St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-30
A POLICE COMMISSION.
The Board of Trade Takes a Hand In
Discussing the Proposed Break,
And Instructs Committee to Report
on This ssNon-Partisano Plan.

Resolved That the resolution adopted by
the Vessel Owners association of Cleveland.
i for the Improvement or the Portage Lake
| snip canal, and Tor the establishment OF a
| harDor OF refuge i'll connection herewith,
| has the most hearty lndofseinenS OF this
| board OF trade.
In presenting the resolution Chat
PiilSoury SAID the carrying trade Oh Lake
Superior was increasing very rapidly. The
past year 800, 01O tons of iron ore were
shipped from Minnesota alone, as against
$4,000 tons in any previous year. The
| Cleveland vessel owners resolutions favor
| government control Of the caiial across the
| kcWenee peninsula; the canal saould be
widened and deepened SO as to allow the
! passage OF the largest vessels, and there
sh1uld be a haroOr vi refuge established at
| or near It's western terminus. Tne region
| OF Point keWeeuaW Is very stormy and
DANGEROUS and there is no harbOr Tor q
| distance OF us miles this Side VI the Point.
| The following resolution, presented Dy J.
T. Wyman, called forth lengthy and
| earnest discussion:
| Resolved, TuaE We favor an amendment to
! the Quarter of the city OF Minneapolis. eStao-
| fishing n police commission for the appoint
ment ana control OF the police force.
board, sud commission should consist OF
tnree members one TO be appointed b. the
governor of tae state subject TO confirmation
by The state senate, one TO be 2ppoiute by
the mayor subject 10 the COMBINATION OF he
city council, and one 10 be eie1ted by direct
vote of the people. The term OF Office to be
two years.
MIR. Wyman said that he thought the city
had arrived at stage of growth when
npiipA not Ouiy GHViS1 HE
but necessary. The patronage afforded by
the appointing OF from 300 to 500 police
men. all of whom, under existing laws,
may be made the direct political strikers Of
the appOintee, is altogether too great a
| power to be placed in the hands of parti-
san mayor. In saying this he wanted it
| understood that no personal reflection on
the present mayor was intended-the evil
was just as great under Republican as under
| Democratic rule.
THE PATRONAGE THUS GAINED
| by appointing ward strikers. each with his
| little circle of influence. is sufficient TO
change the result of almost any city cleo
ton MIR. Wylnan did not care so much
| how the commission was appointed-w what
! he most desired was that it be thoroughly
no n partisan, so that the full usefulness of
| the police force might be realized, and its
| power not diverted to the furtherance Of one
mans schemes.
A motion to amend by making the term
| three years, instead of two was accepted.
Col. King offered the following SubSti-
tute:
Resolved, That this board, taught by the
experience of both oar own and other cities,
| unnesta iugly declares its belief ia u nom
partisan police management, and most ear
nestly recommends that our delegation i'll the
coming legislature l. requested to secure the
legislation necessary to that end.
The colonel did not like Mr.. Wyman's
suggestion regarding the appointment Of
the proposed commission. He would have
it non partisan in fact as in name. He
cited the police commission Of New York
city as an example of non partisanshlp,
and said that. while the administration of
that city had been Democratic for long
time. no faint of politics had crept into the
police department. 1t is absurd that city
mayor should be even an eX-officl0 member
of the board. This was not personal he
said. Indeed, all the gentlemen took &C.
caSiOn to deny any personal bias in their
remarks.l He said that the board would
certainly be partisan if elected by the peo-
pie It's independence could only be as
sured by the appointment of its members
by the governor or the judges of the district
court; and he favored the latter plan, be-
cause the judges were nearer the citizens
and could better understand the require
ments of the situation. In any event, he
would have police board entirely divorced
from city politics.
Judge Atwater said the question was not
so much shall we have as how can we get
non partisan commission. He thought the
scheme proposed by Mr.. Wyman the best,
but ii any one was to have the appointing
power it should be the district court judges
rather than the governor.
Mr.. Whitney moved the entire matter be
referred to the committee on legislation,
with orders to report i'll two weeks. The
motion was not seconded.
J. S. Pillsbury expressed himself as
heartily in favor of a police commission.
He suggested that it would be best to have
i've commissioners, and urged their APP
pointment by the district judges, whom he
classed as men of unimpeachable integrity,
who had ever the best good of the commun-
ity in mind. The state executive should
not have the appointing power, because it
was exclusively City matter and should
not be carried into state affairs. No per-
son should be placed on the commission
who had been candidate for any Office
during at least two years previous to the
time of his appointment. This, the gov
ernor thought, would be an absolute
SAFEGUARD AGAINST POLITICS
entering the affairs of the commission. He
thought there should be three members of
the dominant political party in the board
and two Of the party in the minority.
Mr.. Wyman said that all the lawyers in
the city would object to such burden as
the appointment of this commission being
put upon the judges. 1t brought the bench
under the political ban, and that was not
to be thought of. He quoted Judge Fish
as saying OH this subject that the judges
could not be compelled to accept this task;
no Judge now on the bench would serve
and all the lawyers at the bar would OBJ
iect to their doing so. To get non-par
tlsan board the appointive power must be
divided; in any event keep the board out
of politics.
Col. King-Either Mr.. Wyman or my
self is badly ratified this morning. The
election for governor is fierce political
fight and the choice for mayor is worse. so
that in these cases the appointee is sure to
be a partisan. And to expect non parti
san to come forth from the seething caldron
of city politics is absurd.
Gov. PlllSDury wouIu eject all or appoint
all
Dr. Evans was opposed to a commission.
He said that the mayor is responsible to
the people for the efficiency of the police
force. and if he fails to do his whole duty
the power of correcting the evil is now
where it belongs-in the ballots of the peo-
Die. If mistake is made in choosing
mayor it need not be repeated.
Iudga A fay h0UOflt that aNn0infnpnt |
by the district Judges would be an excellent !
hi,fh