The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-31
SEES POLICE FORCE
MORALE SHATTERED
"Searchlight," Citizens Union
Organ, Prints Article on
What's the Matter2

Tho SedrchNoht, the publication OF the
ing in the current issue an article enti-
tied whats the Matter with the 10.
lice?" 1t recites some of the occurrences
in the department OF the last>few months
by way OF showing how the morale of the
force has been shattered.
! In a review of the work of the Legisla-
ture in so far as 1t affects the city both
the Mayor and the Governor are COM
mended for their use OF the veto power
to protect the city from the annual drive
Of mandatory anu-home rule payroll
| attacks.
On the. police situation the seorohHoAt
says:
FOR many months past there have
been indications that something was
wrong with the Police Department Peo-
| pie began to wonder whether Il was
showing or was about to show one of its
dangerous lapses. A spirit OF unrest has
permeated the whole department. There
has been an unmistakable falling of in
the morale Of the force.
| Mayor ConceaIs Truth.
The fine organization which Commits
| sioner Arthur Woods and his able depu-
| ties built up appeared to be about t.
collapse. There were designations, re-
| tirements, demotions OF some of the men
who had proved their efficiency In the
most trying days the city had every
known. Stories OF petty graft began to
be current. Alarming rumors spread.
Yet apparently the only concern of
the Mayor has been to prevent citizens
from getting the truth. TO scare them
| away from all attempts to inquire into
| whether some Of the facts stated were
| true or false. Instead OF pronting by the
criticism. he has either Ignored 1t alto
gether or has gone out of his way to
| find mi opportunity to write commenda-
| tory letters to the Commissioner in which
he has characterized the interest of citi-
zens as meddlesome interference, or sat
| isfied himself by calling names.
This Is not the time or place to pre-
| sent full record of the polioe under
| the Hylan administration. because the
! chapter Is not yet closed. 1t will at
some future time be necessary to te-
gin at the beginning and consider the
whole subject. beginning with the short
| career OF Commissioner Bugher and
| covering the regime of his successor,
Richard Z. Enright, a member of the
| uniformed force who had long been the
| leader of a small coterie in the depart
| ment and had been chiefly known as an
| officer of the Police Lieutenants' organi-
| cation. 1t will then be necessary to tell
| the whole story Of the police under En-
| right, and that story will not be without
| interest.
| For the present issue Of This Searchlioht.
| however. review OF some of the more
striking and significant events of the
past few weeks suffice. These events,
read in the light OF past experience, may
1 hA
the matter with the police7' but we
believe they will indicate that something
rather serious is the matter and that
the citizens Of New York ought to be
alive to the situation.
Few Constructive Laws.
| with the exception of the tax lagis-
lation." the Legislative review reads
and the measures affecting the schools,
the Legislature did very little that could
| be called constructive. AS for recon-
struction measures growing out Of the
war. 1t merely nibbled at most OF them.
On the other hand It cannot be charged
| with being destructive even by its harsh
est critics. Taken all in all, the Legis-
| lRture paid almost no attention to the
| recommendations made to 1t by the
Governor In his annual message. So
far as effectiveness or craftsmanship was
| concerned, me majority leadership fell
short of that of the minority.
| "As usual the Legislature frequently
| passed the buck to the Mayor or thb
Governor by approving many bills which,
on account OF mandatory payroll fea-
lures or interference with the principles
| of home rule control OF the city's af-
fairs, merited disapproval. The greater
part OF these measures were, to be sure,
introduced by Democratic members,
but they were passed by a Legislature
strongly Republican in both houses
| Except for this tendency to rush into
all sorts of payroll increases on the
excuse that high prices and increased
| cost OF living justified 1t, the New York
city members acted with rather more
than the ordinary measure OF considera-
ton for the city's pocketbook Most of
the proposed ripper legislation made
| little or no progress"