New-York tribune., 1902-01-28
S. P. C.'S REPLY TO MAYOR.
1T PROTESTS AGAINST HIS CoNCEN-
TRATING ON OTHER LAWS
THAN EXCISE.

A quorum of the executive committee of the
| Society for the Prevention of Crime met in the
| society's rooms yesterday afternoon. Dr. Park
| hurst presided. Those present listened to re-
| ports from their detectives who were out after
| open saloons Sunday. and considered Mayor
Lows reply to the societys letter. The result
was another letter. which they drafted, and
sent to the Mayor at the close of the meeting.
| The letter says that when unofficial i'm
/. morality could make saloons shut up, official
| morality" 1. e.. Mayor Low, at least should
! make hearty attempt to do much. The
| letter also Cffers to the Mayor the services of
| the society. and sets forth statistics
Raines law hotels for the Mayors information
and guidance.
The letter follows:
Hon. Seth Low. Mayor of the City of York
23d inst brief rejoinder to us both just and
courteous.
The principle upon which was based our letter ad-
dressed to you under date of January H. and the
care 70 except: is that adding to the law or sub
tracing from it is not part of the functions of an
no, no citation of contingent considerations must be
allowed to conceal or disguise.
Upon this matter you intimate that your
sources are not adequate to the enforcement of the
quate TO the absolute enforcement of any law. AS
any one aeed no @ one mas askeq & or you heeb t nS t
concentrate the entire police force this one law
is against your in any letting this law go by
the board and concentrating upon the others-ln
other words holding yourself in different attitude
toward excise statutes from what you do toward
that is what you ntmated before election you We're
e1peStng to do here and that is what it is evident
according TO the statement of the papers and the
report of our detectives.
DIFFICULTY OF THE POSITION.
IVY, We s have @ frankly recognizsd the exceeding din
perfect ff 1 success achieved by Mr Roosevelt; how
centration of power in your own hands as Mr..
Roosevelt did not have in his It remains TO be seen
no halfway policy in regard to the enforcement Of
the law at M that RoG me d Curing G hs Myor on an6
there ought to be no difficulty now It is note
ordered lawbreaker either to put up to shut
up" Now if unofcia immorality can accomplish
as much as that, it would seem as though official
make hearty attemp to 90 as much 9 as that sS
that is careful to be accurate the thing that sa-
oonkeepers said they were anxious about yesterday
Society for the prevention Of Crime Your police
force numbers something like seven thousand men, ,
Our payroll and our budget very slender cir
that in the matter of making behave them
selves the question of the numerical strength Of
the department is mere item as compared with
the amount of determination that there is back Of
What We, good many Of US feel may prove to
be necessary 3 is a modihcaon T, Of the existing
that the statutes now existing cannot be enforced
will be to allow us the privilege Of referendum.
But If. as the District Attorney claims a refer
endum would decide against opening saloons
Sunday, the matter would be thrown back its
present status, and the pressure upon you TO make
earnest effort In the enforcement OF the law IL
stands become only more urgent than IL IS
SOCIETY WILL BE AN ALLY.
We want, however. to add TO the foregoing that
whatever course you may adopt in this matter you
can always count upon the Society for the Pre-
yention of Crime as loyal ally along any line of
law enforcement when you think be of
vice vice to you and your administration. Our conten
ton is not with you personally, with the gov
stand,
single aspect Of your administrative policy.
In attestaton of the assurance just given.
would like to submit to you herewith the follow
ing facts, in regard to the condition of
so-caled Raines law hotels in the Borough of Man
haitian and portion of the Annexed District.
This we do, not in criticism OF your administra-
uon, but for your possible guidance. and that OF
your Police Commissioner for the facts cited exist
ed at the close of the previous administration. and
are not a matter therefore, of course for which
You. are in any way responsible:
Our detectives have. during the last weeks.
visited 1261 of the above named hotels. OF these
only 1872 3l per cent? have all the appurtenances re
quired by the statutes; 66S have of these ap-
purtenances, and 2N entirely destitute of them.
Further details should be pleased to submit II
desired. Yours respectfully,
c. II. PARKHURST, President.
T. B. KENNESON. Secretary