The Washington herald., 1913-08-17

In the spring of 1886 l was appointed
by Mayor Strong Police Commissioned,
and 1 served as president of the Police
Commission of New York for the two fol-
lowing years Mayor Strong had been
elected Mayor the preceding fall, when
the general anti-Democratic wave of that
year coincided with one of the city's
occasional instructions Of virtue and
consequent turning out Of Tammany from
municipal control
He had been elected on a non-partisan
ticket-usuaIly (although not always) the
right kind of ticket in municipal affairs
provided it represents not a bargain among
factions but genuine non-partisanship
with the genuine purpose to get the right
men in control of the city government
on a platform which deals with the needs
OF the average men and women, the men
and women who work hard and who too
often live hard. j was appointed with
the distinct understanding that | was to
administer the Police Department with
entire disregard of partisan politics, ami
only from the standpoint of a good citizen
interested in promoting the welfare Of all
good citizens.
My task. therefore, was really simple.
Mayor Strong had already offered me the
street-cleaning department. For this
work did not feel that ! had any espe-
cial fitness l resolutely refused TO ac-
cept the position, and the Mayor ultl-
mately got a far better man for his pur-
pose in Col. George +. Naring.
The work of the police department,
however. was in my line, and l was glad
10 undertake II.
Jncub Riis and 1.-the Other HALF"
The man who was closest to me
throuS hout my two years in the Police
Department was Jacob Riis. By this time
as have said, / was getting our social,
industrial and political needs into pretty
fair perspective. / was still ignorant OF
the extent to which big men of great
wealth played a mischievous part in our
industrial and social life. but / was well
awake to the need of making ours in good
faith both an economic and an industrial
as well as a political democracy.
I already knew Jake Riis, because his
book. How the Other Half Lives, had
been to ME both an enlightenment and
an inspiration for which 1 felt I could
never be too grateful. Soon after IL was
written l had called at his office to tell
him how deeply impressed l was by the
book. and that l wished to help him in
any practical way to try to make things
little better. l have always had
horror OF words that are not translated
into deeds. Of speech that does not re-
suit in action: in other words, I believe
i'm realizable ideals and in realizing
them. in preaching what can be prac-
ticed and then in practicing it.
Jacob Riis had drawn an indictment
of the things that were wrong, pitifully
and dreadfully wrong. with the tene-
ment homes and the tenement lives of
our waGe-workeIs In his book hr h"d
POINTED out how the city government.
and especially those concerned with the
departments of police and health, could
aid in remedying some of the wrongs.
Wanted, a Worl.fngman's Mayor.
As president Of the Police Board was
also a member of the Health Board. In
both positions l felt that with Jacob
Riis' guidance | would be able to put a
goodly number of his principles into
actual effect. He and I looked at life
and its problems from substantially the
same standpoint.
Our ideals and principles and purposes.