New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-30
ACRIETLNG THE IMPOSSIBLE.

One of the most valuable lessons of the last
two years is that good government, after all,
is not the unattanable goal we had been led
to believe Tammany has always pleaded the
lmpossbility, in the nature of things. of main
tanning law and order in a great city OF nearly
four million people. 1t was on this ground that
it excused for so many years its failure to
clean the streets-a notion which Colonel War
ing in q few brief weeks. showed to he only
an idle superstition. Likewise. Tammany has
always declared that the enforcement of the
building laws was inherently impossible; and
prostitution in tenement houses it has cheerfully
charged up to original sin. Through the pres
ant Tenement House Department both these
theories have also been reegated among the
old Tammany Representatives,"
For hundreds of tenement houses In the last
two years nave been built in which all the
laws are complied with; and. most remarkable
If all. prostitution has been driven out These
results are not so remarkable as the simple
manner in which they have been achieved. The
Tenement House Commissioner early discovered
that an unlimited force was not necessary TO
make effective the tenement laws. few
trusty subordinates and serious purpose 10
do the appointed work were all that was re-
Qured Mr.. De Forest and Mr.. WELLER have
found the force of example the most effective
weapon Of good government They made it
point TO impress upon the public with which
the department deals the idea that they took
their task seriously. and to push the warning
home 10y a few concrete object lessons. 1t took
a few weeks 10 teach the builders that the new
tenement law was TO be enforced without fear
or favor. In the early days Of the administra-
ton it was disregarded precisely as were all
building laws under Tammany rule. In the
~.
payment of additional blackmal. The present
department. on the other hand. insisted that the
violation itself he corrected-usually a much
more expensive process. In a few cases reck-
less builders required TO tear down tene-
ment houses we'll advanced and start anew.
Such drastic measures created a sensation
The word was passed around that DE Forest
meant business" AS soon the builders
learned. 10y n few instances of this kind, that
if they did not obey the law they would have
to do the work all over again they decided TO
adopt the cheaper course.
BY n similar process have the landlords been
brought into line in concerted effort to drive
prostitution from the tenement houses. That
they had hitherto derived a large revenue from
this source is no secret; and they did not pro-
pose TO give it up on the advent of the Low
administration. Previously they had had no
dlinCJlty IN escaping responsibility Properties
could be leased through dummies" the real
owner being practically impossible to reach
The new law, however, went searchingly to the
root of the matter. A penalty of 81 coo for
permitting the residence OF immoral women in
tenements made lien, not upon an owner
or lessee, but upon the house itself Unscrupu-
lous property owners awoke one day TO the
IealiZa ton of the fact that if convicted of this
charge their houses were likely to be sold at
public auction TO satisfy the fine. Under Tam
many. Of course, this provision would have been
utilized only for purposes of extortion The
present administration at once made clear by
one OF two legal proceedings that it intended
10 collect the money in each case. As a result
the landlords who had derived a shameless
profit ia this way for years themselves began
TO eyct their disreputable tenants II did not
require Il multitude OF officers To bring about
this great result. Ii seems almost. an anti
climax 10 the reform. indeed, when we learn
that the Tenement House Department had only
one detective exclusively assigned to this work
The fact that the department intended 10
enforce the law was impressed upon the male
factors by few convictions. and there WAS
little less than stampede TO obey IT,