The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-24
POLICE AND PICKPOCKET DIVVY
CONTRACT WITH CENTRAL OFFICE
MEN, JEROME SAYS.
Halves Is the Rulo. hut II tho THIEF Gets
Fine Diamond tho Ofiicer Takes
lt-HRines Law Blackmail Pump
Price Went Up on the Roosevelt Risk.

Fine Diamond tho 0ficer Takes
It-HRines Law BlRckmall Pump
Price Went Up on the Roosevelt Risk.
There Is not a place In the city OF New
| York where street cars run that tho pick
pockets are not working under distinct
contract with Central Office men, said
District Attorney Jerome, in his address
last night before Club A OF tho Peoples
Institute.
He was talking about the enormity OF
the blackmail system. There Is crook
in the Tombs now, he continued. whom
l asked about the division OF the spoils,
and / want to say right here that believe
what he told me. He said that the whack-
up was made on a basis OF so per cent.
for each side, except IN come cases where
the plckpocket gets an unusually fine
stone, and then the officer takes it all.
politician was recently robbed Of his dia-
mond stiokpin on a surface car, and he
appealed to a Central ONCE man td<bep
him recover it, The detective asked him
In which section Of the town he had lost
the stone. That was all he wanted to know.
In few days the politician got back his
pin
IL thc ptol4o vi tnl5 Town OlbS hhe" thO
true hideous inwardness OF the blackmail
system. they would rise up in their might
and anuihilate it, If they knew the true
character of the higher officials of the police
force, it would be another case of Montana
and California with their vigllantes.
Mr. Jerome's speech was plea in favor
Of the passage of his amendment TO tho
excise law permitting saloons TO sell liquor
after church hours on Sunday, but the
discussion took a much wider range. In
answer TO questions he said that the greatest
evil in the country was that the Judiciary
as a rule was elected instead Of being APP
pointed
And let me add he continued. that
the greatest peril to the labor movement
in this country 10 the misunderstanding
now so prevalent on the question of injunc-
tons for the thing that is going to stand
between the labor organizations and their
oppressors in the future is the injunction
Of the Federal courts in spite of the idea
that is held OF it to-day by members Of
trade unions
Mr.. jerome also took shy at Charles
Sprague Smith director OF the Peoples
Institute, who was not present, He said
that Mr.. Smith was like great many other
worthy citizens who did not want the excise
law amended and at the same time would
do nothing toward It's enforcement. He
had asked Mr. Smith oaid him in getting the
amendment passed but MIR Smith refused
on the ground that he did not believe in IT,
We'll, will you help me 70 get the law as IL
stands enforoed?' MIR jerome asked Mr.
Smith; but he wouldn't.
In answer 10 a question drawn out by
this statement the District Attorney said
ne was radically opposed to "all this foolish
ness about the referendum. 1t looked
fair on the outside, but was the most I'M
democratic thing in the world and the talk
about it in this country was an academic
dream.
The RIines law could not be enforced
under present conditions in this city. he
said but any one with an ounce Of ihteii-
gence could devise means Of enforcing
it. But the Legislature IL not legislating
in the best interests of the people. A voice:
You are right And one party is Just as
bad as the other Neither side wants
change in the Raines law. because il is
so we'll adapted 10 squeezing money out
Of saloon keepers all over the State
The speaker said that the attempts TO
ENFORCE Ile law uIlOeT souOlR anu LOW
had made It impossible TO elect their sue
oessors on the reform ticket.
And what was the RESULT" he asked.
What in Gods name did we get as a recon-
pense for it2 We got less than one-fftieth
Of one per cent. OF the offenders in court
Even Theodore Roosevelt with the whole
police force at his back. could not bring the
ofIenders to justice. The only result Of his
strenuous efforts to enforce the excise law
was TO put up the price Of blaokmail from
IS a month TO SIS and 500 on the ground that
under reform administration the risk
Of giving protection TO lawbreakers was
so much greater.
In reality there should be two kinds
OF statute books. One sh ould be the moral
yeaming statute book in which could be
recorded the great but non-enf orceable
ideals and tho other a boo!; in which the
statutes that can be enforced should be
written
In one OF the statements Mr.. Jerome
made about the iniquities OF the blaolmail
system he told the audience he would treat
them If it was not 80. Joe johnson, the
manager OF the Subway Tavern, who fol-
lowed the District Attorney, said he was
in a position to make good Mr.. Jerome's
promise and invited allhands to theheavenly
bar-not the bar Of heaven.