The National tribune., 1882-05-27

chooses to lily IN the lace OF hlStoiy, IL IL
not history that will suffer from the en-
counter.
Contemplate Political Trick.
The recent debate in the House of Rep
resentatives upon the proposition to repeal
that section of the Revised Statutes which
provides for the appointment to the Dis
trict police force of honorably-discharged
Union soldiers and sailors, has opened up
again the whole question of official prefer
ment. In the course of the debate to which
we refer the fact was brought to light that
for the purpose of evading the requirements
of the statute, the District Commissioners
had adopted q rule TO appoint no person to
the force who was over forty years of age
and the assertion was also made by several
of our Representatives that the law pro-
viding for the preferment of ex-sOldierS and
sailors for Government Offices generally had
practically become dead letter III all the
departments. It's impossible to contemplate
this state of things with Indifference and we
do not hesitate to say that officials who have
been guilty of Obstructing the operation OF
the statutes in question ought TO be promptly
removed and their places filed by men VINO
can be relied upon to observe both their
spirit and letter. The case of the DlS'uct
Commissioners is peculiarly aggravatlng. 1T
is urged in their behalf that their motive
in limiting appointments to persons not
over forty years of age was to secure able
bodied men for the service, but that is clearly
mere subterfuge, since there is not city IN
the country whose police force does not
/ embrace many officers of fifty or sixty
/ years of aoe fully capable of discharglnS
/ the most arducus duties imposed upon
them In fact, youth is rather an objection
/ than recommendation in a policeman, since
young men rarely possess the coOlness and
Judgment necessary to the making OF an
efficient officer. They are far too apt
to use their club on slight provocatlon
and are much less likely to maintain
good discipline than those of maturer
wears. Indeed we cannot imagine any
training that is better calculated to tit a
man for police duty than that which our
soldiers received in the service, and certainly
a veteran of fifty who is accustomed to
obey orders without questioning and follow
faithfully the routine prescribed for him
could and would, if the opportunity pre-
ed itself, be found fully capable of rem
ng thoroughly effective service.
he fact of the matter is, as we have said
9 the purpose as well as the effect of this
,lation of the District Commissioners is tc
.ude our ex-soldiers and sailors from the
e, since to be now within the requisite
they must have been mere boys during
war. 1t reminds us strongly of the case
he Cincinnati and Boston postmaster
who managed to prevent soldiers from
|
precisely the same regulation as to the ag'
of applicants. 1t can be said for them
however, that they had the legal right t'
make such rule-although in our judg
ment they sinned against the spirit of th
law and should have been removed by th
President-whilet the District Commissioner
had no warrant whatever for their actor
. and could be held legally responsible b.
any applicant who should he rejected OF
the ground of age, although qualified unde
the special statute.
Such an offence as this, it seems to Us
ought not to be lightly passed by. Commis
sioners can be easily found, we warrant, VIII
will obey the law concerning appointment
and at the same time give the District an eff
cient police force and justice TO the brav
men whose claims upon the Government fO
employment were long ago declared urgen
by Congress-the sentiment of the Who'll
country approving demands that the
shall no longer be made the victims of
contemplate political trick. This neglec
of the soldier has become uncomfortable {
late and it becomes our veterans Individual
and through their army organizations to Ell
ter vigorous protest against it. If the prC
vision of the general statute is dead lett:
:, in the Departments let them deman
through Congress the reason why, an
, force it either to repeal the law or comp
its enforcement
A Good Old Rebel Still.
: We find the following extract from