The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-24

i
have little doubt the accusation Is true The po-
lice Is not what II used TO be.
drilling nnr the police and giving them new shields ild
would reform all this
on ra the He sane on the SUBJECT
The reporter, before leaving, asked the Mayor a
"Do you mean to nominate q new Commits.
sonerf'
Il don't know exactly yet. 1 suppose I'll have
And the venerable Mayor, buttonng his coat,
went on to lunch saving
'.You ought 70 see Charlick about this"
The reporter then went TO see Judge Joseph Bos-
worth, exCommissoner OF Police. This gentle
man said in answer to a general question
''The police, as it is now is In sad state Of de-
morallzation. II all comes OF men-smart as they
may be, generally speaking1taking hold Of 2
thing they don't know anything about. could
have
PREDICTED THIS STATE OF THINGS
when the present Board In. There is no de-
partment that takes more experience to manage
80 many outrages been crowded into a short time.
know rom personal observation that the morale
whe men eas Sssn &C low
states that he wants brutes for the police force.
that Mr.. Gardner should have made Use Of sncn an
expression as this. In the time when l was a
with men who used their clubs excepf it were in
seif-defence and unavoidable. They were other
wise instantly dismissed aud The consequence was
is the feeling among men who are not Intelligent
enough to understand their position that they are
SUPPORTED THOSE ABOVE THEM
in such actions which may unit for the present
frequency Of these outrages. am. of course in
delicate position in speaking about police matters
REPoRTER-But, OF course no one but the Com-
missioners would think OF Justifying these OUT
ragess
body can do so. There has been much said against
the present system OF conducting the Police De-
partment, it IS not for me to say whether Justly or
unjustly but should not have permitted things Id
ticularly surprised at the manner in which Captains
Williams conducted himself before the Board OF
Education a few days since. used to consider, v
him good oficer, and we promoted him for good
conduct But l suppose, like many others, q
spoilt, cannot understand him acting as he did
| on that occasion. His insoience was unpardon-
able. To be sure, the Board had no right to de-
| mand the Information he had, but there was a
| courteous way OF refusing 1T.
REPORTER-fhe Board did not demand any thing.
| Williams was ordered to give the information by
the Board OF Police.
Judge BoswoRrH-That makes it o great deal
REPoRIER-What do you know OF captains OF po-i
lice being paid by the keepers OF houses OF i'll fame
Judge woBrH-Captans of police have a
great deal Of power in their precincts, and If they
slble. But it is very hard to bring such accusa-
lions as these to a-focus. While one may have
THESE CHARGES ARE TRUE,
1t is another thing to prove them. However, such
! charges should be Investigated and some strange
| things might be learned.
REORGANIZATION do not then, generally approve
| Judge BOswoRTH-l am not in favor of system
| which produces such results as citizens OF late
nave become cognizant Of to their cost. Men who
deal with the club should be taught that they are
acting crimlnay and should be dismissed the
run it as political machine.
| The HERALD reporter left Judge Bosworth and
went to see Mr.. BENJAMIN F. Manierre, also an ex-
Mr. Manerre did not think it was very compu.
mentary to good policemen and officers TO be cor.
scious that, in MIR. Gardeners opinion, they were
! not ''genJlemen," ana could only become worthy
members Of the force by being "brutes."
/ a had rrtn rln N ef "a ntOh Mr. GnRh-
ner enunciated there said Mr.. Manierre, land Is
very bad advice to give men VINO are, perhaps,
many bad men on the force, who viii, no DOUBT,
take advantage OF this advice. have never known
| short period into which were crowded so
| MANY POLICE OUTRAGEs.
and 1t is their frequency IN small space Of time
which it at present labors under. My instruction
to men-and have had occasion to give it many
any circumstance less than actual danger OF their
lives. No action by a man under arrest
seps the ~aea believes he is aan
ger or Is going to lose his prisoner:
he should submit to abuse. vie language and even
to assault without retaliating. That Is what po'
are pad or good should be
firm. AS for entering peoples houses and forcing
open doors, there is nc warrant for Il whatever:
house and the door is shut upon him, he musr
demand admission and. II he is refused, should
then burst the door in to get his prisoner. Even
this Is not legally right. but the public judgment
would justify him in 1t. But on mere SUPPOSE
ton, to break open number OF doors ana perpe-
trate murder and assault with the club. is entirely
wrong: take great interest in the police, andI
see with sorrow the manner In which
IS DEGENERATING.
feel sorry for the many good men whom know
to be on it, ana who feel Inundated at these &C.
REpoRTER-But how do so many bad men get onf
Mr.. MANIERRE-Some OF them have political in
nuence, and the worst have the strongest. The
present Commission have made great mistake in
allowing numbers OF men who were dismissed the
m Oat an
again. man once dismissed should never be al
lowed on again. It Is prtnaa Jacte evidence that he
| is not ft to be policeman, and the Commission
should have resisted any pressure Of this kind
brought to bear upon them to reinstate such men.
The best proof of this Is that the detective Leahy
who killed Mcnamara, and one Of the two policemen
who dubbed the citizen In his house In the Nine
teenth ward had been dismissed the force previ.
ously and were allowed on again. 1t simply shows
the mistake that was made
the conduct OF Captain Williams before the Board
OF Educations
prised at 1t. Captain Williams thought man Of
not many ideas, but an honest policeman; but he
don't know what motive prompted him to speak
as he did; but he went roo far. or course the
police have right to refuse this information but IL
IS question whether they should avail themselves
oftt We had
with these houses We would arrest the occupants
OF these houses and the police justices would let
them return again Immediately and dismiss the
has right TO protect Its children from the bad
example OF these places. You will, by the
way, find that about half the present force Ia COM
posed OF men who have been on for from i've to
twenty years. You never hear OF such men COM
hitting these outrages 1t is the new ones, who
| don't know their business and feel themselves
backed by their superiors In these outrages, which
are without excuse or palliatiOn. There Is no.
doubt that the present decentralization is wlde-
spread. and works much injury to q force which.
was once so good.
The reporter saw accidentally a member OF the
Board OF Aldermen, who stated that In the farce OF
! police trials he had often heard Commissioners say
|
often, and would generally terminate by saying,
| "What DO you suppose you are xiven clubs for 2"
MI = ,r-Tsr :, .az-sss. 90
/ NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE