The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-08
OFFICE CHIEF OF POLICE,
MAIN STATION House.
psroy c r. nacemhnr g. 1870.
CITY HAIL. MAYORS OFFICE. >


Cdptain H. W. Hendricks, Chtef OF Police:
SrR-Your attention is hereby directed to an ar
tlcle In this days CO2rler entitled, "Shall we
Protect our Homes" in which 1t IS stated that "a
residence Iu ST. Philip street has been entered by
burglars yesterday morning for the second time
in o few days." 1t Is much to be regretted that
the financial embarrassment In which this ad-
mInistration found the city has compelled US to
retrench even In the matter OF public charity as
well as in the number OF efficient police pre-.
sumo It Is well known that portion Of the force,
the night men or night police, as they are called,
receive only twenty-five dollars per month from
the city, this amount not being sufficient to sup:
port even o single man decently; they are there
fore obliged to work through the day, and be-
lIeve 1t has been your rule to send them out only
on the last watch, thus giving them chance to
sleep one half the night at the Statonhouse before
going on duty.
However, sir, although oil who are acquainted
with you as dlsclpliuarian, even your enemies,
will admit that your superior Is not to be found
In the discharge Of your duty; however perilous
r may be- 1t is true l am, and always have
been, opposed to the present system OF night po
lice, although 1t was Instituted for the purpose OF
"that much needed retrenchment" In that dlrec.
tiou by former Mayor, whose full conviction,
believe, was that even Jiry men were, and are
now, quite enough to guard this city However
may differ with him as TO the ability OF that mum.
ber to guard and protect from artful burglars
every house in seventy.two miles OF streets, one
thing Is certain the present oTce has kept the city
as uuet aud more so than when more than one
half the entire population was controlled proper
ty by the lesser number, and then the number OF
police liorSe and foot were nearly three times as
large as the present. which, with other eXlravagant
opefatons has involved the city in It's present em
barrassed condition (1nancialyl Therefore, agree
with the writer let every citizen aid the police In
protecting his house and property, as the tar
payers are now too heavily burdened to afford
larger police force 1t will he remembered that it
takes more than one per cent. Of the value Of all
the rea! property in the city to pay the interest
upon the city debt, one dollar of which the pres
ent administration have not made, but have and
will continue, as much as possible, to liqudate
(principal and intere5t.l
You are aware, Captain or the urgent necessity
which called the Mayor t6 Columbia IN the inter-
est OF the city, iu connection with the Blue Rluge
Railroad; not having time to summon his council,
as before to select one beir number o. acting
Mayor, according to ordinance, but conddlng the
interests or the city to me, which thought would
not be publicly known, on account OF the absence
OF an official notice being published; but since 1t
Is known that the Mayor Is absent, feel 1t my
duty that such ceusure shall not go unnoticed,
particularly coming from the editorial columns OF
q journal SO old and widely circulated as the
Courier. Yours, &c,
(Sig2edI NJ. ID. COLLINS
Mayor pro tem