The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-17
Common Sense Among the Police.

1t seems as though we were destined TO
serve as an example Of the dangers of popular
sovereignty to all ages to come. The exu' er-
ant freedom of the people Of New York has
reached licentious pitch which will soon rem
der the existence of any government precarious.
We have q regular Corporation, with Mayor,
Aldermen and Councilman but they can nei-
Their make laws nor execute them. We have
separate bureau, fully organized and paid, for
the purpose of cleaning the streets; but the
only street that is cleaned is Broadway, which
Mr.. Genin cleans at the expense of the house
holders. We have laws against throwing gar
bage into the streets, laws against blocking up
the sidewalks with boxes and bales, laws against
| fighting and disturbances in thoroughfares, and
men paid to secure the execution Of these laws;
yet they are hourly violated, and no one is ever
punished. We have thousand policemen, more
or less, paid, uniformed, and armed to keep the
peace; yet the peace is constantly broken with
| impunity, individuals molested, houses robbed,
and the police alone out of the whole popula-
ton, seem ignorant Of the fact An attempt
has recently been made by Mr. Matsell to secure
some sort of efficiency among the captains by
drilling them: but this most salutary precau-
ton is resisted as tyrannical innovation, de-
! grading to the independence of American free
men. We shall next hear that the indepen-
| dence of American freemen cannot tolerate any
| sort of restraint whatever; and that in the
whole machine by which we are governed none
shall have authority over another.
| 1t is high time we think, with these facts
l,c, 10 ipou ha}b tod
| dependence may not be carried to such point
| as to become public nuisance. 1t is quite
| clear. we should imagine, that regular system
of drill is calculated to be of as much use to
the policemen who are drilled as to the public
whose protection is vastly increased by the
heightened efficiency resulting from the drill.
Without it, in fact, q policeman might find
apologists for his cowardice in running away
from a fight where his head might be broken.
If therefore some such safeguard as a system
of drill be required to fit our police captains
for their station, objections founded on their
independence of character tell against them
selves and not against the system. They may
be too independent to he policemen; and no one
has right to complain if they lay down their
slaves, and betake them to some calling more
consonant with their dignity. But if they
choose to take our money as police officers, it is
the heigh of absurdity for them to refuse to
learn their du4,- 49, o.o"nu Vr shei. ~;chts
ms American treemen.
The demnr, however, which has been made by
n for the police captains to the practice re-
&C utly introduced by Mr.. Matsell, is merely
M Il of the theory on which the whole of our
c;tv government is now based. That theory
nav be defined in two words-unrestrained
ccn, Seusness In our search after popular
reedo u VIC have overshot the mark and struck
IN the rock of anarchy. Blind to the wise re-
,trct;o Z by which the Roman legislators defni-
lion of i Herty was limited, we have forgotten
hat free, aom-to be worthy of the name-must
40 freedo, for all. for the rich as we'll as the
moor for II vs sober as we'll as the drunken, for
he honest swell as the depraved. We have
forgotten TIL u,that species Of freedom is the best
1nder which sch citizen resigns the most Of his
individual rio IDS for the public veal Instead of
pursuing this 0lrseswe rave sought on every
side to enlarge 0nr individual rights and to
diminish those II the community ct large.
Thus we have repealed the sound laws of
cur forefathers. an dinsisted on electing all our
,ity and State ofic, 49, from Governors, Judges,
md Mayor down to de tay-gSsherers. Nothing
Dut the resistance off Apress prevented the Office
If Chief Of Police from Nheing made elective like
vise and at some f,, Nye day that 'refo, m =
nay be carried into e. bct IAis system mas
lad two results, the mos. 'alsastrous OF whlcf IL
4 difficult To DESIGNATE The FIRST h that, under
t. all our city officers are Hfespons' pie agenp,
and consequently inefficient alembels OF help
ess executive The secon mat Tie entire
city franchise is thrown into 'ahc hapis OF The
grogshop politicians Every A'lzen can form
m opinion as to the suitah S.y of can
lidatc for the mayoralty bu u Is ABSURD
TO ask merchants, lawyers or snen oi basi-
ness to choose between two aspii Nsils .iof the
Office Of taX-gatherer. They must oe gn'acu
by the trainers Of the printed tickets ana WI
matcly, as is now the case here. disgu Tea py we
results Of the suffrage, must decline tt 'eXerci+e
4 altogether and Inayo tbo oo,.or,rro u in the
hands Of druukards mllios and nro fgates.
It is melancholy but not the less true, ii w. lor
all political and civic purposes. these CT sSScs
row constitute tie sovereign people Of the tai-
pre City.
To bring things back to their proper pc
ton, SO gigantic IN effort is needed that th
boldest may we'll shrink from proposals of re-
form. Fortunately, perhaps the evils growing
out Of our mistakes keep pace with them and
thus time will come when the instincts OF self
preservation will compel us to take the field
When our hclplessness has become so abect,
and anarchy so outrageous that civilized society
can endure no longer tic government Of New
York will be wrested from the grogshop
politicians. The universal elective system viii ,
be struck TO the ground at a blow and The citi-
zcns will consent to divest themselves Of 50
ra-1nh cr tLnir r;clatn ne ,.,..r nnnnssnrv 10 |