New-York tribune., 1879-04-07
THE v1yOE AND 1HE POLICF.

The pronaratiOns for the removal oi the To-
lice Commissioners have at last come to
point. For many reasons the city Is 10 DC
congratulated on the approaching end OF
bicbIy unpleasant and discrediable aiiaif'
The exercise Of the Mayors authority Ill ms
case led first to n misplaced controversy; he
controversy degenelatcd INTO sqraoDie 'hu
a lower depth was reached when the ac'u'ed
Commissioners addressed to the head o1 thc
Municipality letters filled with personal nYec-
tive. Ii is high time to stop the cxhIDitlOh'
Unfortunately none of the parties to TINS
dcmoraizing transaction can be held Diane
loss Novor Cooper has undoubtedly meant
to do his duty in the farcst ANA most eA-
peditious way, aud he has probably had wen
considered legal advice as TO the extent Oh
his mowers. But the method of some OF Ills
proceedings has not been happy, and as u
result of his mistakes there are few men
i'm New York to-day who DO not re-
card the removal of the Police CommlN-
sioucrs rs a political measure having much
more intimate connection with the control oi
the next Democratic convention than with
the administration of justice and the clean
ing of streets. Postponed for three months
scent by the Governor upon certain NUM-
cipal Offices which exert great deal o1
power over Tammany Hall,-the County
Clerk removed; the Register, who Is
guilty of the same offences as the
County Clerk, kept under control by
a suspension Of sentence, and the SherlH'
whose office has made cXacllons far
greater than either of the Others, admonl'hcd
with only a significant thrcat,-the change III
the Police Board, which ought to be judicial
act Of the gravest character, bears now IN"
apuearance of an incident in the wrnglc oi
Iammany and anti-Iammany, the scramble
for spoil, between the faction Of John h"liy
and the faction which lends its support to
"thc insatate ambition Of one man.
Nevertheless, it is impossible TO sympatmzc
with the accused Commissioners. Whatever
may be SAID of the manner of the Mayors
action, whatever rarty intrisues may be sup
posed 10 have influenced 1t, there can be no
doubt that % sweeping reform IN the I0-
lice Department WAS imperatiyey demanded.
The demoraiza.on Of the force j. freely al
mtted by the Commissioners Themselves.
The scandalous laxnc.-, to give il no worse
name. OF the administration OF some OF the
precincts is matter OF public nOtOuoy.
And how outragcou l. the duty of cleaning
the streets has been neglected every citizen
can see with his own eyes. II the Board had
been removed in January, on the sole charge
of keeping the streets dirty, the whole city
would have appIauded and the police would
have been taught a sIlutary les son. Even
now, after the feeble and spasmod,c opera
tons with brooms and carts begun since the
Commissioners were formally summoned
to answer for their deIinQucncics, the
streets are disgrace to any civilized
town. 1t is idle for the Commissioner rs 10
plead that they do their best The cleaning
OF great city is not an uHsolyed problem.
In accepting Otlics the Board agreed to per-
form this work, and if they are unable to
keep their pledges it Is their obvious
dnty to retire and make way for others who
can. We trust that Mayor Cooper viii have
a plain understanding on this point with tie
persons whom he purposes TO appoint in place
of McssTs. Smith, Erhardt and Nichols, and if
the new Commissioners prove as inefficient as
all their predecessors have been, they too must
be promptly removed. Mayor Cooper will be
expected to follow his own prcccdcnts