New-York daily tribune., 1854-07-12
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
TIE POLICE.


To n< E4scy q TAe N y. 7T'bsHe
SIR: There seens be something wrong in the Police
Dcnsrpoep. again. What is the difficulty Where does
The shoe pinch Il il the uniform that the men complain
M or il generally that they kept up to hhr work
and not allowed to do they please "When you wsnt
0tc whip dog you can always find stick" When
man Il not disposed to do his work 1t is always his en-
ployer not himself who is in fault SO in the present
case The osensibe difficulty rs the Uniform "a /
Judge from what l zee in walking round the streets
and what | read In the newspapers A short
time since. two men openly refused to It.
They were tired and very properly dismissed for their lis
obedience. Aterward II generally worn, and,
suppcscd approved Of by the Policemen themselves s
certsiny vas by those who 'pay the piper Bat within
month two change have taken place aai
indeed the dressed pretty much according to their
own fancies, until about fortnight since when orr
OF the Commissioners appeared restoring the uniformity,
the order 10 take effect future day and the top
Of this again meeting Of policemen in the
Park day last week which meeting Of course ended
maven ns 'r re,s.t snSr sopoa OF the mso en y
few dollars, which they might much rather
have sponi their families, in paying
for their clothing. may be that come OF them think
themselves aggrieved and consider that they should
not be called upon to wear distinctive uniform any
than other classes cf cltzens But in this they
clearly in They forget that they the
of the public the army aud navy and all other officers
in the country from the President down. are. That they
have voluntarily sought for and obtained the Offices they
hold and that the bound obey the orders OF
their employers established by their agents, the Com
missioDers, in the way the who work my
farm must obey my orders while in my service II they
do rot like them, the system Of discipline which
establish, land without which should very become
town chsrge) they at liberty 20 eave and they do
leave me from time to time. So with the Policemen; II
they not like their dress the orders OF the service
let them resign. There is no difficulty nowadays about
getting employment, if men willing TO WORK Inc
coal mines and the railroads stand ready to engage thou
sands: and the farmers in the vicinity Of the City
much in Of hands, and pay round wages Nor need
they from any consideration ior the employers
There IL difficulty in getting inen when there are
hundred whiting for vacancy. Experience have found
IL the best teacher In all our municipal concerns Tor the
lest thirty years. have always found that the shape
that future events 10 take in our City was
to be lenrned from the they had fol-
lowed in older communities. Although we are no doubt
the greatest nation the face Of the earth yet
are not quite omnipotent-we not quite Deity
we turn the tide against His unalterabe DEGREES. What
has been will be again. The Legislature and Police Com
msoners drawing their conclusions from the experience
of other people and taking advantage of the information
collected for them by bigbmndcd, intelligent and patr
otc citizen who for pay and with no motive but the
public good has made long voyages and spent years in
studying the various systems in force throughout the
world have thought that could not have efficient
police here without uniform. In their wisdom they have
determined 10 try it, The force first organized with
out the uniform and il found worthless nearly So
both by day and by night Under the present system
have at least something for our money for every one
knows when he sees the UNIFORM that he has right to
call il for service and protection necessary. Skulk
ing in grog shops and taverns now impossible. II
said that the of less service by night because
their uniform makes them easily known and of course,
avoided by criminals and burglars II no doubt is so TO
degree. 1t is evil undoubtedly but perhaps 1t is
choice between evils and the lesser of the two. With
police bearing emblem or DEVICE we have here
tofore found thcn when w0nted, nowhere The em-
eInbearing uniformed policeman at least walks his
beat and scares off the rogues in many though
he may not often succeed in arresng them In that
spect our short experience with that OF Lon
don, which is certainly wel.o ordered city, and with
that of Paris and the other cities Of Europe all OF which
far before u.s. cleanliness and in security 10 life and
property. for content 10 rest on these expert
ences, and TO try the uniform II do not succeed our
Police do not become much more efficient than 1t
over has BEEN ii the men, instead of shkng round the
streets Witnessing at every step they take nfracons of
the City laws and ordinances, and oenses OF every KIND
against health order and cleanliness without ever taxing
the trouble correct TO report them do not come IN
with will and do their duty, III such way as TO abae
the evils have for years suffered under then for
say darn rih me Police. The experiment win have
proved failure My hopes with regard to it, and
was one the and most in establishing it
will be entirely disappointed; and my opinion nothing
will be left to but to band together by blocks neigh
borhoods with armed patrols of substantial citizens for
defense In this way we could soon dispatch the known
rocues with their advisers both oy legal and Judicai
and make the City too hot to hold the suspected ones
At the same time should be saving from ssOOOOO TO
) 900 600 a wear ia taxation There can be doubt tha
good Police could be had for fourth part OF that
incline very much to the opinion that this VIII be the u
mate that things will take; not as to the Police
only but many other important Heads OF Munlcpa
Governments such the cleaning and repairing the streets
for instance. There is very little doubt, IN my mnd tnM
the present contract system does not succeed and ult
maey give clean streets then the streets will have to
be kept in by the househodes they were few
ears ago With Citizen Police there would be no dih
Guilty in il for every neglect inracton OF the laws OF
cleanliness would he at summarily punished. Eter-
" nal vigilance is the price Of liberty The municipal
anarchy We are in be corrected or il will end in
strong government.-ju!y 4, 1884. z.