St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-06
POLICE INVESTIGATION.
A Lively Session of the City
Council.
The Police Committee Report that
they Met with a Snag.
A Spirited Debate---The Motor Line Wants
an Extension Of Time.

in the chair. The meeting was productive OF
the transaction of large amount of business,
as follows:
A large number of communications and
petitions were received and referred to
proper com mittee.
THE MOTOR EXTENSION.
An ordinance amending the ordinance re-
voking all authority given for the use of
steam on First street and on First ave-
nue. south, extending the time from April L,
1884 to July l, 1884, for the purpose of Civ
ing the company an opportunity of securing
other motive power. Referred to the COM
mittee on railroads, after first reading.
POLICE INVESTIGATION.
a communication from his honor the
mayor was read and placed on file.
To the Honorable City Council.
Gentlemen: You recently ordered your
committee on police to make an investigation
into the affairs of the police department. The
committee at one of its subsequent sessions,
shut the city hall janitor out, and summoned
among others two officers then on duty
to appear before them. The officers very
properly declined to leave their posts of duty
without orders from their superior officers.
luC HdllCI Was lC1CllCu UASiSoPO1 L
addressed communication to the
committee informing them that there
was discipline among members of the po-
lice force and that if they would send me
the names of policemen they desired to ex-
anime, I would have the details made. I
was then informed by the committee that
they intended to examine all the policemen
and asking me to have five or six at each
.oesiop Tho fret dafail nop cistad of the
mayor, chief of police and the captains.
When we meet the committee at the next
meeting of that honorable body, I was in
formed that they had decided to hold secret
sessions and that no one save members of
the council would be allowed to be present
except the witness being examined. l told
them did not know they were holding secret
sessions except from hearsay, and that such
star chamber proceedings were only INDUCED
in by grand iuries; that the men on the
police force had their regulations as citizens
and officers, at stake in the sweeping charges
that had been made, with no opportunity for
defense, against the statements that
might be made by ex-policemen
who had been dismissed and who
the committee would allow their representa-
appointed officers by the mayor, who was in
duty bound to defend them, if they were in
the right, and dismiss or reprimand them if
they were in the wrong.
The request was denied, whereupon
issued an order for none of the police force
to appear before the honorable committee
until l could communicate with the city
council.
~, Sc 70 ofn fhaf
am in favor of thorough and searching in
vestigation into the workings of all depart
ments of the city whenever ordered
by the city council, and while | remain the
executive I will do all in my power to aid you
or your committees in hunting down wrong
and indicating the honest and faithful SER
vices of city officials I know of nothing in
connection with the police department that
would not gladly make public if good were to
result. Officers in learning to discharge
their important duties have blundered and
made mistakes, which have been Investigated
before the mayor and reprimands admins
tered. If any good would re-
suit these cases could be made pub
lie. Most of them were in
connection with discipline of ofticerIlike de-
pertinent and the men arraigned are now
your honorable body desires to continue the
police investigation througa the approachin g
local campaign land will do it in the interests
of the public on the broad gauge and with
wide-open plan, I will consent, and hope to
be able to vindicate the men of department
that / believe to be, as whole, second to
none other in the country. Very respectfully
your ob't servant,
A. A. AMEs, Mayor.
The committee on police then submitted a
report reviewing the situation similar to the
above, and explaining that serious obstacles
had been met with in the opposition of the
mayor.
Aid. Watt moved that the report be re-
ceived and placed on file.
Aid. Glenn hoped if the report was received
the committee would be discharged. The
report shows that the committee had done all
in its power to accommodate his honor, the
mayor. 1 believe we have done all that any
committee can do and all that any man can
ask Without authority to compel the mem
beers of the police force to testify, it is i'm
possible to do anything further. There are
members of the force who have
voluntarily told members of the
committee that if they could
testify secretly, they would be pleased to give
important information. These men would
not testify.in the presence of the mayor. 1
am charged with bringing about this investi-
CATION, but do not believe there is a mem
Der of this council who believes this allega-
ton. 1 will ask the alderman who offered
the resolution to explain my connection, and
while do not wish to shirk any duty, think
it may be for the interests of our city if the
investigation is to be prosecuted farther, to
substitute some other alderman in my
stead.
Aid. Haugan-I would like to ask the city
attorney what power the council has in this
case.
City Attorney-Icannot find that the coun
ell has any authority which has not been al
ready relegated to the committee.
Aid Waltz move that the report be
placed on file, and the duties Of the commit
tee relative to the investigation be discharged.
Aid. Andrews opposed the motion. He
wished to hear what the committee had really
accomplished.
Aid. johnson explained as one of the mem
bers of the committee, that he thought it
would not be expedient to adopt the motion.
The committee had actually got possession Of
certain facts which it is for the interest of the
council to know, and he also had
found out that there were other avenues of
obtaining important testimony from outside
of the police department. The committee
can get information from the police force de-
spite his honor, the mayor, if it is not to be
made public, but not one member of the
police department will testify when he knows
his head will be cut off by the mayor.
Alderman Watt said he had made the
motion at the suggestion of the chairman of
the committee, but if it was the desire to
continue the investigation he would not in
sist upon his motion, but if it was an election
ring dodge it was certainly pretty small bust
ness.
Aid. Glenn wished the council to understand
that no politics entered into the investiga-
ton. 1t has been agreed by every mem
Der of the council that no report shall be