New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-11-25
The POLICE.
T. thr rJi'o- a Ia; ~ Y. Tr'sHse:


he poven Of TIE Mayor. As the law now stands
hat ficer an anost absolute ruler. Ho-s clothed
With lar more suiboTity and that su'hoity rs much
es guarced by ssluiary checks, than the nature Of
ny 'o'm Of gCver the security Of The besi in
terests Of city can justify. II is -:ue, these
powers ere net granted o. 'be Mayor by
pres eDactmeDt: Legislature would have in
itb'oisly sei up dictator 70 rule over a
publicsp city, but tie Mayor Of New-York Is made
'ary incep rdsbt Of the Ieople afer his election by
the rectsssry interpretation which the lave give. 10
ihde.sf.d and csrtlessly woni.d s,stute This Law,
and all The awe organizing and regulating Criminal
CONS shDuo he ieNsed Ia the month of the next
81 sion OF the Legislature snd We learn 9th pleasure
'ha' Tie City Judge Is givrg bis attention TO the SUBJ
iect and intends TO pursue il with energy until At least
IN of the Ost gisTng evils OF the ptesept sys,em
Are rem owed The Judge has studied hose laws Dor.
ouebly and has noted her pra teal operation wih the
~ ia suY.es' enCments, and We bseye be will be
she 10 recommend such j much prove II they
40 not eectaay 'be evils o, which our ctiseas
nov SO Loudly and justly complain.
we under and that the bases ~ Judge Cspron's
plan in respect 10 charges ~ e t0aee La" are SUD-
F;rsf: Simplify tire whoe system. The more
,, cec the system is, and the greater the number IT
divisions arr agtpces which COMPOSE II, the lees w
lie ia efficiency because the creates will be the doabts
which NAV DC Justly raised respecting the relative
p. wer. and duties OF the disscsnt BRANCHES of the
serTica ,
second Let the present system be preserved so far
A. .,uejence has shown that it is not liable TO be per-
S,~tsa nom il, legitimate object This course will
liouOte economy and, without losing any advanta sec
y ~ ahri6eo the iucobyonepces which necessarily a.
ID ~ raaicsl changes In any se,ted systeni.
Third Render the incumbent In the othcecf Mayor
ineligible for at eas, one tenn next succeeding mat IN
wlich he served This provision would efectuaily re-
move al motive which tAa MsyOr might have 10 mai
administer tie City Government in any Of its branches
To pr, his Ieele ton and would also pre-
sent pow eru bcucemt nj for that officer TO scharge
lis drti,s faithfully, he should indulge aoy sspra-
tops IN regard To Il in the future. Shers ineiig
be TO The same Office for the succeeding term aud a.
ihe dutas of that ,cer in many respects SIMILAR
he same policy that excludes the one nom reelection
will as properly EXCLUDE the other.
Fourth; Create u tribunal TO be named THE
COURT or PoLLeE CoNNissIosEks. fnis court
Il lid consist VI Eve members, OF whom should DO
the Presiding Judge they should be appointed by the
| Governor and Serate and hold Office aaer the first
term five years Judge going out OF ciice at tue
emo Cf each year. The Mayor should not be perma-
rent member Of This Court but all plants AZ ainst
poicemsn aud nominations 10 Office should be made TO
the Court by that cer. There no more proety
in placing be Mayor the bench of this Court than
there would be ADDING the President TO the bench OF
the SUPREME Cout of the United States or the Cover
| rcr To- that Of the Court of Appeals. The Msycrs
powers snd duties should be exclusively executive and
instlia The repulsive scene that was enacted last
Spring in the Board vi Police Commissioners, when the
Nayor PERSISTED in acting accusor prosecutor Judge
ard execuioner in the tame Gaze should not be per.
| mitted to again Occlr The rights of nomination ana
Of receiving complaints should also be- vested IN Tue III
dividuel members of the Court, with power 10 ex.
| ercise them whenever the Mayor should refuse OF
I reflect TO perform those duties. This Court should
| held daily Sessions excepting on the Saba h and
| the usual holidays majority constituting
| ouolUm for the transaction OF business. Inns pro-
| Vision would suporsede the necessity oil calling
meeting Of II CouIf as u would be always IN session.
This Court she uld have jurisdiction 10 adopt rules Tor
N q Transaction Of its own bushes and With the May
| or for the government Of the Police. IL should nave
ROVER to appoint the Chief of Police and other officers
The Policemen Doormtn, and other subofdin"'es anu
| n Naxn Tn
r, 81 its ,con nj all elections In the CITY, whenever
the Mayor may be member of the Court, his absence
should not vitate its action. The powers OF trial ms
uissal and susI ension should rest exclusively IN mo
Court but continue they are and to prom DO
the speedy determination of complaints, The pay Of
Policemen should not be suspendva teHdente he long
! TT than if'een days.
F;Gh, Let the INSPECTORS of Election be appointed
ty this Court. This mode Of selecting those ant
Ulcers would be far preferable to the present because
the appointing power being a less numerous body,
would feel individual responsibility for the con-
sequences Of its action than IL ever manifested by q
mutudinous a@.nbly. This fact is attesied by uni
versa experience Nobody in particular feels directly
fe.ponsible for what has been done by everybody.
B.sdes this Court having the direction OF the police
| force on the dave OF election w61h very naturally
make suh appointments Of inspectors ana -'ei j.
tons and dispositions Of policemen, would produce
harmony Of action between those two branches of the
service and thereby the efectuay insure the OBJ
stfvanCe of te eecth laws at the polls The plan Of
deyolying the appointment Of np cfors the Judges
of the Supreme or other Court h augh with serious
eyis Beside bringing those officers into the arena Of
politics. the possession of that power inevitably
would, it mposes them the burden Of rendering
service which IN all IFS aspects and relate foreign
fem The duties Of their Office. The connection OF tue
Recorder snd Chy Judge with the present commission
causes more embanas TO those officers than all
their duties in Court ard TACT, most seriously OBJ
| stneis the discharge of those duties.
Sirih SepaI ate the charter from the general cleo
tons. pIoprety of this change in the existing lay
| requires no calculation. The considerations which
ell, uld control charter elections widely dif.
ierent from those which necessarily involved in
state Nationa canvass. that The improperly Of ch0
ing charter officers 2t general election is self-eyident.
At the latter the charter officers always sacrificed;
Yet citizens have, ii possible, more direct and
practical interest in the City Government than Ia that
| Of either the State or Nation.
| II will have been perceived that in the preceding
syD0pss Of proposed smeDdrDenis Of the Police law,
the leading aim is 10 invest the Mayor with all The
troll over the Police force necessary 10 enable him to
guard the city its peace, detect and Of
feDdes and generally to enforce the observance Of tho
lave. These duties embrace his proper sphere Of
ton as men1ber Of the Police Department, and
beyond these limits those powers should not ex-
tend II is not necessary that the Mayor should psrtic
rate in the appointment Of policemen. IL is better that
be should not, for in that case he would not be held
responsible for their qualifications and could act nde
peBdeny while his desire that the department should
be filled with good members, would make bis watch
fitness in this respect salutary check upon the APP
po DtDg power against mprovdent action. The Mayor
should not be a member Of the court the trials Of
policemen. He would be- their kgmste aecuser, and
il il abborrcnt to the fs. principles Of justice bat no
sh6 uld also be their Judge As head Of the department,
complaints should be at fret made TO him, and he
should present the accused for trial. Here his power
should end.
The free and full exercise OF the right Of suffrage
vitality important to the pepetuty OF our ie'm OF
- a. fnrga "