The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-16
THE POLICE AND THE LAW.

less effort was made to enforce them than
now. This is the concurrent testimony of
every one who knows anything about the
matter 1t is as plain as the nose on a mans
face that the police board has receded from
the position it occupied when Mr.. Frenzel
was driven from membership because he was
openly in favor of paying no attention to the
laws regulating the liquor. traffic. Captain
Lang left the force because he would not obey
the new laissez faire policy of the board. The
Journal at that time, took the ground that
that it was nonsense to expect superintend
ent to do what the board did not want him to
do, and that it was unwise and destructive of
order and discipline for the public to pass over
the board. and look to superintendent, or
captain, or lieutenant, or patrolman, to en-
force the law. The board settles the policy Of
the police, and the policy now is, unquestion-
ably, to let the saloons severely alone. No at
tention whatever is paid to them, and they
are in this, as in everything else where the
Democratic party is in power, absolute masters
of the law and all its agents and ministers.
The Journal wants the people of the city to
understand that the board is the responsible
party, and that all the CHATTER about this or
that officer counts for little, and tends to con-
fuse the question of where the blame should
properly rest Acting Superintendent O'Don-
nell has been a mere figure head, as he was in
tended to be, and should not be censured too
much. He was as unfit for the place as any
one possibly could be, and was appointed
merely to fill hole, and in that view of the
case has, doubtless, answered the purpose of
his creation.
The point that little or nothing can be done
without the friendly and earnest cooperation
of the Criminal Court is we'll taken. That has
been demonstrated during the past months,
wherein the Criminal Court has been the har
Dor of refuge of the liquor criminals, until the
Mayor Of the city was forced, by sense of
selfrespect and respect for his court, to take
arbitrary measures to arouse public sentiment
to the scandal that is now attracting just at
tention. This fact explains, also, why the Coy
gang of thieves and forgers attempted to
steal the Office of criminal judge, by blum
dering crime that should land one or more
men in the State prison. The liquor lords
needed continuance of the protection of the
Criminal Court, and if they could put tool
upon the bench it would. continue to be easy
to paralyze all efforts at prosecution.
The result of the State election has changed
the complexion of affairs. There will soon be
a new set of State officers in charge, officers
pledged by the platform on which they were
elected to put stop to the arrogant defiance
of the liquor BOSSES There will be a cessa-
ton of the existing policy, if it needs the
thorough and summary reconstruction of the
police board to effect it. The people of Indi-
annapolis are tired Of the present condition, of
things, and it will not be permitted to last
after the new State officers take their seats
And so, in this juncture there is proposition
made by the guileless Democrats to elect a
Republican superintendent of police. The
purpose of the scheme is very plain. The
new official would be surrounded by all the
hindrances to the enforcement of the laws
which Democratic environment could suggest,
and it is thus hoped todivide responsibility and
to show that a Republican official does not
enforce the laws any better than Democrat
has done. The scheme is too thin. The
Republican fly will decline the invitation Of
the Democratic spider. Let the Democratic
managers elect another fgure-head, to last
until the administration of public affairs can
pass into the full and entire control of the
party pledged to the enforcement of the
laws Then, if the scoundrelly theft of the
Criminal Court is set aside, and the legally
elected man given the Office so that it will
be possible for the officers to enforce the law
against its persistent and defiant violators,
the Journal is willing to hold the Republican
party properly responsible for the result.
But there can be no compromise, no division
of responsibility, with the representatives of
party which, in its State convention, voted
down resolution favoring the enforcement
of the present laws regulating the liquor
traffic
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LINC0LN'S LIFE.
THE Century Magazines illustrated article