The New York herald., 1874-12-20
THE MAYORS DUTY-THE POLICE.


on the police force. On occasions when their
qualities have been tested they have, as
body, acted in a becoming and praiseworthy
manner. During the draft riots and in the
18th of July trouble they did good service,
and we have no doubt they would maintain
their reputation for discipline and fearless
ness whenever like emergency might arise.
what it ought 10 be. It's inefdciency in the
detection OF crime is shown in the failure to
ferret out the truth in the Ross case, and in
the fact that the perpetrators of that crime
could arrange and carry out difficult burg
larry under the very noses Of the detectives
who pretend to have been on their track. Its
character for honesty has not stood above
suspicion since the admitted necessity Of
shifting the captains into new districts for
the purpose of breaking up alleged combina-
tions with violators of the law, and will
not be improved by the more re-
cent return of ex-Speaker Alvord's watch,
through the efforts Of the police, without the
arrest of the thieves who stole it. 1t will be
conceded, therefore, that there is fault some
where and need of reform, and the fault will
be readily traced to the management of the
force, Just where the reform should be COM
menced.
We have had the venerable Matsell on the
police for nearly two years as an incumbrance
fastened on the public by the late Mayor, first
as Superintendent and next as Commissioner.
In both positions he is equally out Of place
. useless fossil dug up out of the debris of a
former generation. He might wear many
capped overcoat carry q lantern in one hand
and rattle in the other tie up his head in a
huge mufaer, encase his feet in gouty over
Shoes and stand on street corner as faith
full representation of the old watch Of half q
century ago. But in any capacity on the
police force of the present age he
is ridiculously out of place. Yet he
have another accidental Commissioner
in the voluble Voorhees,, who delivers
fowery speeches at the Board meetings, with
all the grace Of a Sunday school visitor, and
who knows as much of the police as he does
Of the internal arrangements Of the Chinese
ROVeTHmeut. we uAu appointments on Sac
police and in the Street Cleaning Bureau
divided up between the Commissioners and
dealt out to Senators, Assemblymen and other
useful politicians, without regard to the in
terests Of the city of New York.
It will be Mayor Wickham's duty after
January to reform the Police Commission.
The power Of removal vested in him by the
charter would be wholly valueless and absurd
if it did not enable him to faithfully discharge
the obligation imposed on him by the law to
see that all the departments are competently
managed and the laws properly carried out.
The Police Department is the most impor-
tant in the city government. No bargain
should be made for influence in the Legisla-
ture or anywhere else with the present Com
missioners, but complete publication of the
department should take place. Mayor Wick
ham will not perform his whole duty unless
he gives us at the very commencement Of his
official term Police Commission composed OF
four OF the most competent honorable and
reputable citizens he can select from the one
million inhabitants Of the metropolis He
can do this without legislation, and the people
demand it at his hands.