Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-05-10
Have Our Police any Duties7

ANDREW j. CALDWELL.
Have Our Police any Duties2
To the Chronicle:
Several things have transpired OF
late in this generally quiet town TO
suggest the Interrogation above.
People are asking, is our police force
superfiuity kept up for appearan-
ces sake or are there any duties they
are expected to render as an equiv
alent for their pay and privileges,
and, if so, what are they?
One of these suggestive circum-
stances is the recent charge of Judge
Tyler to the Grand Jury; in this
excellent manifesto it is for one
thing noticed that certain provis-
ions of our State and municipal
law are, and have been for a long
time, habitually violated, especially
those which prohibit the sale of in
toxicating drink to minors and
generally to any one on Sundays.
The existence of gambling resorts is
also spoken Of as an additional
snare to the young. These things
are spoken of as things universally
known-and certainly the judge
does not go beyond the truth in
saying so-and it is pointedly added
that it is the duty of the police to
act in the matter; to keep watch
for such attractions of the law and
to arrest the viOlators. WHAT IS
curious in the matter is that the
Judge seems to be instructing men
previously ignorant of their duty.
He seems to speak under the i'm
preston it is new thing to expect
municipal police force to take cog
nizance of open and constant viola
tions of the law. 70 plain people
this seems to be what the police is
for and, il not, recurs our question,
have they any duties, and what are
they
There is another suggestive fact.
A deliberate homicide has recently
been committed in town. The per-
petratOr deliberately walked into
the house of his victim, shot him
down over his mothers shoulder,
and as deliberately walked out
again, not in the middle of the
night, but quite early in the even
ing, when everybody was about,
and no steps that we can hear of,
were taken for his arrest.
The matter has been eagerly dis
cussed on the streets and in the
public prints and some speak of the
transaction as the justifiable homo
eide of the seducer of virtuous
girl, while Others speak of him az
the victim of a conspiracy to compel
him into marriage with woman
of VIGOROUSLY bad character. am
not going to express an opinion one
way or another as to the right or
wrong of either side in the discus
sion. When homicide has been
committed it is not for the public In
general nor for the local press to de-
termine the question of justification;
that can only be legitimately done
by jury, and before jury can act
there must be an arrest.
But this is not all A public
meeting has been called to express
the sentiments of the community in
the matter and to get up subscrip-
ton to offer a reward for the appre-
hension of the slayer. And citizens
are appealed to TO subscribe and as
an intimated to liberality in so do
ing it is estimated that an arrest Can
easily be made if sufficient reward
is offered.
Now what ideas must be preva-
lent of the duties of the police and
of the way in which they are rem
dered when it is assumed that moth
ing will be done without the induce
ment of a round sum of money.
The immediate friends of the victim
and an excited public seem to be
looked upon as the parties to move
in the matter, and if the friends are
poor and helpless and the public
lethargic, then nobody is expected
to act. TO me, Mr.. Editor, it seems
that this is not a matter between
May and his friends and Wood and
his friends. but between the police
and the community which is taxed
for their support. The opposite
view is the very root and pernicious
seed of those curses of our modern
half civilization, private vengeance
and lynch law. At least so it seems
to an
OLD FASHIONED CITIZEN.