Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-09-24
CoMNUSICATLD.
POLICE,

POLICE. l'''''''''rA''j
Messrs. EDITORS: Permit me, through
your valuable paper, to address few lines
to the members of the City Council. You,
Messrs. Councilmen, will be called upon
on Monday next to voteaway ONETHoCsAND
DOLLARS OF the peoples money, to pay
seven extra police officers to do-nothiag,
as they have been doing for some time at
an expense of about fifteen thousand dol
lars. say, gentlemen, to DO nothing!
What have they done since they We're first
appointed =! Why, just nothing, Did
they make the arrest of the incendiary,
and cause their conviction. as | am told
they Lave the credit of? Why, no The
regular police did it. Now, can any one
tell what in the world these men are ap-
pointed for! 1t cannot befor any useful
purpose. 1t must be merely to CRAFTY
the Chief Of Police. as it seems the bill
for the one thousand dollars, which .he
Board of Aldermen will be called upon to
appropriate on Monday, was written by
the Chief. Now are We the tax payers
of the city, to submit to this Will the
First, Second. Fourth Fifth, Sixth, and
Seventh Wards any longer submit to the
injustice of having nine police officers to
the Third Ward, (Which, by the way, is
one of the small Wards while four of
these have only two, and that large Ward,
the Fourth, has only three Now, is there
any justice or reason in this prohigate ex-
penditure of our money? Would it not
be better to fill up our mud holes with
this money than throw it away in this
worthless manner
The Guard, under the administration
of the late Captain did efficient service
with their present number; and the city
is no worse at this time than it was during
the administration of the late Captain.
So even an increase of the night watch at
this time is not needed. In fact. gentle
men, our whole police system at this time
is a useless expenditure of the peoples
money, and if you will take your pencils
and figure it out will find it as I say. l
do not believe the majority of the voters
of the city have any idea that such an
enormous amount of the peoples money
is expended in this way. Now look at
this, gentlemen; figures they say, cannot
lie:
Six police magistrates, $3.50 each. 2,lO0
One do do $500 .... 800
10 police officers. $500 each :. 1900
SI!.l00
Expended during last year for extra
Police services. s.................. 800
$4,000
Making in all the enormous sum of
TWELVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS
expended for the performance of the same
duty that was performed under the old
system for seven hundred and fifty dollars.
Now this may seem strange to many of
you, and yet it is fact: and for the proof
ofwhich refer you to the old police laws,
where you will find that the Magistrates
were not allowed any compensation for
their services, and were glad to do it even
at that; and the police constable's re-
ceived a salary of fifty dollars each per
annum. Perhaps you will say that this
cannot be done at this time. In reply,
will say it can, and the police force will
be as efficient as it now is, and the Magis-
trates equally attentive to their business.
Under the present system, the Second,
Third and Fourth Wards perhaps about
pay their salary. The 1st, 5th, 9th and
7th wards fail far short, leaving large
amount, more than one half of twelve
thousand six hundred dollars, to be drawn
out of the treasury-or rather the peoples
pockets, to pay them for doing
Now these are facts that will bear inves-
tigation.
One more item, gentlemen, and | am
done. | would have you take the reports
of the chief, and examine the amount of
money paid into the treasury, and then
compare that with the $l2, 500 which you
pay out, and then tell your constituents
what each dollar paid into the treasury
from the present system costs the q dear
people. And when you have done this,
then take the aggregate number of war;
rants issued in the seven wards during
the last year, and estimate the price paid
to the magistrate for issuing and the
officer for serving the same, and if | do
not mistake in my figures, you will find
that each warrant costs the corporation
upwards of one dollar and forty CENTS
This is, gentlemen, one of the most mag
n'ticent schemes to spend money that was
ever introduced. There has been since
this system went into operation nearly
$5O;OOO expended for the same service
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