, 1880-11-07
THOSE SPECIAL POLICEMEN.

The Common Council meets tomorrow
evening for the first time since the election
The conduct on electlon-tlay Of the city Of
fcers, who are responsible to the Council
will naturally come up for, discussion. The
unprecedented and extraordinary partisan at
titude taken by Mayor Harrison has excited SC
much public comment that the Council can
scarcely pass the matter over in silence. It
will be pertinent, at the least, to inquire into
the authority assumed by the Mayor for the
appointment Of q vast horde Of especial
policemen" THE TRIBUNE has searched
the statutes aud ordinances in vain for a
clause that gives the selnblance of authority
for the exercise Of such power by the
Mayor. Perhaps the Mayors legal advisers
may be more fortunate in a similar search, or
ingenious enough to give the Law q meaning
which 1t does not convey to the mind Of all
ordinary person. In that case, it will be in
order for the Council to inquire into the
character Of the men who were appointed to
act as special policemen, into the propriety
Of the instructions which Mr. Harrison gave
them, and into their conduct On election-day,
for which the Mayor made himself RESPONSE
BILE BY his selections and his instructions.
II the Mayor has not under existing laws
the right to appoint special policemen by the
hundreds, then it is plainly the duty Of the
Council to pass a resolution of censure upon
that act of nsurpation, even If the matter be
carried no further IT it be found that any
ingenious construction Of the charter and
ordinances warranted the Mayor to appoint
all unlimited number of special policemen
without the consent Of the Council, then it
will be proper to inquire whether this power
was eXeh&ed with fairness and discretion;
IT not, it:will be the duty of the Council to
provide against similar misuse of authority
in the future, by the passage Of an ordinance
explicitly reserying to the Councilin in all cases
the control OF the police affairs, which the
charter clearly gives that body.
There is another point i'll the case. II
Carter IIarrison's special policemen were ap-
pointed without authority, then they ought
not to be paid one dollar out of the City
Treasury, but Harrison should pay them out
of bis own pocket If they were, as a rule,
men Of questionable character, and as
sunled to do things outside the
function of the police, then not one dollar
should be voted to them. Ii these appoint
ments were made and accepted in the alb:
seuce Of al appropriation covering their pay,
then 10 part of thecity money now on hand
should be diverted to their compensation. It
was political service that was expected from
these special policemen. and no other was
rendered; consequently Mr.. Harrison should
see that they are paid out OF the party-iunds
he was managing, and not out of the city
funds he was neglectlng, during the CAM
paign. II neither the Democratic party nor
Mr. Harrison, as its campaign manager, will
pay these Democratic party strikers, then
they certainly have no claim upon the money
which the taxpayers have contributed for
municipal purposes, and the people viii ex-
pect the Council to see that no part of the
public money be used to recompense them
for their party services.