Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-11-11
L o @ AL N Il w y /.
Protection.

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civil government protection in person and
property. 1t is the first and most sacred duty
of the government, be it general or local,
to afford that protection. 1t is for that end it
was instituted and is maintained. When it
ceases to fulfill the object of its creation and
existence, it becomes nuisance that ought
to be abated.
Not to ascend to higher things, take for
illustration our own City Government. 1t
is a regular, but most expensive system. 1t
has numerous departments, all of which
are supported and kept in action by oner-
GUS taxes levied upon the property of citi-
zens, and their collection enforced by the
laws Of the State. Among these depart
ments, the most important is that of the
Police, to which.is specially intrusted the
guardianship of the lives, persons and
property of the citizens.
This Department should he made efficient,
so that citizens and strangers shall feel Sc
cure. both by day and night, under its
watchful eye, or the peoples money which
sustains it, is expended for naught. The
first thing, in organizing Police force, is
to see to its efficiency. No contracted no
tions of economy should prevent this
There are some things in which the prac-
tice of rigid economy is praiseworthy
there are others wherein liberal expendi-
ture is not only prudent, but is, in the end
true economy itself. We need the most
thoroughgoing, vigilant and vigorous men
for officers on the day and night police, and
to have such men, they must be promptly
paid such living salaries as they can earn
in other callings with the same amount Of
labor. a- r--e0 s.-trf -
= We have been led to these remarks from
the very general complaint of the ineffici-
ency or inadequacy of our present police
force. We speak not here of individual
members, but of the force taken as whole.
1t does not seem, from some cause-it may
be for want of competent members, or be-
cause the members are so few and so i'll
paid, or from combination of these and
other causes-to answer the purpose of its
organization. 1t does not afford that pro-
lection and security which citizens have a
right to demand. That it does some good
things nobody questions; but it is quite no.
torious that it leaves many more things
undone that ought to have been done.
tbs sad fact, to which it is folly to shut
our eyes, that crime is rapidly on the in
crease in our city, and yet the police force
is not increased and made correspondingly
efficient. AS it is, large portion of those
who commit outrages upon persons and
property escape justice-not because Of
their acuteness or cunning, but because
there is nobody on the loOkout-Dobody to
make an arrest. A stranger with carpet
sack in hand is knocked down on public
street and robbed early in the evening;
half dozen houses are entered by burglars
on single night; gangs of rowdies come
along and carry off gates, break open doors
and smash windows, and not single arrest
is made-"there is no clue to the perpetrat-
ors."
There is probably not single night
passes over our heads in which more or less
outrages, similar to those we have men
toned, are not committed. And yet no ar
rest is made, for the simple reason that
there is no watchman anywhere in the Vi
cinity of the transaction. 1t may have
taken place in certain watchman'5 beat.
but the rogues knew enough to take advan-
tage of his absence, perhaps, half mile,
or a mile off, yet still on his beat. =
I'VE have spoken of this subject because
of its prime importance. 1t is essential to
the we'll being and prosperity Of every
community that it furnish ample, and as
far as practicable, complete protection to
person and property.