Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-21
Concerning defective Methods.

Commissioner West, it seems justifies the
District government detective methods, on the
ground "that the District has its secret service
as well as the Treasury or any other part OF the
general government" The public may, or may
not, agree with the Commissioner to the
necessity for this secret service, but there will
be but one opinion, to the effect that the men
employed upon that service should have some
intelligence and discretion. and sufficient chars
acter TO be above the temptation to show their
usefulness by manufacturing testimony out of
whole cloth, or resOrting to INSCRIPTIONS or
criminal methods to obtain it.
The detective methods of procuring evidence
In liquor cases, gambling cases, &c, have re-
peatedly received the sharp condemnation of
our courts, and in one instance lately. where 1t
was attempted TO prove the charge of keeping
house of nfame by detective-a married
man-who swore to having committed crime
In the house expressly to procure evidence
against the keeper. the testimony was thrown
out by the court, the accused was discharged,
and singing reproof was administered by the
Judge upon the detective methods resorted to
for proof.
In the present instance, which has called out
30 much censure, some private animOSties seem
to have been pursued in employing the detec
tive spies TO dog the school superintendent and
members of the school board night and day, in
the hope that a free of the drag-net might
rake up something somewhere to the disadvant-
age of these officials that would justify their
removal. The net result of these secret service
Investigations, pursued for many months, has
lately been announced, with a shout of triumph
in the charges
list. That Superintendent Wilson is in the
habit of INDUCING in 'Bacchanalian revels in
the Franklin school building on which occa
sions whole baskets of wines and boxes of cigars
have been used.
I'd. That 1.-The detective has discovered a re-
markable shortage in the funds of the Normal
School, caused by the loan of several hundred
dollars to a well-known hanger-on of the school
system"
Sd. That the Superintendent uses up two and
a-half tons of COAL at cost to the District of
SIS per night, to warm his office every night
that "he holds forth there
4th. That the Superintendent, anticipating
his discharge in consequence of these appalling
developments, has further been guilty of '.com-
munlcating with friends in the New England
states with the hope of securing an appoint
ment there" but that the Commissioners '.are
determined not to allow him to leave the city
before his past conduct has been thoroughly
Investigated"
Now these charges SO ridiculous so palp-
ably and Enthusiastically false that the question at
once rises whether they were the work of idiocy
or infamy. There good many disbelievers
In superintendent Wilson's school methods, but
uls nloSI lnVeler&le enemy would scout the de-
tective picture representing that sedate Presby-
terrain gentleman in the character of wild
Bacchanalian reveler. And cd when it is
called to mind that there is no normal school
1und' and no possibility of a shortage there,
and that the superinte ndent has nothing to do
with the school funds anyway; and (3d) that the
Franklin school building is heated by furnaces
which are necessarily kept going day and night,
whether the superintendent holds forth there
or not, and further, that the cost of heating the
whole building per "a hours is but a fraction of
the $15 per night alleged to have been spent
for heating the superintendent room alone
when all these things are considered, the morti-
Tying exhibit of laundering ignorance-or worse
on the part of the secret service spies is about
complete.
But charge 4th, that the superintendent has
been detected in communicating with friends
In New England get situation there seems
70 show that our District spy service has been
modelled still more closely upon the old world
uespotic practices of postal espionage and tam
per1ng with the letters of subjects. And the
supplementary announcement that the Commits
s1oners would not allow the superintendent to
leave the city until the charges of cigar-smok-
Ing, fuel-wasting, &C., had been investigated has
the true autocratic ring. Wretched school SUI
perintendent! to dare to communicate with
friends In New England without permission or
TO think of leaving the city without a passport,
Really the Commissioners ought to be ashamed
OF this whole spy business. If they are sensible
they will call in their detective block
heads, and If they want to investigate school
officers or school affairs let them proceed in
open, above board, American fashion.