New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-16
All Shades of Political Belief
Unite in Honoring County
Prosecutors Work.
GRAFT PROBE.THE KEYNOTE
District Attorney Says Home
Rule Is Needed to Clean Up
City-Laws Need Back
ing of Public Opinion.

JvS'pH II. tHodlt plIdScu II, all tH' p'-
ltical parties and pieces Of parties that
there are in this state" II was at a meet
ing Of the Civic Forum i'm Cornegie Hall
The meeting was "non-partisan and nom
political" according to the q nouncements
and the description was frequently cited
throughout the evening.
Senator Robert f. Wagner majority
leader i'm that body. and Henry Morgen-
thau. chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Finance Committee in the last
Presidential campaign, who were to have
been Democracy's representatives, at the
meeting. We're unable to be present. SEN
ator Wagner sent a long letter by special
messenger. expressing regret. lauding the
work of Mr. Whitman and outlining his
ideas on legislation needed to provide for
a new department Of public welfare and
to take vice. gambling and excise out OF
police hands Mr. MOrgenthau. il was eN-
planned, was unable to be present because
of serious illness in his family.
Controller Prendergast. Or Parkhurst
and Frederic X. Coudert were the other
speakers, and they We'd with each other
and with the presiding officer. Mr. Choate.
I'm praising the District Attorney.
Home Rule Needed.
Mr. Whitman. in speech that was
chiefly an appeal for home rule as one
Of the first requisites for the abolition
Of police graft emphasized the impos-
sibHity OF gaining convictions under a
law not supported by public sentiment
and cited the actions OF juries TO show
the difficulty of convicting violators OF
the o'clock closing provision of the eX-
else laws
The subject Of the evening, as put forth
by the Civic Forum. was The Enforce
ment os Law and the District Attorney
The recent graft exposures in the Police
Department uncovered by Mr.. Whtman's
inquiry furnished the basis for each Of
the speakers 10 attack the police admin
istration and the theories OF Mayor Gay
nor.
DR.. Parkhurst was particularly explicit
I'm his references 10 the Mayor but re
took hope from his past experiences ana
declared that the intelligent virtue OF
this town can down Murphy as well as
Croker"
The moral inyertebracy Of this adj
ministrauon." he said. "has shaken the
integrity of the city. You can't nave
wabbly or decayed character In position
Of large influence and not have the decay
work down through all the lower strata
All that has been disclosed has not been
able to start a ripple on the dead sea 81
the Mayors insensitiyity He Is sun
thanking the Lord that New York Is the
host governed city I'm the world and re-
ioiciue I'm his Police Department as ITS
brightest Jewell"
without naming the Mayor, Mr.. Whit
mo, himself brought the police situation
n,s, oe close To- that official as did Dr.
Parkhurst
Asks Names Of the Fifty Crooks
.u-o ,r. toll by "A distinguished au-
,boritv." said the District Attorney 'that
,n.ro are only hfty crooked men in the
police Department. wish that same
,,,noritv would give me their names.
49,, ,,,kos no difference whether there
.rl eftv or a dozen. or ten, but II those
of,v or ten. are in control OF the army
81. army goes wrong. no matter now
noni.t IL u.s. wish the distinguished au-
hit, wound tell me who they are ana
where they are. c.,o,..
T.. introducing Mr.. Whitman Mr. Ch"ate
commended him as man VINO had de'"-
onstrated how much could De accom-
,,i,.hod under present laws. and inci-
1on,,uv condemned the suggestions IN
c.na,or Uagners letter for the new De-
rartmcnt of public Welfare.
.,vo have laws enough and boards
..,,,cb now" said Mr.. Choate' TOO
MANY. i'm fact. What we want Is 10 81"
corce the laws that we have. MI. w hi'
mans administration has been SP'en-
did evample of what can be done VIII"
u,o Laws that we have We have repre-
so,tatives here from all the political par
tics and pieces of political parues '""'
There are I'm this state, and that $ Wha'
whitman is entitled to. | believe
y,ould NE almost impossible TO find any
ono in this city. except those whose necks
ore brought near the halter by his cour-
aooous work. to say word against
C6arIes : Whitman. He is entitled 10
Tho eternal gratitude Of the people OF TINS
city
The Hitch in the Excise Law.
Mr. Whitman dealt almost solely with
the proposition Of the drastic laws, diff
cult of enforcement. which made graft
nosslble. taking the closing hour proyis-
ions of the excise laws as his main argyll
ment. He pointed out that other provis-
ions of the excise laws relating to selling
lintlor To minors or the attendance or
women as bartendcrs, were sections UNI
der which convictions were easily obtain
able.
But the average petit and grand jury,
as the average man. looks to the intent
i'm passing upon the criminaity of the
act" he said 1T doesn't require much
argument to persuade any man, however
unintcligen:, that it is morally and
officially wrong 10 commit an assault. 10
pick n pocket or 10 commit an act which
INJURIES the person or property of an
other. with intent so to do. but when the
state provides by legislative enactment
that ii is right to sell commodity dur
ing nineteen hours day and wrong 10
sell it during five hours day the human
mind refuses 70 accept the proposition as
correct. either morally or ethically.
II am not discussing the question in
the abstract or i'm theory. | am called
upon daily to meet the situation exactly
as II exists. and / have no hesitation
whatever in saying. as result of many
years experience as a lawyer. magis-
trate. a judge and a prosecuting officer
that "A law behind which there is little or