New-York tribune., 1920-12-12
Crime i'm City
Said to Shame $
Jesse James
(contlnued from page ons)

slightest part in the present city ad-
ministration. Under Mitchell the head
Of the Tax Department was Lawson
Purdy, an authority with q national
reputation. Goldwater headed the
Health Department, Fetherston the
Street Cleaning Department and Fer
Fire Commissioner. Polk and Hardy
were at the head of the Law Depart
ment. Why go further? Why describe
their successors, Throughout they are
as Enright measured against Woods.
Police Collapse Shown
Nowhere has the collapse Of the
clearly shown than in the Police De-
partment. There the Mayor made a
good beginning good, indeed, for
the wretched standards which arc the
only ones he knows. 1t took Mr..
Bugher but twenty-threc days to real
ize that he was intended to serve as a
respectable cloak for Police Depart
ment which the Mayor desired to be
run by police politicians and personal
satellites. Hylan sought to make The
public believe that Bugher's cesigna-
tion was forced for good reason, but all
the world knew that Bugher resigned
that he could not longer serve with
self-respect
"Then came Enright and ever since
favoritism and hate, political and per-
sonal, have been the governing prin-
cples of his administration. Effici-
ency and merit have counted for
nothing. Pull and revenge have deter
mined promotions, demotions, assign
ments to duty and retirements from
the force. No matter how serious the
offense for which an officer was dis
missed, nor how long ago; no matter
that the courts had held he was proper
ly dismissed; no matter that the law
prohibited his reinstatement, let him
have the right influence at work and
he has been reinstated.
"Let a policeman brutally beat an
innocent citizen, let the courts find him
guilty of assault and suspend sentence
because he must still face trial before
the Police Commissioner, who may dis
miss him from the force. Why worry
if he has the right friends? The
Police Commissioner will but fine him
fifteen days pay.
Costigan Case Is Cited
"Costigan's official duty in other years
had compelled him to do and to report
things distasteful to Enrght. Costi-
gan is promptly transferred, denoted
and banished and lying excuses are ad-
vanced in lame attempt to allay public
indignation. Lieutenant Jones, the pis-
tol expert of the department., is report
ed for retirement by two boards of
surgeons of Enright's own appoint
ment. But Jones has not been Of the
Enright faction in the lieutenants' as
sociation and, therefore, Jones is not
retired until the Police Commissioner
faces Jail for contempt of court. Tun-
ney, of the Bomb Squad, is not Of the
chosen spirits and, therefore, he is
virtually driven from the department
just when his services are most sorely
needed. All of this is but sympto-
matte. 1t indicates the disease which
has demoralized as fine rank and file
as any public service ever had. The
trouble is at the top
"And so it comes that the city of
New York is safer to-day for cut
throats, bandits and nlgnwaymen and
burglars than the frontier in the days
of Jesse James. But the Police Com
missioner says there Is no crime and
quoted statistics to show that crimes
are fewer under his peerless adminis-
tration than ever before. His statis-
tics. however, are unconvncing, for
nobody trusts them. One of his earli-
est official acts was to abolish the we'll
organized bureau for the collection and
tabulation of accurate statistics which
his predecessor had established. That
he followed by eliminating the bound
book record of daily complaints from
citizens. He replaced 1t by a losable