The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-03-12
Gotham Letter


= w ~ ASSXAA ~SSSNX
s>s%s<s<s~s>s>s~s~s>s~s>s.
NEW YORK. March 12.-Judging
from the statements which are pub
lished in most of the New York pa
that seems to puzzle the New Workers
more than anything else at the pres
and Ann problem ever mystified the
general public: 1t is the question,
whether the lid is really down tight or
whether it isn't. There is not the
least doubt that the Mcclellan admin
istration has made some energetic eff
forts to close down the lid and to keep
it down, Notwithstanding the fact that
the opponents of Tammany did not
have much confidence in the serious
ness of the mayors intentions. The
keepers of gambling houses and dives
winked at one another knowingly,
when the thumbscrews were turned
down tight at first, as if to say: That's
all right, it's only a blind to make
the public believe that this is going to
be a model administration, but it won't
last; just wait awhile A large per-
centage of the public shared the opin-
ion of the gamblers and the dive keep
ers and their surprise prev as week
after week passed and there was no
evidence that the screws holding down
the lid were becoming loose. The re-
collections of former Tammany ad
ministrations were still too vivid in
the memory of the New Workers to al
low them to have confidence in the
apparent good intentions of the pres
ent administration. The newspapers
ever on the alert for new develop
ments in the political situation have
kept the general interest in the question
awake by publishing articles from day
to day, pointing out violations of the
laws in various parts of the town
ard trying their best to discredit the
earnestress Of the mayors intentions.
The question is still asked: How long
will the lid remain down?
In the mean t-.le Mayor Mcclellan
continues his vigilance and does his
best to make the police department,
the gamblers, divekeepers and the gen.
eral public understand that he means
business and that it is his intention
o screw down the lid so hard that the
offensive sporting fraternity will find
t advisable to seek a more cOngenial
atmosphere. Seconded by district at
.orney Jerome the mayor is keeping
Up an energetic warfare against vice
md it may be said to his credit that he
does not mince matters when it comes
TO impressing upon the police depart
nent that the lid must be kept ,...wn,
regardless of the feelings of certain in
iuential political ward tyrants.
Real estate m-:i. who have watched
The development Of New York city
carefully during the last twenty-five
ears, are inclined to believe that the
city is at the turning point in its de-
veiOpment, or rather, on the eve of a
new epoch in it's development. For
many years it has been fully appre-
ciated that the condition of the lower
part of the town is altogether too
congested to be tolerated for any
length of time and that something
would have to be done to relieve the
pressure in some way. The location
of the city. between the Hudson and
the East River is favorable to many
plans Of securing relief by the forma-
ton of additional centers along the
main Broadway-which might.
the city. 1t is believed that the cree
ton of the new post Office near the
Pennsylvania railroad termi
nal and of another post office, near
Grand Central station. will have a
to favor the formation of adj
business centers, which would
relieve at least to some
extent. the high pressure in the lower
town. The completion of the subway
and the new bridges to Brooklyn is |
also believed to be an important fac
tor. as it will have strong tendency
to divert a considerable portion of the |
residence population of Manhattan to
the suburbs and thus materially affect.
the conditions existing in some parts
Of the city that have remained prac-
tically without change for nearly half
4 century.
The three platoon system in the po-
ire department which was abOliShed |