, 1876-12-03

Let it be remembered I only write Of one
| form OF cTuelty,-the abuse Of horses, crying
going people would say: II III don't abuse ieyses
it is nothing to do with me-" True;
but the man OF woman rho permits
a wrong, and does not do all
in his or her power to prevent IT.. becomes In 4
measure guilty OF TINT wrong. hare said only
small part OF what should like to say on this
subject. There is perhaps too much feeling ap-
parent in this letter, but that 1 caunot help, 1t
must go as written, In the hope that it may
! direct some attention to CRYING wrong and sad
disgrace; for the civilization Of city NAV be
gauged by its treatment Of its dnmb servants.
! Mns. c. ". Ross.
| THE MAYOR AND THE POLICE CE5uPERINTENDENC
To the Editor cf The Tribune.
/ CnICAGo, Dec. 2-The present difficulty be-
tween the Mayor and the Common Council as
to the Police Supcriutcndency shows again how
| utterly blind an otherwise wcllmeaning man
high in place caa be to his duty. It cannot have
escaped the attention OF any one of our citizens
| that in the recent investigation against Alr.
! Hickey, though proof OF criminal guilt may not
| have been demonstrated, enough was SHOWN to
] fully Justify the action Of the Council reeom-
mcnaing his removal. About four years ago,
! when 3fr. Mancel Talcott was one Of the Police
| Commissioners in our city, q similar investiga-
0aoEA AR0AA oIt4UAo Nl4iAA AA4@n~3
was instituted, and 1t was then evident that ur-
der stable and wcll-regulated City Gov
| ernmenr he would have long since been consign-
cd to everlasting bani5llment from Official
! life. A civilized community does not wait to
see public officer commit an overt criminal act
before it removes him, but watches over his in
tegrity and strict attention to duty with the
most Jealous care, because he is charged with
| the protection Of its dearest interests. and It
visits the slightest inattcntion or suspicion Of
shortcoming with prompt resentment. IL this
! city, however, We sec Mayor stubbornly re-
fusing to remove the Police Superintendent
against the earnest protcstatious OF the Com
| charitable verdict upon which eau only be s' Not
proven" The Mayor supports his action by
stating that he believes the charges against
Hickey. to have been "trumpcd up," but 1t may
be we'll to remind him that the opinion gains
ground that he refuses to remove him Tor no
other than political reasons.
It is we'll known that Mr.. Elmer Washburn,
whose character Is too well known to require
comment, is most warmly urged BY q large NUM-
Der Of our best citizens for the office Of Police Su-
perintendent, and, should vacancy occur, the
Mayor would In all probability have to yield to
the pressure brought to bear on him In favor OF
the former. But people who c1atm to be we'll
informed insist that Mr.. Washburn's enforcement
obedience to shc orders OF his superior officer,
has, in the opinion Of the Mayor, made him so
unpopular with certain class Of our people
that his appointment would impair his own
{the Mayor's} popularity: Men who are in daily
have it from bis own lips that he is afraid his
standing amor r the Germans Of this city may
be injured should hc appoint Washburn These
assurances come from trustworthy sources and
arc strengthened BY the statements repeatedly
made by Mr. Frank AfiIliEan, the Mayors bust
ness partner, that, in case Washburn should be
appointed, there would be "a revolution or, at
any rate, some serious outburst OF dtssatisfac-
tion among the Germans, and that such men as
"Pete" Mahr aud "Fish'' Miller knew all
about this feeling and had so informed Dir. Mil
ligan aud the Mayor.
Now i wish to say that, il Mr.. Heath is
prompted in his action by such apprchensons
a3 these, he not only labors under a very
serious mistake, but offers q base insult to the
Germans. It is true that they made war on the
obnoxious Sunday ordinance, but they know
enough to discriminate between an oppressive
law aud IN officer whose sworn duty it IS to exc
cute the same. They know that Mr.. Washburn
simply obeyed the orders Of his superior, the
Mayor Of the city, no more and no less than any
OF the numerous police officers Of German birth
did, who, had they not obeyed the same, would
have been removed The Germans having come
from country which prides herself on having
truly model civil service, are III favor Of civil
service reform here, and if any Que principle OF
public policyis more firmly rooted in their
minds thnn all others, it is, that every
officer o. the lazy must set tile first example OF
strict obedience to the law, and that an officer
who fails herein Is simplYa periured villain. Il
Mr. Heath cares to know the true sentiment OF
the Germans in this city and their opinion about
Mr.. Washburn, adyise him to go among the
quiet, w-abiling Businessmen Of German
birth who abound in our midst, and to mike
proper inquiries Of them, but not to take the
expression of the 1awless spirit Of q few Ger
mau saloon-kcepcrs as fair representation OF
the views held by the bulk Of the Germans.
There are in this city four daily German
papers, one Of which, the Illinois Stats Ze;tu'tg,
the most influential Of all, has in several artt-
elcs warmly recommended Dir. Washburn for
his integrity and efficiency: another. the Free
Prexse, may also be said to be favorable to him,
since it has, on former occasions, repeatedly
spoken Of him in terms Of tue highest praise, and
the other two papers do not oppose him, unless
it has escaped my attention Nine-tenttls OF the
order-loving German people in this city would
be exceedingly gratfed to see our police force
placed under the efficient lead Of Ntr. Washburn;
nnd If Mr.. Heath, having been elected last
spring with the aid Of the reform element in
our city, now fancics that, in order to secure d
reelection next year, he has to cater to the In
fluence Of handful OF German saloon~keepers
by retaining Hickey against the protest OF our
hest citizens, he will find to his regret that he
has seated himself & between two stools, you
Enow.'' GERMAN-AMER1CAN.
10 the Editor af The Tribune.
CHICAGO, Dec. 2---While so many are giving I