The New York herald., 1922-05-02

ago. t. be exact, within the ready recol-
lection therefore Of the large majority
OF those who are to-day living under
the municipal dictation OF that Identical
vivisected body, reproduced in rejuve-
mated form after two or three seasons
of recupera ton.
While the scrutiny to which I refer
was initiated by a single individual
and with a specific rather than COM
prellensive purpose, he was soon joineo
by others OF sympathetic interest. and
in pursuance IF a purpose more ana
more enveloping. Those OF US who were
at hrst regarded as mere Adventures
came gradually to be suspected or deal
ing with problem Of some seriously
no less a problem than the existence
upon the body polite of q. cancerous
growth. foreign to the body but nour-
ishinp itself by feeding upon the body's
vitals.
"'rhe Chamber of Commerce took the
alarm. secured from Albany a commit
tee of visitation and investigation. winch
set in operation a we'll constructed ma
ch;nerv Of yiyisection ingeniously engi-
noared nv John w. Gof. The details
are all in print. They occupy five vol
umes are to he found at the once OF
the society for the Prevention OF Crime
and are omen 20 public inspection
"Ctvyc Field More Fruitful"
..1-,o.. cor,nose a vivid but bloody
n;c+ure an anatomical exhibit OF tha'
orpanized body of freebooters whicn
carries on its operations in the heid o.
civic administration, pretcrring tha'
6old 70 any other because more iucra'
tive in it's results. as rats prefer corl'-
hin to i. notato patch and crows corn
Geld TO a fruit orchard.
wow that is Tammany in its inner
most impulse. That such IS the rae,
has been practically demonstrated ana
the completeness OF the demonstra t'on
| is what drove the institution out OF ,he
| field in 1se,. It is as much lis genius
! and master passion to convert 10 lts
| own interests the opportunity afforded
II Of controlling this municipality from
| CITY Hall as it is the genius OF Mr
Rockefeller to gather wealth from OF
| or the genius of Judge Gary to con-
| struct fortune out of steel.
There is nothing in this that Is sur
prisinr or exceptional. We have al
| observed the working of this tendency
! in other cities and towns and ever
/ small towns 1t can be figuratively en-
pressed by saying that 1t is the nature
! OF scum to rise TO the surface. 1t IL
/ one Of the evidences OF human incon'
| sistency that in certain cases we toler'
| ate as public officials men whom wt
| should decline to receive on a basis
| of social equality There Is much In
that that will not stop to develop OF
! account for
"AdminiStrationJ Is Worried
az. rraa,,.,,,,. ;s ,xyorl,;n~ only fov
Tammany 1t will OF course serve the
city only so far as is necessary to
| Of unstable equilibrium. creating the
! needs It's condition IS therefore one
OF unstable equalibripm. creating the
constant necessity of exercising It's
sagacitv in making an expansive eX.
hibit of it's acts OF municipal devoted
! ness.
'It Is what occasions the frequent an
rouncement from City Hall that New
York is the best governed city in the
! world. When we hear that We know
| the administration is worried lest II
shall have become too evident to the
public that Tamnany is exclusively IN
terested in taking care OF itself. The
institution betrays from time to time
symptoms that are exceedingly inter-
esting to those who are sufficiently
alert 10 be able to interpret them.
Not deeply concerned with the quail
ity of its own morals, 80 was triunr-
phantlv demonstrated by Mr. Goff
working under the auspices of the
Lexow Committee. and dependent for
It's existence and continuance upon an
| element OF the community with which
morality is likewise secondary con-
sidarauon. 1t follows that virtue does
not count with II as an asset and n
would naturally ALLEVIATE a considerab BILE
element Of its constituency were II to
show more than an incidental resnect
to Moses and the Ten Commandments
"HeIping It's own Ranks"
Now I do not want 10 be il!ogi-
cal as TO draw conclusions that are not
involved In the premises from which
The conclusion purports TO be derived :
but IL the organization Is not over
burdened by considerations of morality
and Of the distinction between respecting
law and ignoring its obligations. and
depends for its official stability upon a
constituency that is in cordial sym
pathy with IL in this respect. is it forcing
ma atters TO conclude that the compls-
cency with which City Hall appears TO
regard the cataclysm Of CRIME that 4.
overwhelming the city is due to the
regard which It cherishcs for it's con-
stituency and with view TO strength
ening its ranks?
Ny suspicion that I am correct i'm
my surmise is confirmed by the left
handed way in which the organization
is succeeding in not repressing the
cataclysn. Jt would appear that the
Bench. however, is row handling mat
ters with some effect To the courts
and to the press. no. at all to City Hall,
IS due the development OF an improving
condition.
'In all that concerns this unsup-
pressed outbreak of crime the discus
sion has centered around the Police
Commissioner, whom 7 want to treat
with all the respect due TO his position
His case could be disposed Of by call
ing him merely a product. or by desig-
mating him as symptom. but want TO
regard the situation a little more mar
rowly.
THE Commiss ssioner Is either doing his
best to quiet prevailing disorder or he
Is not. II he In not II Is because. as
Just suggested. his superior has rea-
sons for preferring that his constitu-
ency should not be strained up 10 en1-
barrassing standards OF propriety. IL
;ha Commissioner has done his best IT.
S clear that he lacks the fundamental
md essential quality OF an executive
officer.
1T is true that he has summoned
o his aid AN enormous multiplicity and
variety OF instrumcntaltics. But we
,ught TO be discriminating enough to
understand that the power proper OF
N executive does not reside in the ma
,hipary that he aets in operation, but