New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-07
What About Bridge Whist?

poferrinq 10 gambling, the MaNo'
:. ,,.ase vice. not crime. Inc
law only made it crime aeaih'' ~
80, Who ran a gambling house ne
lew that gambling was going on al
N.smtown At all the Fifth avenue ciuos
very night. he said. The Mayor So
No considered it as much OF a wee ~
,,,o,. bridge for money in ladies' par
Ior as to gamble at the CLUBS pu' "'
knew some good women who "ou'u N0'
agree with him.
..Rnt YOU can play bridge, poker or
faro with your neighbor and not coii-
nit a crime" the Mayor said he
law is applicable only to the man VINO
keeps a gambling house. Inc ponce
have no right TO arrest man playing
Coz money. If you could arrest every
one found i'm a gambling house from
the wall Street millionaire down me"
gambling would probably disappear
but we can't do that under the law the
Wall street gamblers send up word 10
tho steward or other turnkey OF these
nlaces that they will be up to-nighI
dozen OF them, and stay while-aiia
that usually means until the next noon.
They have a good gamble, and it-eases
and refreshes them after the gambling
in Wall Street"
II was at this point that the Mayor re-
ferred TO his youthful experience with
cards. and spoke Of his own realization OF
lis shortcomings and defects. He said 1t
was a certain road to graft 10 allow the
police TO enter a gambling house without
a warrant, and resort 10 destructive
methods and clubbing. Such tactics had
been employed in this city before he be-
came Mayor, he said, and 1t resulted IN
s6.OOO0oo OF graft in one year.
He spoke Of his policy Of outward order
and decency." and said that was the first
essential in dealing with vice and crime
He said he didn't mean by that that
everything else should be let loose, and
his neighbors and the people who knew
him. knew that he meant no such thing
by outward order and decency.' New
York, he said, was the most orderly city
I'm the world, bar none.
Gives Waldo the Credit. -.--
The Mayor referred to his establishment
Of the special squads at Police Headquar-
ters 20 deal with the gambling situation.
lie said that graft and corruption were
made possible under this system only at
ono mint. the Commissioner himself, as
he was the supervisor OF the special
squads. He admitted. however, that a
lieutenant might be corrupted now and
then. He referred to former Lieutena Mt
Cbarles Becker, one Of the three at the
head of the strong arm" squads, and
said he had been corrupted and then COM
mitted another crime to cover up his cor
ruption. but the other two lieutenante had
not been corrupted, not for moment
he said. The Mayor gave the police the
credit for clearing up the Rosenthal muir
der case. rather than District Attorney
Whitman. In that respect he said;
The police got every witness in that
case. Within twenty-four hours they got
the automobile and in due course OF time
they arrested everybody connected with
the crime and turned them over 70 the
District Attorney. The District Attorney
didn't have a witness except those turned
over TO him by the police, and yet some
people arc led TO believe that the prose-
cutting officer did 1t all and that the
police tried 10 cover up the whole thing.
The police cleared the case up as no
private detective agency could do, and
better than the police OF London or Paris
could have done. 1t was splendid piece
OF police work.
The Mayor discussed the excise question
and the observance of the sunday laws
about playing ball and other things.
There was a time in this city when II
was against the law 10 have the. picture
galleries open on Sunday and allow the
people TO go and look al beautiful works
OF art" said the Mayor land at the same
time the law allowed the people TO 60 to
an open cage and gaze at lot Of nasty
monkeys"