Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-12-03
DR.. Parkhurst Holly ANSWERS New York Mayor
GAYNOR Is GIVEN THE LIE

NEW YORK, Dec Sin a burning
reply to charges of cruelty to unfortu-
nate women, DR.. c. H. Parkhurst, the
eminent New York clergyman. gives
the lie direct to Mayor Gaynor of that
city. The letter says
To His Honor, Mayor William ]. Gay
nor, Mayor Of the City of New
York:
Sir--Your mind, which may be sup
posed to incline graciously and sympa-
thetically toward whatever concerns the
interest of this municipality, I desire to
inform by a brief recital of facts. May
l solicit. therefore, your patient and in
terested attention?
Some twenty years ago a number of
citizens of this city, being convinced of
the existence of a certain amount of
collision between the police and the
gate the situation with view to bring
ing the facts to the knowledge of the
public and politically dislodging the
nefarious organization that was thriv-
ing upon commercial vice.
Considerable thought and time were
devoted to determining the wisest and
most promising mode of procedure. We
acted upon the assumption, subsequent
ly demonstrated to be a valid one, that
gambling, bawdy house managers and
saloon keepers were all doing a thriv
ing but ilegitimate business and giving
up to the police q part of the profits as
compensation for protection.
Cunning For Larger Game.
We were not trying to close either
gambling houses. disorderly houses or
saloons. We had our opinion of them,
of course, but were not motived in our
action by the purpose of the immediate
desire to see them wiped out. We were
cunning for larger game and for re-
suits that were more fundamental
To be more specific, we were en-
gagged in no crusade against vice, but
against city officials who encouraged
the development of vice as a means of
revenue. You are credited with being
clever minded and l trust you will
bring that cleverness to bear in an in
telligent grasp of the distinction be-
tween fighting vice and fighting the
propagation of vice with a view to
pocketing its emoluments
In pursuit of our purpose we labored
along the line of disordely houses rath-
er than along that of gambling or VIC
lation of excise only for the reason that
we concluded that it was by that means
we could more readily attain the OBJ
jeCt that we had in view
Now, Your Honor, the statement of
our policy as just made and the reason
for ADOPTING that policy as just indi-
Gated has been declared upon the plat
form and reiterated in the newspapers
d thousand times. and it is only be-
cause | am having to deal with stupid
ty, voluntary or involuntary, obtuse OF
malicious. that | have been led to re-
peat it ir my letter to you. You were
on the bench at the time, and you knew
then and ! should have supposed that
you would know now that all this talk
about my prosecuting the poor girls
was for the sake of throwing dust in
the eyes of the public and saving from
defeat at the polls that body of organ
lied depravity that helped to compass
your election to the mayoralty.
"A Damnable Lie"
One cold winter night a lot of the
unfortunates serving in disorderly
houses along Thirty first street were
pitched out into the snow by the po-
lice with the Information that it was
done at my motion. You are reported
az saying few days ago at the ColonS