Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-11-03
THE NETROPOLITIN POLICE.


under the various 1T. 81 tIoprress it .tasas
trat Ibe p p'la' ~ OF the District in 1861 was
81, AID a. -essed valuation of property,
- ltt,l,3. In ls7e the populations Was
Sltto; assessment OF ndividual property,
el-6,ota,t'-. In 1851 Congress authorized a
iCrce @! 10 men, In 1866 an increase o 90
IA rUlmen was authorized; but although in
me eleven succeeding years the vacant lots
III the cities of the District have been COW
ertd ty costly buildings, the improved
squares pushed on. ward IN eEcry direction
fields, and both tie property and population,
Individual and federal, have doubled in
snount, YET lot only has no proportional
increase OF the police force been authorize I,
tut uDcer the appTop, iations of the past two
years the humber Of patrolmen has beer
considerably reduced. As fixed by law Eof
to consist OF two hundred pstr6imen
ard prescribed corps of officers
During he past TWO years Congress has cur.
tailed toe amount OF the United States ap-
preparation for police purposes, whilst leav-
lag Ii legal existence "a force with pTesCl bed
s@laItss ia an aggregate excess of the appro
pTiaJ9IS. the Law requires that the nitsd
SfaiES shan pay t-vO- thirds OF the salaries of
the police deYari-ner t, and the District au-
thol tiles cns tbr7d thereof and that the Dis
IIlCf shall in addition thereto, without cost
to tie United Sja!eS, furnish tbe necessary
station houses. aud Light and warm the same.
Under thlS Sf2l atOry rule OF proportional
tXTe-.dItuTcs by the United States aud the
District, al appropriation c. $685. was
made Oh the par; q TIE United S 8tes up to-
and 3Hs!i dig IL" Iiscal year terminating
June . rssf. Eu- Tor the next two years
CCnCress without changing the rule of eN
lenGItere, appropriated only $50 900 on the
TART Of3he United States. 4 deficiency was
thus created On tie part Of the general
cover nFNt "a yearly extent of - 10
TIE force has been gradually reduced by not
filing vacaEcies, until its present maxi
mum numbers Only i72. Instead Of 20. as
authorized ly statute, and nine muuutet
men, instead OF twenty-One as heretofore au-
thOrztd. There are DOW twelve less mount
TH at-sa1
we've ia service eleven years ago. y further
reduction VIII be- unavoidable - bring the
necessary expenditures within he appVopTa-
tons.
With lie present force, the heat of no
iceman, if he passes through ali the princ-
Ial streets and alleys. will average ten
miles Ter man. Outside the corporate limits
Of WasniDg on and Georgetown. fOotmau
Is U5tiesS amongst the country roads.
Mounted men are Indispensable, Dat only
line az ihese can he employed To patrol the
county from the Potomac ferry opposite
Ale XsndTia tn the Chain bridge, above
GeoTgeIown-a belt six miles wide by TWEEN
ty-iCUr IL length. II is respectfully recon-
II ended that as an act OF ,the plaineSt Justice
the appropriation on the part OF the United
States should be advanced to its former
standard. as required by existing laws and
that decent protection OF the large
population and the great values N
Tins District would dictate very consii.
cradle addition 10 the authorized maximum
of the present force. The immense values OF
government property permanently located
here-the large number of transient visitors
always pTesent-lhe numbers and wealth of
the rGsiGent pOpulaton-and the very con
siderable proportion of the criminal class
stranded here by the war and at all times
naturally gravitating to the capital OF the
EatiOn, would III the exercise of a sound dis
cretiOn dictate the placing Of four hundred
patrolnen upon the streets of this District.
Whilst 1.J patrOmen constitute the existing
force. that statement does not give fair
idea of the number available for street duty,
which, after all the special details are made
and allowing Tor sickness, is only about one
hundred.
POLICE COMMISSIONERS SHOULD ZEE CON
FIBMED BY THE SENATE.
The police department is governed by five
con misslOners, who perform disagreeablc
public trust for a merely nominal compens.t-
uon- They are appointed by the President
OF tie United States Tor the term o: three
years, and, originally, combination by the
Senate was required. IN the revised statutes
the requirement of confirmation was omit
tee. IL is submitted that in harmony with
tie rules as TO al ether Presidential appoint
Inehts, the requirement OF confirmation
should be re-enacted, and that The commits
Eions Of the present incTmbents should h
submitted 10 tnat usual ordeal.
EN-SOLDIEES AND SAILORS
TIE report alludes to the STATUES requiring
AT hor oEably discharged soldier and sail
OJs % appointed In preference 10 otn6r Ip-
plea nis and 10 the attorney having -cdcd
n AZ The law is applicable also to specials,
and says: In tie opinion OF the board this
provision OF law should be at least SO far
modified a. To be discretionary Instead of
mandatory"
THE LIQUOR LICENSE QUESTION.
Under the piovisl0n OF section hos OF the
Revised Statutes, applicable to the District
OF Columbia, $50 applications for the appr0-
val OF licenses TO sell liquor by the snail
Lave been made 10 the board, OF which mum
Der AZ have received It's approval AMI -
have been oisapprOyei. The humber of ap
ROYALS haNe been more than in any prCcal
lbs year. but this increase is b .l!eved To b
sttThura'le 20 a more rigid enfOrcem N o.
the license laws rather than to an increase of
such places. The enforcement OF this law is
Gre OF the most delicate and troublesome
matters with which this board has to deal.
Temperance PeOple who believe that the
licensing OF Inc sale of liquor is the licen.
sing OF vice, press the board to enforce the
dealers are naturally melted to urge most
liberal construction. However the board
may act, 1t is necet sarily subjected to severe
criticism and opposition. Interested parties
and their friends impOrtune the Individual
me NJ beIs Of the beard and leave each but
little leisure for the pursuit of other business.
Tie board has conceived that IL has nO right
TO consider the Orists upon either side OF this
question. II has nothing 10 do with the
question of license or prohibition. That
question j" settled by the act OF Congress,
and we have only TO fairly aud judciously
epfoice It's provisions. II an applicant has
Gress nted himself with the requisite quail
fcatiOns, has not wlllfully violated the laws
under which he exercises his privilege and
tie opening or conduct OF his place i not
shown TO be conducive 10 the increase Of
accord its approval. If he has failed ia these
GEL eral requirements his applicati ion has
been disapproved. To properly inform all
parties in Interest, this board, on the 5,h of |
AIT;l. priI ted the regulations in accordance
Win which ii would approve or disapprove |
aII locations. Copies thereof were served |
upon each known ba-rOom IL the district, |
ard il nas since sought 10 enforce tina Law ia |
strict accordance with sum notice, ,
lie regulations took effect and have been
enforced only from and after their date ami !
hey were con piled from careful examjna- |
lion OF lie District laws and from similar |
regulations in force in all the principal |
cities OF tine country. A clear line of Is inc |
ZION runs through these regulations. Whsre |
a matter cCnI ected with the sale OF LIQUOR by |
tLe small was made an offence by law, fed |
tIal or municipal, and the Criminal Colr,s |
clothed with jurisdiction over the same this |
board has declined TO be governed by other |
Information than the Judgment OF said |
counts. Upon conviction by said courts of |
q violation of the liquor laws, the board de- |
cilned 10 grant a renewal of license to the |
guilty Iarty al the expiration OF its term IL. |
however the licensee was shown 10 have been
guilty OF some act not specifically placed by |
sw as an offense within Jurisdiction OF some |
judicial tribunal, aud yet, which wouli tend |
10 promote or Increase crime, (such as note |
VI N inc MI L.,