The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-04-13
HIS HONOR AND THE POLICE.


Attic council meeting, Thursday night,
while the resolution Of Councilman Tay-
lor, instructing the mayor to draft rules
for the government Of the police force
was under discussion, His Honor took oc-
cssion 70 cay such rules would be useless
because they could not be made, effective
in their application to such small force as
Cares; and, also. that, although there
was general complaint of the ineficiency
Of his policemen, he could find nobody
who would prefer charges against either Of
them, and, upon the whole, he didn't know
that no could do anything to make the
force more active, etc. The council was
not Of the mayors opinion. It adopted
Councilman Taylor's resolution.
We would beg leave to suggest 10
Mayor Lansden that there are certain
rules which he might prescribe to the
police force, and, by little vigilance on
his own part, make effective.
Ohe good rule would be broad asser-
ton Of the fact that 1t is highly improper,
II not wrong in police constables to visit
saloons while on duty, and, with legs sle-
waited at an angle of forty-Ave degrees,
complacently contemplate the progress Of
the amusing game Of "pitch," drinking a
flowing bowl At the expense of the loser,
every time q game terminates. The
mayor might set forth in this rule, that
the offensc Of loadng about saloons would
be less Questionable II the policeman did
not sit down and elevate his feet, and IL
he occasionally should indulge in beer at
his own expense. We do not insist on
this rule. 1t might be highly improper
in reform municips government, but in
any other kind of municipal government
it would be loudly and persistently
demanded.
Another rule We should suggest, il we
were allowed to approach the throne,
would be, thatit would DO esteemed by the
mayor an offense, TO be punished by re-.
moval from the force, in any policeman TO
60 to sleep while on duty--to take his
position under the awning Of any grocery
store and while away the hours of the
night in sleep and dreams. The rule
might contain the proviso, that police
man might sleep on the awning without
awakening the indignation of the execu.
tive officer Of the city, but that all kinds
Of sleep INDUCED in under such awning
would be followed by swift and terrible
executive wrath.
One other rule we would also carefully
submit, but beg TO say, in advance, that we
| mean no offense to the kind-heartcd pc
licemcn, who, in the cause of social re-
form, indulge in the laudable effort to
drag up to their own level of high moral.
ity the fallen women Of tho city. We
would suggest, that good rule, somewha,
demanded by the present habits of the re-.
formatory police, would be a prohibition
of the too frequent visits
Of the guardians of the public morals to
the bawdy houses of the city. We are no,
ofths straight-jacket reformers, and would
not see anything highly improper in, say
a weekly visit of policeman to each o.
the bawdy houses Of the city, but we sub
NIT that nightly visits or even tri-weekly
visits are little too much in reform DO
licemen. Their object is, as has been sug.
gested by Reformsr Linegar to induce
the weak sisters to return to tho paths OF
virtue, but, with the eminent reGormer
mentioned, we believe they should not, al
we regret to say they do, carry on their
missionary labors with levity. 1t is 9
work which should DO done with hymn,
and prayer. One Of the clauses of tn,
: rule we have suggested should therefor,
provide that any policeman, upon enter
ing such house, should first sing tn,
beautiful hymn
wretch that ! am
To Grace unknown"
and then pray for the reformation of Tho
unfortunstes Of the house; after which
the rule might state, it would DO 'just the
thing in policemen to secure the services
Of City Attorney Pope to procure the
presence of the bawds before Judge Bross
who should end up all his judgments
against them with the refrain: "And may
the Lord have mercy on your souls, and
the reformatory police on your pockets
These, and other rules we might sug
gest, could be enforced, IL the mayo,
would make the effort; but, IL no will not
the generalization Of the force will con.
tinue and be confirmed. The mayor may
wait for informers all his life, and they
will! not cheer his anxious vision. The
people look to him, and they will hold
him responsible for the efficiency of hi
police constables. 1t may be said, tn al
Chief Myers should attend to these mat
tiers, but what can Myers do ifthe mayor
does not back him, If he allows Myers
complaints to enter one ear and depart
without delay from the other? And II
Myers don't do what he should do, or doe,
what he should not do, who but the
mayor should correct the evil? There is nc
man who will be more active, vigilant and
dutiful than Myers If he knows these quail.
ties are in demand. The truth is the
mayor is to blame for the shortcomingi
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