The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-05-22
THE poLIoE DEPARTMENT..
Extract from Politics as q Science, by chArl


Extract from Politics as Science, by Charles
Reemen.l
The least definitely understood part OF
the judiciary is, however the police de-
partment for it Is modern institution
exclusively, and in 1t we find many of
the regulatory functions formerly exer-
cised by the church, mechanics guilds,
municipal bodies, and feudal lords,
The unpopularity of the police depart
ment, both with the masses and the wri-
ters on political economy, might indi'
cate to us how little modern society is
reconciled within ITSELF The police is
an inevitable sequence of the great
changes that have taken place in the 80
Cial and political developments, which
we all thought meant diminution ofgov-
ernment, when it was merely a shifting
from private or semi.public to wholly
public authorities.
The old conflict between the necessity
of government and the popular unwil'
lingness to have il, is renewed, because
the public mind was under the impress
sion that the abolition of the ancient au'
thorities would be an absolute dispensa-
ton with 80 much government; and
now, when this is found a deluson, and
a police department is seen to be neCes-
sary, the new judicial power is unpopu'
lar, and every authority given it is be-
grudged. Governments are now in the
situation of the horse tanner, whose well
broke horse has slipped the bride, and
he is astonished at its unwillingness to
be caught again.
In the United States the difficulty is
aggravated by our special political condi
ton. The police seems incompatible
with all our ideas Of judicial procedure.
Courts, sheriffs, squires and constables
we're supposed to be sufficient to keep
the peace with us, and to do it calmly
and with the utmost decorum, The
haste of police arrests, the sudden adju-
dications in police courts, and police as
semi Judicial and semi.military force
surprises us. The great expense is also
a sore item in our city governments: it
runs counter to all our fiscal arrange
ments. To show the extent to which we
have gone, it may be we'll to give small
comparative table. The police costs in
Wurtemberg Is cents per head of popu-
lation in Prussia % cents per head; in
Bavaria 32 cents; in France and Eng.
land 81 cents; in Italy 92 cents; in Gin
cinnati ST. ,98; in Berne, Switzerland IAN
other Republican city,, SO cents.
This table shows how unmanageable
the whole thing is with US; it is absolute
ly running away with us. Worst of all,
the costliest police is found to be the
least efficient. The idea of keeping this
judicial branch out of polticsis evidently
untenable, The police department with
us is political force, and the more dan
gerous because the legal fiction is, it is
not. We are therefore not wide awake
to its magnitude and importance. 1t is
time, high time, that we realize fully in
how many ways this new power forces
on us a reconsideration of the whole sub
jeCt.
The police question in this country is
one of great importance, and it is time it
were attracting public attention. The
above extract is from valuable little
work by Hon. Charles Reemelin Of Gin
cinnati, and from the publishing house
of Robert Clarke & Co.
We do not know the cost of Csnton's
police force, but it can hardly be less
than fifty cents head for every man,
woman and child of our population.