New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-04-01
4 rrIH pouch DEPARTMENT..

The Mayor Of New Orleans Gen. Lewis, in q conf
5munication to the Common Council, has earnestly
recommended that the police force be increased by
the addition Of one hundred and fifty men, and the
proposition has been very ably advocated by several
journals Of the city.
all proper respect to our contemporaries Of the
press and Mayor Lewis, we beg leave to enter our
decided protest against such increase and will pro-
coed briefly to assign our reasons. In the first place.,
we object to the measure on grounds Of economy.
pay Of one hundred and fifty additional policemen
would amount to about SIS 900 per annrm. 4 = t1e
City Treasury able to meet such an mex M sna
enormous burthen? No, most decidedly and every
intelligent man IL the city knows that this is the case.
BY the practice Of judicious policy when ullsl'r
ingy Topped of many useless expeha'uies .nu ~
maine IN 1harves largely the present
rto,z,on ro,ncil has brought the Treasury to
! stata II comparative independence, while it has
l,reav reduced The taxes upon real estate Shall this
noicv II even partially abandoned now? We think
Is should not BE- BY adhering to it rgidly, further
aneorations and reductions may be looked forward
Il twelve months hence.
Iii the second place, the present Council has al
ready refused to increase the police force when
stronger arguments could be educed in favor of the
are required in the winter season than during the
summer season. In the winter the entropolis is full
to OVERLOOKING. Thousands and tens Of thousands
throng here from almost every State and cline under
the canopy of heaven and with them come the usual
admixture Of rogues and rascals-ttle villains and
big villains. These require watching and to watch
them efficiently requires large and efficient corps of
police officers
close. In two or three months, at the outside it will
be over and with it the annual hegra Of vagabonds
and dangerous and suspicious characters With their
going there is certanlyno necessity for an immense
incoming of policemen! Why it would look as fool
ish as locking and double locking the stable doors
after all the the horses were stolen With the depar
ture Of depredators what is the Of increasing the
number of watchers? of becoming more and more
alarmed as danger decreases of going to extraordi
nary expense as the necessity for expense dimnshes?
Besides, a Council just going out of power has no
right to impose onerous burthens upon succeeding
Council. But for the msmanagement and extrava-
gance of previous Councils, the present Council
have experienced no difficulty in conducting satsfac-
torily the financial affairs Of the corporation. This
being the fact, will Counclmen so far forget them
selves as to saddle burthens upon their successors
similar to those of which they have SO Justly COM
plained-burthens not provided for in the budget
passed? We think Motive trust not If the police
force is to be increased let it be done by the Council
shortly to be elected by the people No serious injury
can result from delay Of two or three MONTHS even
were the measure obnoxious to other objections.
Furthermore, we think the Mayor was rather hasty
in asking the increase He is now invested with I'M
limited power over the Police Department He can
employ and discharge at pleasure. Let him show his
efficiency with a small force before a larger force is
placed at bis disposal. Inefficient with small num-
Der Of policemen, he will be efficient with larger
number If inefficient with the force at his command,
itwonld be the heghth Of absurdity to enhance that
$inefieiency by bothering him with more men. Let
us try and prove him, before we add six freight thou
sand dollars per month to the expenses of the city.
" Next fall when the business season commences, it
will be time to talk about and act upon, the matter.
Not now, when summers dulness and quiet and
safety is at hand. Nh