''Maxy" Gluber- Max, who is bright eyed lad
OF about twelve years, runs pushcart in Grand
St Sometimes his older brother helps him in
rush hours ar night, but usually "MaXy" does
the entire business himself. His speciality is
penny articles a full assortment Of which he
carries. When by a Tribune reporter last
night he had his pushcart at its usual stand in
Crand-st.
'Just wait till I fix my cart and III tell you
all about IT," said he when asked what his
experience had been. Carefully 1-ing the cover
over his wares, Max truniled his wagon around
the corner and presently came back
TT was in the time Of the holidays" he be
gan. MY brother and I had secured good
place to SELL and so we left the wagon there for
the night and slept on IT. It wasn't so awful
cold besides 7 couldn't run the chance Of losing
the place had got. SO I stretched out on the
cart and went 10 sleep. Long after midnight a
man comes and wakes me up
GIVE Me FIVE CENTS FOR THE OFFICER.
You got license?' he asked. I showed him
my number-1.101.
All right said he. give me five cents for the
officer over there and you stay there all to-
morrow
u told him that I wouldn't pay anybody five
81 .l,o olgna hat
I had paid my license and had right to stay
there.
"eYou won't pay said he. Wei. Wen see
about that
Then he went over and spoke 10 the police
man and came back in a minute, and the two Of
them pushed my wagon away TO the other side
of the street. Well. I stopped there while. and
then the same man back and said, viii
you pay now%
- I won't pay anything I said. I got my
license Then I tried to stop them, and man
came along the street and interfered. He told
I'd them if they didn't stop he'd tell the Mayor. So
didn't pay my five cents, but everybody else
had to-"
The Tribune reporter who had talked with
Max then made a trip through the pushcart
district with Mike Cohn. Citizens Union
captain IN the With Assembly District, who
had been employed by Mr.. Reynolds to check
the blackmaiIing in the holidays.
COINS story was as follows:
Just before the holidays Mr. Reynolds employed
me to watch the conditions about Hester-st and
see if ! could stop the b.ackmai ! WEI went to work
night. 1 found out from the peders that last year
pushcart pedlers association appointed man to
collect for tAem. This man went to the pediers.
regular price for protection, the licensed paying
less than the unlicensed This money was divided
into four pars one @ Pft iGr L4e @ PoHGf b iae
ole r4lg off fiApT TEf1I
and they drove him of. sometimes upsetting the
cart and scattering the poor mans stock.
When L started IN Hester-st ] found the same
condition exi2ling there. ! couldn't find who took
the money The association was all powerful The
system because they would be put out Of the as
sociation and lose an protection and therefore all
4 WOMAN INVESTIGATOR.
Then got a woman who was sharp at that sort
OF Thing TO 20 among the pushcarts She found
out a great deal ard told me But when l came
10 see the people they were scared, and wouldn't
tel However. the main purpose Of my work
walked up and down, telling the pediers that
they shoud9J & pay % any H. st m & the Mayor
Presently the people began 10 come to me and
] made the policeman who had found out who
was move the cart Of the man who had paid black
coiiectars Who had done business last year T6ev
We're pretty sore at me, though they didn't make
any bones OF telling me.
This is pretty hard jon" said one Of them
You have struck us for far. Last year col
Iected $500 here IN Hesterst This year We haven I
But while was working in Hester-st Grand st
was unprotected, and from the pGshcart there
heard end Of complaints. The story that little
May told you is good example I'm looking
after ''8IaXy'' myself now
Further study of the system in vogue on the
East Side reveals the following facts: There are
four different organizations for the protection of
the pedlers. These are organized TO cover differ
ent districts-two in Grand-st.. in Orchard
ST and one in Hester-st. This last is the Fish
Dealers Association. These organizations meet
on Sundays Each week is appointed 10
do the collecting To him the pedlers pay their
cases covers this exaction, but 1T is 10 cents
wrung from people TO whom even penny is
vitaIly important
ASSOCIATIONS ALL POWERFUL.
are all powerful. To be expelled from them
means to be driven out of business. For this
reason the pedler submits and suffers in silence.
He refuses even TO tell the story of the imposi-
,sons he submits to lest a whisper OF II should
reach the association. The agent Of the associa-
,jon deals directly with the police receiving a
percentage himself.
James y. Reynolds, who was seen at the City
Hall yesterday, unqualihedy indorsed The Trib-
une's story of yesterday on the situation.
The facts were stated there accurately" he
said The Mayor called my attention to the
story this morning and told him. l tell you.
that IL accurately described a situation that
exists. OF course, as L pointed out to-day. the