The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-07-07


very nice distinction Of Judge DEMO, bstween
cities in detail and cities in the lump. is very
inconvenient and improbable decision, after all
As for the Mayor and the Corporation, what else
can they do than adhere to and follow up the de-
cision of the Court
Debut Of the Metropolitan Pelce-Their
Baptism In BlsodL
The Metropolitan police have commenced their
career with riot which cost the life of some eight
persons and disabled forty or fifty more. Their
official life is thus inagurated with carnage, and
they are indicted into Office with baptism Of
blood. We wish them joy Of the omen.
1t does net appear that the riot took any one
unawareA At least one of the Commissioners
was warned beforehand, and that there would
probably be riot was on Friday the common talk
of every one who knows the city, and had learned
the disarmament of the Municipal police. Yet it
seem that no precautions whatever were taken
to prevent an outbreak; the riotously disposed
we're permitted to 60 on, heating their blood by
petty skirmishes; just enough police were sent To
them to teach them their own strength and the
weakness of the authorities; they were positively
lured into riot by the very parties whose duty
it was to keep the peace The turbulent saw the
men who had been accustomed to maintain peace
and order, and of whom they had grown up in
wholesome terror, walking about in plain clothes
and incapable of interfering with them; and
they naturally availed themselves of the OPP
portunity to indulge their passions. They went
from row to fight, from brickbat to musket
ball, from barroom encounter to barricade
in the street, until New York was visited with
such scene Of slaughter as it had not witnessed
since the present Superintendent of Police Tall
madge-then serving his county in another ca
pacity-commande the slaughter of his fellow
citizens at the Aston House Opera riot.
The main-indeed we might almost say, the
only-cause of the riots of last week seems to
have been the sheer ignorance of their duties
displayed by the chiefs of the Metropolitan po-
lice. While some of Governor Kings Commits
sioners were ont Of town, delivering Fourth of
July orations TO rural audiences or diporting
themselves under the green boughs in Westches-
ter county those who stayed in town seemed bent
ON convincing the public that they would have
done better to have gene away too. The first
principle of police organization-lts efficiency
for the prevention Of riot-tbey seem to have
wholly forgotten, or TO have never known. Their
idea Of the duties of police force appears to be
to let the rioters get under full steam and head
way; then to break in upon them with clubs and
revolvers and, these failing to call in the mill
tary and shoot them down. We hope we need
be at no pains 10 convince the bulk of our read
ers that the true duties Of police force arc
anything but this The largest and most eff
cient police force. assembled in its full
strength, must always be vastly inferior TO the
forces which could be brought against it by the
populace Of the city where il exists; and still
greater disparity exists between the force that is
detailed for the protection Of certain localities
| las for instance, the Sixth ward in New York;
and the body of rowdies and rufisns which that
locality could muster to oppose it. Equilibrium
! If re-established, and the supremacy of law and
order restored by the moral force implied in the
star, uniform, baton, and name Of policeman;
| il is that moral force which enables one man to
COW score Of rufians; and that moral force
which, in proper hands, will always be sufficient
| under ordinary circumstances to enable a few
policemen to quell Q whole mob Of rowdies This
moral force judcious manager would have used
on Friday to check the schemes of our rioters in
the bud; preventive measures would have been
taken and long before the passions of the rioters
were reused to fever heat they would have been
convinced that il was useless to attempt to dis.
turb the peace; and the trouble, thus taken in
time, would have ended in nothing. But, as we
said, the Metropolitan Commissioners and their
agents seem to have no idea whatever Of the du-
ties Of police force to prevent disturbance;
they regard policemen as avcnging angels mere
ly. and poor sort Of creatures-requiring militia
~ backing-at that.
There must be some singular thoughts passing
through the minds Of many OF those who can re-
member three or four years back, and who read
the papers of today. If one we're to listen to
one half the city papers say, the city has never
been in such state Of rowdyism and anarchy;
violence l. rampant, and murder monosonous:
| the whole, in consequence OF the nborn sin and
dcprayity OF Fernando Wood. What are the
facts. There never was period when there was
les rioting, or when the turbulent classes were
90 well under control as during the three years
| tina. Fernando Wood has been at the head Of the
police. During this period we have had all the
Know Nothing excitement, peculiarly irritating
and naammatory movement; Irishmen and Ame-
ricans have been ready to cut each others threats
on the least provocation. This excited state OF
feeling was moro than once brought to q head by
i an. n hon.
known that ten thousand men on either side were
prepared for action. Yet never once have thu
police proved incapable Of maintaining the peace
of the city; never have the military been called
out; never has the city been stained with blood
Such Is the record with which Fernando Wood re
linquishes control OF the police.
However the Albany Commissioners may end