New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-09-26
aew @eans 1ay Crescent aamaau aun September 26 1859
The baltimore "Reformer.,, and an, ,,.vo-


The baltimore 'tReformers'' aud the Mayor.
Mayor Swami, Of Baltimore, replies briefly and ex.
pcity to the resolutions adopted by the mass meet
log in Monument Square on the sth inst. and thu
address Of the committee appointed to present them
to bis Honor in his reply he says:
The appointment Of Judges OF Elections, It may be
and City Council. On the receipt Of your COMMUNE
cation on Friday evening, within two hours Of the
final adjournment OF the Council, the nominations
bad been made and ratified by that body, having been
lions from our citizens, and to secure the best men
who were likely to serve in the different wards.
The requests which you make in your Address, re-
ferred to in the Resolutions of the Town Meeting,
have formed part Of the instructions Issued from
this office former occasions, and will be cheerfny
met, with the Introduction Of such additional guards
as experience may enable me to suggest and feel
at liberty 80 far the appointment Of special police
men 10 concerned, to say that am ready now, as
have been heretofore, t. commission any number Of
conservative men, free from party bias, who may have
real wish to operate with the authorities Of the
city.
II regard to the tender Of cooperation on the part
OF the Central Committee, in the resolutions Of the
meeting feel my duty TO say, that the commission
which hold has been conferred upon me by the peo-
PIE OF the whole city; while therefore, am ready
a. al times 70 receive complaints or suggestions
IN reference TO actual Or supposed grievances In
the conduct Of our municipal affairs, 1 have no
right by any official act of NINE to divide the powers
and responsibilities Of this Office with any class of
citizens not representing the entire constituency from
whom have received my trust.
At the same time the Mayor issues an address to
the people of Baltimore, from which we extract the
following rather striking paragraphs:
do not hesitate to say that the press has done
more injury to this city than ter times the catalogue
Of rowdyism which it has professed to DETAIL 1t has
excited your people to riot and bloodshed at home,
and has brought discredit upon your good name
abroad. 1t has been the prolific source Of many of
the evils of which you complainant if your trade
has suffered, it has been through the agency which
in its efforts to secure patronage gain party
dency has red with the best interests Of your peo-
pie. If you go to other communities, similarly situa-
ted with our own-with the same mixed population
you will find that rowdyism is not more remarka
BILE in this city than in some Of these. But their bust
ness men do not permit their evils to be made the
| constant theme of editorial comment and exaggera
ton. There is not town or village in the whole
country, where the good name Of your city is mol
assailed and the most fearful pictures presented
of your deplorable condition.
| Hew many believe that your streets cannot be ira
versed in safety day or night that any coming
here to open commercial relations mast doit at the
peril Of his life Are these facts so? Have you moi
the streets of this city by day and by night
| without terror or moestaton from any one? Has q
stranger ever received injury from the violence
rowdies while transacting business here2 Are not
nearly all your outbreaks of lawlessness confined to
the dens OF corruption and places of doubtful reputa
ton, which infest all large cities and the low row
dies themselves, who, under the maddenDg influence
Of Intoxicating draughts, not unfrequently make wal
upon each other? Is there case of murder in this
city, where the offender has not been arrested and
banded over to the courts for punIshmsnte
cannot by any official act of mine, admit that thu
city of Baltimore is disgraced city. l cannot con
and heralded with the official sanction of this Office
or that the insuficency Of our criminal system ant
the immunity from punishment of handful of row
dies, whose conduct has disturbed your streets, il
sufficient cause for such proclamation as has gon
forth to the world with the sanction of the towl
meeting in Monument square.
The second proposition claims the appointment o
two hundred special policemen in each ward, of un
Improbable honesty, making four thousand in all
The experiment of going outside of the regular polio
organization of the city was fully tested on forme
occasion, and did not result as had reason to hop
and anticipated l have never objected, and do no
now object to the appointment OF any conservative
citizen or any number Of conservative citizens VIII
may express an honost wish to the city in tn
preservation of order at the polls should it be ad
vsable. The effort to obtain two hundred specia
policemen in each ward, free from party prejudice:
would soon prove fear how utterly useless it woul
be to attempt it. If in their appointment we brougt
the two parties in antagonism, you would have on
set of policemen arrayed against another, and tt
would be transferred from the people to the police
The management of a crowd Of thirty thousar
voters on the day of an election, dashed into frant
madness by the incessant musings of the press,
not problem of easy solution for any man-least
all, is it to be disposed of by the resolutions of
, meeting composed Of persons in the main who
, habits aad pursuits have not brought them to e
, anime gravey into the subjects with which th
undertake to deal. Ny experience in these election
satisfies me- that Notwithstanding all the police mi
do, we require additional legislation, and that
remedy will be complete until that is obtained
J those who would throw the whole responsibility
all our evils upon the Mayor and police, wou
, ask:
Is there any existing law which enables them
supply the defects of your criminal system?
Can they prevent the carrying Of concealed we
, pons?
Can they prevent the taking of inadequate ba
when officers holding commissions directly from Il
5 people prove faithless to their trust?
Is there any power which they csn exert to preve
eaectually undue crowdng at the polls on the day
electonan evil as old as the charter of your city
when more than three thousand persons require
to cast their votes between O'Clock and sunset, at
.. single precinct?
|, Can they prohibit the use of intoxicating lquo
\ or control the places where they are sold?
The people Of this city will find that this who
subject is yet to be understood and that any exped
! ent which may be resorted to, in the absence
= proper laws, is but an experiment at best, whie
= may or may not prove successful when practical
+ applied. !,
authorities sincere desire to mainta
/, the laws-every citizen should consider himself
u special policeman, without the formality of cor
mission from the Mayor. Suppose the whole eli
stood in this relation, how much less difficult wou
be the duty be is called upon to perform? But IL
% responsibility is upon the Mayor alone, and there
= must rest. Instances have occurred where rowdi
and murderers have escaped from the police in the
o struggles to arrest them, with crowds of citize
. standing by, and desire manifested to lend hel
y ing hand to the authorities of the city. ask the
in all sincerity, where two hundred policemen in
" ward are ia he found free from party bias who W
undertake the perils of this arduous and thankle
duty.
g From Arizona.
At The st. Louis Republican publishes the followil
. in&oraatinu lattar dated Tnbac Senternher lShQ