Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-16
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Great is the indignation being manifested by
the members Of the press entitled to seats
around the old Hall of the Representative, at
the idea of being thrust up in . hen-coop OF
gallery, far away from facilities of instant com
munication with the honorabls members, from
whom, for years past, they have been ia the
habit of obtaining much Of the information on
which their letter for the press are based. If
the reporters for the daily press of the city and
the Associated Press, are to be banished up
into any such galleries, they will suffer under
inconvenience which must present the news
papers they represent from, as heretofore, in
stantly accommodating the members in q hun
dred ways, on call as they, too, will be wholly
out Of the reach of honorable gentlemen here
after
There are twenty or thirty seats around the
back Of the new Hall, we hear, placed there for
the accommodation of the reporters or those to
whom they may be assigned by the House. In
our judgment, it will be agreat accommodation
for the House itself at once to assign them to
the representatives Of the city and associated
press, and those not required for their accom-
mediation, to the representatives ofother presses
We are hardly ever FIVE minutes in the House
Hall without being visited by some member on
business at our desk, or without receiving mes
sage or note on business, from some member.
We should be greatly incommoded in being con-
signed to cock loft from which to note the pro-
ceedings of the House for instant publication. To
place us in any such position, would make our
duty of reporting for instant pu ALLEGATION an i'm
possible one to be discharged correctly; while it
will, from incorrect and imperfect reports, give
infinite annoyance TO honorable members, how
ever faithfully we may labor to the contrary.
The POLIcE.-Often we hear comparisons
drawn between the efficiency of the police of
the cities of the United States and those of Eu-
rope, always invidious to the former. That
the latter is more efficient than ours, may be
true. If so, it is, in the main the result Of
circumstances involved in our Government
which will prove effective in preventing our
police system from becoming as perfect as that
of monarchical governments while time lasts
The New York Times, in a late article ex-
plains those circumstances most graphically.
We quote portion of what it says on the SUBJ
ject, as embracing satisfact tory answer to the
complaints to which we refer above-as follows
"NEw YORK AND PARIS PoLIcE-The letter
from our correspondent " Malakof, ;" which we
published on Monday, upon the organization and
duties Of the French police, points out the great
and essential difference between the gems d drme-
RE of New York and that Of Paris. The French
SsrgeHt de rttle, or gdrds municipal, Is a man
who lives apart from the people, and is not Of
the people-who has aspirations, and no sym
pathies outside Of his own corps. In it all his
hopes and interest are centred. His great amb-
ton, after earning his daily bread in an honest
- tn III Ia-t
the police as his profession, and is proud Of it.
Every pains Is taken by his superors to make
him consider himself one of class apart He is
not allowed to converse in the streets with civil
ians much less step into grocery:' and take a
drink. He is under military discipline, wears
military uniform, is taught military drill, and
let us add, that besides all this perhaps the
consequence of all this, he is very respectable
and very efficient public servant.
Now in almost every one of the foregoing par
ticulars the New York policeman is the antipodes
cases, appointed for political work of some sort
rendered to somebody in office, and he looks upon
his situation as one of the perquistes to which
his ssparty'' is entitled He gets IL because he ia
prominent member in a certain grade Of the
party, and considers that he has already earned
his salary by past services in politics. not that he
is to earn il in thief-cachng. His political char
acter, in other words, his importance Il citizen
is never laid aside nor lost sight Of He wears
uniform, to be sure, but he disdains to button II
In military fashion, and exposes his snowy linen
tation as a railroad conductor TO put ones
hands in ones pockets when on duty is a grave
military offence. Your New York policeman
hardly ever puts them anywhere else He smokes
vigorously. IL be meets friend, he takes
drink with him in good -natured way, lust as
any other citizen might. He gossip pleasantly
at corners Of streets, and in door-ways, and
" loafs' with all the nonchalance Of a man who
knows the rights secured to him 10y the Consti-
tuition, and who means to exercise them He lives
in bis room, or his boardi ng house with his
family, Just as the rest of as do.
- When We see him at his post, far from being
grim officer of the law, fresh from parade and
Toll-call, he Is simply Tom, Dick, or Harry, of
the Third or Sixth Ward, with whom we con
sumed mint Julep last evening at the Pewter
Mug, and who probably intends next election to
run for police justiceship, u seat in the I.e-
gisiature. We clap him on the back, punch
him In the ribs, as our manner may be, and crack
our joke with him, without being ia the least
awed by his rank. He is not the servant Of the
State, and would feel insnlied IL you called him
so He Is the nominee of his party, and to IL he
feels he owes his fast allegiance. He considers
II point of honor TO use his office for the promo
ton of its interests. The idea OF living and dy-
ing in the police never enters his head He is
there simply as stepping stone to Congress, or
a foreign embassy, or until he can get time to
pursue his studies for admission to the bar In
short, lac is an excellent fellow, with strong good
sense, kind heart, and full of an honest and
honorable desire to better his condition. but he is
no more policeman than Captain Rynders Is a
statesman.
from all this, we have hesitation i'm confessing
that we think II Is sheer waste of time to attempt
to better our police by comparing them with that
OF Paris or London Police like the English
French, We cannot have, and may as well
reconcile ourselves to the prvatiop at once, and
the reason is very palpable -
1STEREsTING FROM ARIzoSA.-We publish
below the following interesting extract from a
letter received by the last overland mail from
the new territory of Arizona. Mr.. Ehrenbcrg,
the writer, is an old resident of the Territory,
and a reliable man. He is also a mining
engineer Of high reputation:
"TUBAc, GADsDEN's PURcHA,E,)
s'2ld October, 1857. (
1--WE have, of late, been seriously annoyed bv
the Apaches. Nearly all the animals belonging
to citizens residing around Fort Buchanan have
been driven off by them. They are very impu-
dent, and commit their depredations In broad
daylight, talk to the people while they are driy-
ing off the animals, and always escape without
being molested.
"The other day they came within eight hun
dred yards Of the fort, and looked down upon