The Portland daily press., 1884-07-30
The Law and Order League and the May,


To the Editor Of the Press:
The correspondence between the Law and
Order League and the Mayor, has found its
way into the newspapers, partly by accident
The league did not intend to pursue the mat
ter farther at present, but the way. now seems
to be fairly open for few words as to the sit.
uation in Portland, ana to clear up what seems
to be Misunderstanding between the league
and the city executive.
The Mayor is mistaken when he says that
our Statement was general and indefinite" /"
On the contrary it was very exact and precise,
and we characterized the official neglect as "a
scandal"-as the PRESS of the 26th regarded
the notorious inefficiency of the police to be
We told the Mayor specifically, in the presence
of the Marshal, that for an hour in the MORN
ing, an hour at noon and an hour in the even
ing, the police all called in for relief of the
patrols; that during those hours the rum-sel-
lers habitually transport liquors openly through
Commercial, Fore and York streets, and an
other street which we mentioned to the Mayor,
but do not think it best to name it here. We
have characterized as absurd, the practice of
calling in the patrolmen when they ought to be
relieved on their beats, as in military affairs,
sentinels are relieved on their posts. We told
bl0 mayor bnab bHlS Lndbt6r Hdu D60n OIC9n
mentioned to the Marshal, but no notice had
been taken of it. In this way, and in this way
only, the rum dens in the city are supplied.
Al that point the Marshal took the word and
said: The transportation of liquors could not
be stopped; that the rumsellers would run
their houses, and the police could do nothing.
We replied that it would be a perfectly easy
thing to do this. "Where there is WILL there
is a way" We said some weeks ago, there
were two policemen on the beat, where trans
portation begins, near the railways; they were
efficient men; they seized several barrels of
liquor at one time the next day they were
taken off that beat; one was sent to the East
ern Promenade, the other to the Western /,
where there is no opportunity to interfere with
the transportation of liquors. 1t is notorious
that rumseilers, as favor, request certain
policemen to be taken off beats in their neigh
borhood and others (named) put on. l do not
know if the two policemen l speak of, were
changed in that way. / only state the facts
All the police force understand from that cir
cumstance, that they are not to NEEDLE with
such business.
There is suggestion in the article signed by
the Mayor, that the courts can afford the citi-
zens no relief from the unfaithfulness to duty
of our city officials He says he has consulted
counsel on that point and he may well congrat-
ulate himself upon it,as the article seems to do
The article is no doubt right in that, because 1t
is so difficult to convict an official of general
incapacity and neglect of duty. Gen. Long
street has Just been dismissed from civil office
for Just that cause, but there was no hearing
and no conviction. There Is no such summary
remedy for incapacity and general neglect OF
duty in city officials. The Mayors reply there
fore strained nothing in the selfcongratula-
tion that the citizens have no such remedy in
this case. But there is a remedy.
What would be said by the people and the
press if there were hundred notorious dens of
thieves and burglars in this city, where out
RACES against person and property were PLAN
ned, and where pluDder is transported openly
through our streets, by wagoD-lcads, in broad
daylight and the chief OF police should de-
clare that it could not be stopped, though done
at stated hours every day? Every rum sh op is
thieves den, and more and worse besides.
Every case OF drunkenness is far worse than
robbery, with violence; it involves moral, as
well as physical death to the victim, and rob-
berry and starvation to vile and children at
home. am sure / am far within the truth
when say thst here in Portland now, though
the grog shops are few, and low, and secret,
the liquor traffic is inflicting upon the city far
more mischief, and upon our people a hundred
times more misery and heart break than come
from all our burglaries and robberies, / am
right when 1 say that the condition of this
city is better known by English speaking peo-
pie the world over, so far as our grog shops are
concerned, than it seems to be by our mayor.
He thinks We should particularze and spec
ify in our information as to crime existing
here, and kindly assures US that if we will hunt
down the rogues and villains and furnish
proof, then he will see what can be done.
That's the work Of the police; they are ap-