Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-18
The Police Muddie.

Our City Council spent the entire ses-
sion yesterday including the deliberations
of the forenoon and afternoon in the
so-called investigation of the Police Com
mission. We believe that there has been
no denial of what the HERALD has
claimed, that the Special Committee was
charged with an inquiry into the doings
of the Commission, but that the Com
mittee has persistently refused to investi
gate anything beyond what will 60 to re-
move Chief Cuddy from place. One
member of the Committee tried to be
relieved from serving, and frankly
gave as his reasons that he could
not render an unbiased judgment. The
other two members of the committee de-
velop at every turn most prejudiced,
narrow and unfair spirit, purpose to be
rid of the Chief any way. Then these
members OF the Conncil, with others be-
hind them, persistently refuse to allow
anything like judicial or fair investiga-
ton to proceed. They refuse to allow
Mr.. Cuddy's attorney to appear for him,
and in all ways put obstacles in the way
of anything like full statement of the
case These facts convince those
who are personally and politically
unbiased that it is not justice, nor fair
play that is aimed at in this matter; but
desire to get rid of the Chief in one
way or other.
At the outset we were led to believe
that the charges against Mr.. Cuddy
would be really of serious nature, and
the proofs were asked for. The
Committee reported, and it is quite fair
to infer that they have given US all they
know, and all they could find out.
These discoveries are all an open
book to the Mayor, and that gentleman
stood up in the Council yesterday and
said that in all the testimony which had
come before him, there was not word to
prove anything against the Chief. This
is exactly the honest, manly statement
Mr.. Workman's friends expected from
him. 1t was thought that the truth was
in the Mayor, and that it would come out.
So the tactics of the wing in the Coun-
Gil who are simply bent on the removal
of the Chief, without regard to right,
truth and justice, had to be changed.
He is, therefore, charged with insnbordi-
nation. Is the Chief a school boy
or soldier in time of war
The other members of the Police Com.
mission, one of whom has displayed a
most bitter personal feeling in this mat
ter, formulates rules looking to the regu-
lation of the police force down to the
finest details. Mr.. Cuddy declared in
the presence of the Board that if these
rules were passed he could not obey them.
To do so would demoralize the force. He
disobeys these rules; and he exercises
a little discretion as to the dis
charge OF persons arrested by
his subordinates. There are only
two cases alleged under this head.
There is all there is in it. Mr.. Cuddy
insists on being Chief. He exercises dis.
cretion such as all men in his place in all
the cities of the Union exercise. Shall
the Office be declared vacant on such a
flimsy pretext. in order that few schem'
ing Republican politicians, with the aid
of one or two men in our party who have
a personal spite or some other private
interest at stake, may get control o.
the police force? We have this
to propose: Submit the question
to Chief Crowley of San Francisco. Lei
him decide whether or not Mr.. Cuddy
should be allowed to exercise the discre-
ton he claims as Alright, or whether OF
not the Commission should trammel the
Chiefs actions by debating how he
should do his duties in such minute de-
tails. Crowley is man of experience.
His judgment is worth something.