New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-18
POLICEMAN TO A MAYOR.

To "A, Hon Fe-nando " God.
SIR: On the Goth Of June, 1885, wss appointed a
member Of the Police Department. Up to the present
time, have had no complaint made against me.
was one Of the few who refused to pay the assessment
to aid in your election and who openly denounced the
attempt to compel the Department by fear to contrib
ute funds to that purpose. considered you unworthy
Of that position. had been on the Police long enough
to learn that you used the Department for your own
interest and not for the interest Of the city. AT the
primary election in the Second Ward held on the 18th
Of September last, to select delegates to Tammany
Hall, the policemen were compelled to vote for dele
gate that they knew would sustain you as candidate
for Mayor and since that time they have been called
upon pay money to advance your political interest
refused to contribute and advised my fellow police
men to do the same but they knew you, and feared
to act independently, quietly submitting to be
robbed Of their hard-earned wages, rather than be
suspended from pay upon frivolous charges, and
perhaps be dismissed from the Department. l
published in some of the city papers state
ment of some trans actions of the police. The au-
thorship of the articles, have reason to believe,
was made known to Capt. Leonard, for since that
time the treatment have received has been disgrace
full. have 10 doubt that this treatment is in pur-
suance of orders. I no longer consent to hold
Office under, and be subject to the control OF, man
Ike yourself, knowing as l and every policeman
must know, that devotion to your interests regardless
Of our duties is the only qualification that you recOg-
nize as a passport to favor or advancement. That
qualification ] do not possess, and hope never shall
You have caused the rules Of the Department to be
violated; you have publicly promulgated orders which
you privately directed to be dsregarded you have re-
duced many of the police force to the degrading po'
ston Of sJe and upon their representation you have
that portion of the force who preferred self
respect and duty to the hope of propitiatng you and
thus advancing their interest On the day Of election
almost every policeman in the different Wards Of the
city who was opposed to you was ordered out of his
Ward, and remained idle at the City Hall while riot
and bloodshed was rife almost within hearing Of
the hundreds of policemen who would willingly have
gone to the scene queedthe disturbance and arrested
the offenders if you would have permitted it. Humid
reds more who were your advocates were allowed to
20 on fuough election day, and for days and weeks
before, and receive their pay from the city treasury
for working for you; while l. with others Of your OPP
ponents were kept on duty twenty-four hours. This
was petty spite, unworthy any man who ever held
your position except yourself / sincerely hope the
next Legislature will remodel the Police Department,
and guard it by law that in future no one man will
have the power TO perpetrate through the department
such act. perperated at our last election, and
that no one man will be enabled TO extort money from
poor policemen or have it in his power TO harass and
Cypress them if they are not wholly subservient to his
political wishes. tender to you my resignation.
Yours &C.. EDWARD RICE,
Policeman Second Ward.