The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-20

4
ploded in front of the city hall would
hardly have caused more Of hubbub
in municipal circles than has the state
ment Of Magistrate Corrigan that New
York Is crime-ridden and crime-in-
fected city, that graft is more rampant
in the police department than in the
days of Chief Devery and that Mayor
Gaynor is directly responsible for this
condition. Nobody, not even his ac-
cuser, believes that the mayor desires
such conditions or impugns his hon.
esty, but 1t Is held that his attempt to
run the police department himself
through a commissioner who is large
| ly figurehead is responsible for the
/ characterization and the chaotic con-
ditions that prevail in the police de-
partment and for the failure to detect
and punish criminals. The charges
themselves have stirred the city pro-
foundly, because the average New
Yorker who keeps his eyes open and
who is wise in the ways Of his town
can observe plenty Of indications of
police inefficiency and of the fact that
gambling houses are f1ourishing in
| spite of the many raids that are made.
| Within the past few weeks there have
been several daring robberies in the
1 Wall street section, a district where
crooks have not ventured since Inspec-
tor Byrnes established his famous
deadline at the northern boundary of
the financial district years ago. The
conviction is rapidly growing that a
man is needed at the head of the city's
crime preventing and crime-detecting
organization, who knows something Of
criminals and their ways and of police-
men and their ways as well, rather
than lawyer or a politician, II has
been suggested by those who are fam
liar with conditions that a man of
recognized professional skill In dealing
with crimes and criminal problems
should be placed at the head Of the
police organization with a liberal sal
ary term of ten years or more and
q degree Of authority that would en-
able him to enforce discipline in the
ranks. AS 1t is at present the police
commissioner knows far less about the
inside workings Of the department than
do most of his subordinates and his
term is SO short that he leaves office
before he has familiarized himself with
conditions.
Within few days the oldest theatre
In America is to be. sold at auction
and probably will end its career as a
place of amusement giving way to
some big business building. Since
1925 this old playhouse, originally
named the Bowery theatre, and in
more recent years the Thalia, has
stood in the bowery. a few doors
above Chatham square and has fur
nished entertainment for four genera
tons Of New Workers. In its early
days nearly all the famous figures of
the actors profession trod its boards
and It was here that the ''greenroom''
as a feature of theatre equipment
originated. taking its name from the
fact that this pioneer meeting room
for the players was decorated in green
| In 1879 the preponderance of Germans
In the population OF the surrounding
section caused 1t to be turned into a
German theatre and 1t was there that
Heinrich Conried began his progress
toward fame as an actor and manager
OF German plays. AS the Germans
moved further uptown there was an
other change in the fortunes of the
| old playhouse and for a time it was
devoted to melodramas Of the Nellie.
the Beautiful Cloak Model type. Still
more recently the Jewish influx into
the lower east side converted it into
/ the home OF the Yiddish drama In
city with more generation for age the
old theatre doubtless would be pre-
served for its historic associations, but
here the demands of trade are likely
to make short work of it.
That there are $4,000 girls Of mar
riageable age in New York who are
doomed to become old maids was the
statement made here this week by
prominent Finnish educator in adj
dressing a meeting at Mrs. Belmont's
new suffrage colony on Long Island.
AS proof OF his statement he pointed
out that there are that many more
women than men in the city and that
consequently, no matter how attractive
the members Of this army Of $4,000
might be, they could not wed for the
reason that there are not enough men
to go around. He added that there are
so many men whom no woman would
want to marry that the number of
4 spinisters actually would be much larger
than this. DIR. Jackola, the authority
for these statements, believes that the
strength of the suffrage movement
comes from this preponderance of wo-
men in the population, quoting as an
example his own country where there
are 100000 more women than men and
where women have the ballot. In view
of the fact that women are in a ma
| jority ne believes that they should
have the right to propose and not be
compelled to wait until asked by some
slow going male before having a chance
at matrimony. This last suggestion
was heartily applauded by the suf-
fragists.
New York is soon to have the first
hospital in the world built exclusively
to care for cases of measles. 1t Is to