Satan's Invisible World Displayed or, Despairing Democracy

-speaking men in the efficacy of statute-made law is nowhere more strikingly illustrated than in the great cities of the United States. The fact that a sta

t which leads the private citizen to say "Damn!" There is a great deal of this swearing at large in the passing of rigorous statutes, which are no sooner passed than they appear to be forgotten. Take, for instance, the laws which were passed from time to time to secure the extirpation of vice and crime in the City of New York. They certain

St. Petersburg; a law was passed in 1873 for the purpose of giving the police abunda

warrant, and on the execution of that warrant the doors of any house in the City of New York may be broken in. If we had time to introduce evidence of cases, we could do so where from spl

ffairs; better submit to a thousand disorderly houses than

s the Superintendent of Police-that is all he is, a policeman-has the power to issue h

en read as

of chance, or to be kept or used for lewd and obscene purposes or amusements, or the deposit or sale of lottery tickets or lottery policies, it shall be lawful for the Superintendent of Police to authorise in writing any member or members of the police force to enter the same, who may forthwith arrest all persons there found offending against the law, but none other, and seize all implement

nt of Police is, as this law. It exceeds that of the Common Law, where the power is vested in a judicial officer to issue a warrant; but here a policeman may authorise in writing any

ds that it utterly failed in attaining its end. The police machine, Mr. Goff declared, was by no means inefficient. Regarded as a machine it was indeed, in h

ciety were struck and stoned through the whole of Captain Devery's precinct; the police officers looking on as amused spectators. They were appealed to for assistance, and took no notice. At last, the hunted men jumped on a car, and escaped with their lives. But although this riot had taken place in the heart of the city, and created a scandal through the whole of New York, Superintendent Byrnes reported th

it; he said that if I insisted upon it, he supposed he must do so; but it would do no good, and only get

C. SH

missioner. Bo

find out anything. There was, for instance, Mr. Sheehan, who at that time was Police Commissioner, and who now is the titular Boss of Tammany Hall. The question of

d that those pool-rooms were corrupting the police, you

ehan re

a few months after I became a Police Commissioner, but I couldn't get any authoritative information of any kind on the subject; but I got it

t as one which it was no u

was asked concerning the existence of corruption in th

t did you do to restore the ton

for any evidence of that character

Commissioners ever instituted to di

nvestigation.-V

thing with dis

e been Police Commissioner, you never have examined the r

sir; I

ese records to see what houses were pu

sir; I

tion of these disorderly houses been a matt

r.-Vol. i

ppearance in court. This affected other Boards besides that of the Police. When the action of the Excise Board was under consideration, it was a

and of perjuries having been committed before the Board-did you ever

taken for indictment;

was not more efficient. Every constable before being appointed had to comply with the

where examinations are held from time to time of batches of such applicants. Application is made to the captain for examination of his character and as to the persons who signed the paper, and a report is made in writing by the captain. There are three Civi

d the Committee that he had always voted with his Tammany Commissioners on the Board, because "he had never known them to do anything wrong." There was a very touching little scene described by Mr. McCla

nothing, nothing." And she says, "Oh yes, there is; it is that police investigation business. I would not worry over that." And he sa

mittee went on with its work, and the conduct of these "hone

TENDENT

AND BROOK