The New York herald., 1877-12-18
Practical city Reform.

A'rAcIcAA Clty AkelOrms
1t is public, admitted fact, that the Po-
lice Commissioners now in Office do not
efficiently perform their duties. They are
intrusted by virtue of their Office with the
control of the street cleaning business. The
streets are suffered to remain in such a
filthy condition as to endanger the public
health. The Health Department, another
branch Of the municipal government,
formally arraigns the Police Commits
sioners for this neglect, and charges that
they not only fail to remove the garbage
and nshes from many districts, but when
they do remove them mix them together, in
violation Of the sanitary regulations of the
city. The Police Commissioners do not
deny this charge, but plead that they have
no means of disposing of the garbage that
the amount appropriated for cleaning the
streets is not sufficient to enable them to do
the work properly, and that they are
unable to compel the tenement house
population to obey the law and de-
posit their ashes and garbage in separate
receptacles. 1t is the duty Of the Police
Commissioners, as the head Of the Street
Cleaning Bureau, to provide some means of
properly disposing of the city garbage. The
admission that the police are unable to
enforce the ordinances separating the
ashes and garbage is confession that they
are not capable of performing their plain
duty. They are paid for enforcing the laws
If they cannot do this the money expended
on the department is wasted. But no one
will believe that force which can arrest
hundreds of liquor dealers in o day
for violation Of the Excise law, and
can close up saloons all over the
city, is incapable Of compelling few tene-
ment house dodgers to place their ashes in
one receptacle and their garbage in another.
There may be more profit in enforcing the
Excise law than in enforcing simple ssni-
tary ordinances; but certainly there ought to
be no greater difficulty in the one task than
in the other.
The Police Commissioners are further
charged with bringing discredit on all laws,
with creating needless disorder and excite
ment, and with affording suspicious OPP
portunity for corruption, by making spas
modic raids on violators Of the law, such as
keepers of disorderly houses, gambling
hells and unlicensed liquor establishments
prosecuting or prosecuting them for few
weeks and then again suffering them 10 re-
turn to their illegal pursuits and remain
for time unmolested. The charge is not
denied, but one ofthe Police Commissioners
justifies the policy on the plea that it keeps
such people "in perpetual state of uncer-
tainty and takes them off their guard"
This admission ought to be sufficient to
drive the Commissioner who makes it from
the Board. The supposition has been that
the police force is maintained for the pur-
pose Of preventing violations of the law
and not, as the present Commissioners snp-
pose, to entice men into lawless acts and
then to "take them off their guard"
The disc ussion Of this subject is fruitless
and wearisome. If we are to have my local
government at all the Mayor Of the city.
in accordance with the power given him by
the charter, ought to promptly remove sub
ordinate officers of the municipality who mis-
understand their duties or are unable or un-
willing to perform them. There has already
been too much hesitation and uncertainty
in the action of the Executive. Mayor Ely
has suffered himself to be browbeaten by
Aldermen and called to task in IN uncouth
manner by the President of the Board for
exercising the right, common to all gem
tlemen, to deny himself to an untimely or
unwelcome visitor. If he had shown more
firmness and energy he would have been
spared this humiliation. 1t is SO plainly
his duty to remove tho present Police Com
missioners that he has been driven to offer
rs an excuse for his inaction tho plea that
the Governor might not approve the re-
moval. With this he has no concern. Ho
is bound to do his duty, whatever course
the Governor may pursue, and If
he should be assured that Governor
Robinson would withhold his consent
from the displacement OF improper
city officers it would be mono the less his
duty to certify their removal. Besides,
he is the authority to initiate the proceed
iuos