National Republican., 1888-03-20
1T IS DOING GOOD SERVICE.
The Opinion of u Police OTcer Con-
cerning the hRepublican."

~ want to thank your paper" said
policeman to reporter for the REPUBLICAN
yesterday afternoon, "for the publication
of n little item last week It was in relation
10 The arrest of city physician for tying
his horse tOa tree. The hardest thing a
policeman has to do Is 10 look out for the
enforcement of city ordinances Take the
case IN question, for instance Now have
no doubt that the gentleman who was put
TO the Inconvenience of the arrest and pay
ment of 50 would not have minded 1t In the
least If the item had not been spubished
There is q modification in such pubica.
ton, even If II Is but for n slight inlaction
of an ordinance. II has materially lcs3encd
the work we have to do, for It has put men
who are apt to be thoughtlcss on their
guard"
After further complimentary reference to
the REPUBLICAN,, the officer continued.
"Ihere is another matter which should be
publicly noticed, and that Is the pronencss
OF Judge Smell to release upon their personal
recognizanceS offenders of this description.
1t is a delicate subject for policeman to
touch upon ordinarily, but 1t Is something
very annoying to him, nevertheless. Take
the matter of removing the snow from In
front of houses within time limit after 1t
ceases falling. Everybody recognizes the
necessity of the enforcement of this law,
and the offenders are usually people who
are simply careless.
"You have no idea how dscouraging II Is
for an officer TO make case out notify the
delinquent to appear ut court in the morn
ing-as is usually the case--and, on going
there, often without proper rest and usually
when he should he patrolling his beat, to
have the case practically dismissed In thus
taking pcsonal bonds not to repeat the
ofrense, leaving the imputation that the
officer has been ovcrzealous The reverse
is the case. All officers make these cases
reluctantly and with much discrimination,
and II is but just that they should, since the
people who thus neglect a public duty are
of class who never violate any other laws
than the ordinances relating to the safety
and comfort of the people MS whole.
But this should not be so generally ac-
cepted by our otherwise discreet Judge as
an excuse 1t is not the existence of law
upon the statute book which deters Offend
crs; II is the enforcement of that law by the
constituted authority which has that desira-
BILE effect. Every one knows that II is
more than annoying to have to walk
through intervening patches of snow along
an otherwise cleanly pavement, and this is
even worse at this season of the year, when
the snow is so quickly converted into eslush
that pcnetrates the best Of shoes. am
sure that many deaths are directly traceable
!" 'hio NtucN, to Ntli 40 All
amount of sickness
"Nor is this less the case with that most
tempting Of all forms of forbidden amuse-
ments-fast driving. do wish 1t would be
permitted for an officer TO speak his mind
on such occasions, without violating the
code of police ethics. A case of this kind
in our city, where the splendid streets and
inferior sidewalks are an irresistible tcmpta-
tion to the children TO desert the latter to
play in the former, is very apt to cause an
accident. The surprise is that more acct
dents do not occur.
"rhe public may be assured that the
police would much more vigorously en-
force the laws If they were not SO often
quasi-reprimanded in having their cases so
dismissed. And ! might say here that the
publication to which | referred will have
more effect than If hundred other arrests
were made, of which there was no public
mention.
81 congratulate your paper on The public
service it has thus rendered"