Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-09-23

and that careful watch Is being
cion.
The mayor supports the integrity
of public opinion, which the governor
threatened to call down on his head
If action was not taken. The city's
chief executive AYERS that public
opinion would not sustain an admins
stration that was guilty of coun-
tenancing such conditions as were
painted In the presidential candi-
dates picture, Mr.. Haussling refers
to the citizens here as hard-work.n9
and law-abiding, deserving OF their
innocent recreations, which lie did
not propose to interfere with
The mayors letter follows:
Mayor Replies to Wilson.
"On my return from brief vaca-
tion find upon my desk letter
from you, which, though II bears tbs
lsdate of September I, was not deliv-
cred. as ! understand 1t, until about
week later. In your letter you call
attention to allegation of conditions
of lawlessness and scandalous disre-
gard of law in the city of Newark
contained in papers filed with YOU.
copies of which you furnish to me.
You comment in strong terms upon
the conditions alleged to exist and
assert that the evidence placed with
you means. II II means anything.
that the police and civil authorities
of the city not only connived at tbs
lawlessness. but. in some instances,
countenanced IL in persons,
you call upon me to institute
searching investigation and a thor
ough- going correction of these condi-
tions IL they exist, and after noting
the provisions of chapter 17s of this
laws of 1901. you give list of placea
specifically complained of. and say
that you would noat feel justified in
taking such action had you not
learned that my attention had al
ready been called to these things and
that absolutely no action concerning
them had been taken.
81 feel 1t due to the city of New.
, ark and to myself to say at the OUT
set that the highly coored picture OF
conditions alleged to prevail here Is
false in general and In many par
tlculars. 1t would be idle to pretend
that vice could be entirely eradicated
in a municipality as large as this but
to represent this city as reeking with
| evil, tolerated by the authorities. ia
| false and unjust as IL is false. The
standard of public morals and decen-
| cy Is as high here as can be found
anywhere in the United tSates.
would not be boastful of my own
community, but | cannot refrain
from saying that a most cursory
comparison would show no other city
so free from evil resorts and corrupt-
ing conditions. 1t is with regret that
feel obliged to add that the tone .af :.
your letter is such that it, perh b /
unwittingly. gives the weight of III
name and position to scandal al
mulgated against this city. al
Positive Misstatement. 81
81 regret, also. that you have been
persuaded into a positive misstate-
ment when you say that you have
learned that | have done nothing
about allegations of conditions here
that have been called to my atten-
tion. You could not have learned
this, for consultation with me or my
subordinates would readily show that
great deal had been done with re-
gard to these charges. As a matter
of fact, I have always paid much at
tention to matters of this kind, and
long before the organization which
makes these charges became active
had from time to time caused par
ticular Investigations to be made and
given particular Instructions to the
police The system was not altered
when these charges were received.
for l did not need such prompting
to do what | considered to be my
duty. In some instances my investi-
cations led me to believe taht the
allegations were made on very flimsy
foundations; in other cases. whero
there had been some breaches OF pro-
priety, conditions were Immediately
corrected. careful watch was and
is being kept on all such places. with
a view to preventing offenses
against the law or making arrests IL
offenses should be committed.
you refer. sir, to the force Of
public opinion Let me assure you
that the public opinion of Newark
would not sustain any administers
tion which permitted conditions such
as are alleged in the papers filed