National Republican., 1886-02-11

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, Prop
erty owners Of Washington should remember
that this is the time TO make known their
grievances and needs to the lawmakers Of our
territorial condition, the committees Of the
House and Senate on the District Of CO.
lumbia.
The abolition of the police court-tho
onc-man power-has been and Is being pub
licly discussed and II is TO be hoped that
good may como from exposure OF evil, as
Senator Sumner used TO boast, even In de-
feat.
But the~e Is another "court," throne
behind which incompetent and negligent,
police officers are hidden and protected,
and before which even the major and
superintendent Of the Metropolitan police
is but iigurc-headl
This police (so.called) trial board Is, de-
facto, also one-man power and is used by
the captain Of the force, as he Is the recog-
nized chief and the power Of the police
force, to shield his favorites and obedient
subordinate lieutcnants and patrolmen.
To repair this evil and to do Justice TO the
citizens Of Washington, the Senate COM
mittee have prepared in the bill relating to
police regulations In the District Of Colum-
6ia for this year the following amendment,
a great improvement for the protection
Of our citizens and for their escape from the
partisan commentator Of police neglect
by the superintendent, through the dicta-
tion Of the chief OF the trial board, the cap.
tain Of the police force, viz, Senate bill 374.
Sec. IL. That section three hundred and flfty-
four of the Revised Statutes Of the United states
relating to the District Of Columbia be- and the
same is hereby. amended so far as TO authorize
the commissioners of said District to appoint
and remove Mt their discretion persons as
policemen, &c
There is not an unbiased property owner
who has had occasion TO sec and know the
farce Of the trial board and the illlmitable
power Of It's chief, the captain, presiding in
Judgment, who does not heartily indorse
the above wise provision OF the Senate com
mittee.
Think of It, owners of property in the
District, to-day we are at the mercy OF this one
man, for in fact he, as the dictator in the I'D
ministration Of justice In the trial board,
and the judge Of the police court have, com
bined, more power and autocracy than our
commissioners and our distinguished Judges
Of the District courts consolidated.
And yet, singularly and cunningly, this
wise provision, this slight protection for the
owners Of property, conceived In Justice
and adopted by the Senate District commit
tee, has been met by the opposition hun
dreds, not Of policemen, oh, no, but of
friends Of these police In power, and those
In Ignorance OF the true conditions, and the
Quiet residents most Interested know moth
| ingo the cause. The show Of justice is
made plausible, ana, from iear OF deieat-
| ing the whole District bill, II Is urged that
we "must let things slide rather than defeat
the appropriation"
Shall this fear intimidate the people Of
| Washington from demanding Just chance
and voice in the administration Of justice
in their own behalf? The commissioners
are representatives Of the property owners,
the captain Of the police represent the
police, and II is captain, you tickle me
and I'll tickle you.n
Let us have Justice; give us an equitable
tribunal as trial hoard; give the police
and the people one voice, not q dictator
ship of the police. This we demand; tits
the duty Of real estate owners to demand 1t
Of Congress. Let section IL OF bill 34
stand and become law, or else give us
some other relief from the present sham
trial board. y.