The New York Police Force 211 



break, but in the police force such a compromise 

 was not possible. What was demanded of us usu- 

 ally took some such form as the refusal to enforce 

 certain laws, or the protection of certain law-break- 

 ers, or the promotion of the least fit men to posi- 

 tions of high power and grave responsibility; and 

 on such points it was not possible to yield. We 

 were obliged to treat all questions that arose purely 

 on their merits, without reference to the desires of 

 the politicians. We went into this course with our 

 eyes open, for we knew the trouble it would cause 

 us personally, and, what was far more important, 

 the way in which our efforts for reform would con- 

 sequently be hampered. However, there was no al- 

 ternative, and we had to abide by the result. We 

 had counted the cost before we adopted our course, 

 and we followed it resolutely to the end. We 

 could not accomplish all that we should have liked 

 to accomplish, for we were shackled by preposterous 

 legislation, and by the opposition and intrigues of 

 the basest machine politicians, which cost us the 

 support, sometimes of one, and sometimes of both, 

 of our colleagues. Nevertheless, the net result of 

 our two years of work was that we did more to 

 increase the efficiency and honesty of the police 

 department than had ever previously been done in 

 its history. 



But a decent people will have to show by em- 

 phatic action that they are in the majority if they 

 wish this result to be permanent; for under such a 

 law as the "bi-partisan" law it is almost impossible 



