New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-12
NEW GRAFTERs FOR OLD.

. The only reason for the establish
ment OF Il separate police force IT, deaI
with excise law violations. prostitution
and gambling. IS suggested by Mayor
Gaynor. is 10 secure body OF men
who can he kept under discipline by
the mower Of instant removal. The
present intrenchmeuts which protect
grating policemen ought TO De cut
down. but that is difficult. and per
haps impossible. owing 10 the pension
fund. in which the policemen have
property right The scheme Of 4 sep
arate force is naturally suggested a.
a way 10 evadp the difficulty Of max
ing the police administration Itself
honest But after all. il is only an
evasion another measure Of outward
order and dcccncy." not radical cure.
This The Mayor himself cOn1esSes.
He SAYS the new force would be SUD
ject to the same temptations ana
would be corrupted more or less but
their misdeeds would not reflect on
THE police force. The police force
would be engaged solely in presery-
ing the peace and keeping outward
order and decencv and in The detcC-
"tion and prevention OF ordinary
crimes. in which the opportunities for
graft are small" That is a case of
making a desert and calling It peace.
He would put the corruption in an
other department 50 as 10 say that tbr
Police Department was good. And
that i all that II would amount 70
before long IN spite Of free removals,
if the new force was administered III
the same spirit as the present one.
We should duplicate our police admin
isiratiOn N great expense to get prac-
tically the same IafeguardS against
grating which we had under Becker's
strong arm" squad.
There was separate force 10 deal
with vice entirely distinct from the
ordinary police administration. and
differing only from the Mayors scheme
in the matter Of tenure. Yet It was
made II the partner instead Of the
enemy Of vice. So far rs that work
was concerned Becker and his men
were AT the Commissioner mercy.
He could not arbitrarily dismiss them.
but he could arbitrarily detach them
from the squad and send them 20
patrol cow pastures He had Just rs
much chance 10 create an honest vice
squad and change il on the merest
suspicion as the head Of new force
would have. But he was blind TO its
faults: he set Becker 10 investigate
himself; he let the corruption 90 right
up to Headquarters. \ now force SINH
larry administered would be corrupt.
even though il was subject TO arbi-
trary removal.
How little the Mayor realizes. or -
willing to admit. the vital truth of the
situation is seen from his attributing
the present revelations 10 the revolt ol
the underworld ut what he considers
faithful enforcement Of the law. But
there was 10 faithful enforcement in
those cases. The enforcement was
merely an instrument Of oppression. 1t
was not undertaken from a sense Of
duty. but 10 carry on the system" of
blackmail. or 10 serve the purposes or
some stronger rival buyer of protection.
The enforcement on which the Mayor
prideS himself was merely the "syS-
tens own use Of the law for cor
rupt purposes. The spirit which re-
CARDS that as satisfactory. finds cor
ruption merely incidental and wants
the new force so that whatever cor