that we were almost the only men in the Police Department who picked Fitzsimmons as a winner against Corbett.  Otto’s parents had come over from Russia, and not only in social standing but in pay a policeman’s position meant everything to him.  It enabled Otto to educate his little brothers and sisters who had been born in this country, and to bring over from Russia two or three kinsfolk who had perforce been left behind.

Rather curiously, it was by no means as easy to keep politics and corruption out of the promotions as out of the entrance examinations.  This was because I could take complete charge of the entrance examinations myself; and, moreover, they were largely automatic.  In promotions, on the other hand, the prime element was the record and capacity of the officer, and for this we had largely to rely upon the judgment of the man’s immediate superiors.  This doubtless meant that in certain cases that judgment was given for improper reasons.

However, there were cases where I could act on personal knowledge.  One thing that we did was to endeavor to recognize gallantry.  We did not have to work a revolution in the force as to courage in the way that we had to work a revolution in honesty.  They had always been brave in dealing with riotous and violent criminals.  But they had gradually become very corrupt.  Our great work, therefore, was the stamping out of dishonesty, and this work we did thoroughly, so far as the ridiculous bi-partisan law under which the Department was administered would permit.  But we were anxious that, while stamping out what was evil in the force, we should keep and improve what was good.  While warring on dishonesty, we made every effort to increase efficiency.  It has unfortunately been shown by sad experience that at times a police organization which is free from the taint of corruption may yet show itself weak in some great crisis or unable to deal with the more dangerous kinds of criminals.  This we were determined to prevent.

Our efforts were crowned with entire success.  The improvement in the efficiency of the force went hand in hand with the improvement in its honesty.  The men in uniform and the men in plain clothes—­the detectives—­did better work than ever before.  The aggregate of crimes where punishment followed the commission of the crime increased, while the aggregate of crimes where the criminal escaped punishment decreased.  Every discredited politician, every sensational newspaper, and every timid fool who could be scared by clamor was against us.  All three classes strove by every means in their power to show that in making the force honest we had impaired its efficiency; and by their utterances they tended to bring about the very condition of things against which they professed to protest.  But we went steadily along the path we had marked out.  The fight was hard, and there was plenty of worry and anxiety, but we won.  I was appointed in May, 1895.  In February, 1897, three months