St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-18
IT SHOULD SURELY GO.
The Police Commission Is a Public
Nuisance.
Z A SECRET SESSION HUMBUG,
The People Want the Responsibility
Laid on One Official
Head.

The police commission will cut qnite
a figure in the next legislature. Free
man Lane pledged himself to repeal
OF the act, and he has sand enough 10
stand by his promise; besides, he gives
substantial reasons why the machine
! should be smashed. No one will, or
with truth can deny, that the commits
| sion was trumped up at time when the
| city seemed hopelessly Democratic. and
was intended simply to curtail the may
| or's power. 1t was purely political
| Institution and should go. The people
were opposed to it and the people ue-
mand its obiteration. They wait the
responsibility OF the police management
more directly fixed. Here was case in
point in the gambling permission. Ii
| there had been q mayor simply. the
people could have condemned him at
the polls for permitting such state of
affairs to exist, but how can they con-
denim police commission? Give the
mayor the full power and then hold him
accountable.
All effort has been made to saddle til e
responsibility of the gambling upon
Democratic officials, but it has no fOun-
dation in reason. The commission is
composed Of five men, of whom Mayor
AlHes and Hoy are Democrats and
Baker and Baxter Republicans. Guile
was elected as a Democrat. hut has
since Topped. Who controls the coin-
mission? But, allowing there are three
Democrats and two Republicans, why
did not the two Republicans try to stop
the gambling? Does any one suppose
for moment that the records OF the
police commission will show that mo-
ton to instruct the chief of police to
close up the gamblers was made by
either Baker or Baxter and defeated by
vote of 3 to 2? In an interview with
an evening paper, Baker is reported
as saying he did not believe
there was any gambling 1t Is very
evident then that he odd not make,
second or support resolution to stop
gambling or close out the gamblers.
Who is responsible? Cutie has been
II ported as whiningiy complaining
he could do nothing. If this is So he is
too much of a baby to be on such a
board. Will Mr.. Guile come out and say
he offered motion in the board direct
ing the police officers to close out the
gamblers? Ii he did, let him name the
vote by which it was defeated and give
the name of every man who cast mega
tive vote. If he did not offer such a
i CoOiuuiOlis lON CetH 1C CNd SiC illS SlldtG
of the responsibility?
The fact of the matter is, the board is
a nuisance with its secret sessions. 1t
ought 20 be abolished, and the people
shettld have direct recourse upon all
resp ,nsible persons. The gambling
charge is enough, but it is n t. all.
There is nothing partisan III this, and
the Democrats and Republicans on
5 the commission are alike to blame
Somebody has permitted the gambling
and somebody received money for the
permission. and the public would like
to know who it was. Without the com
mission the charge could be made
direct upon the mayor as the head of
the. police force, but what can it do
now?
ii The repeal of the act will come before
the Hennepn delegation, and the legiS-
laiure will make whatever change the
delegation desire. 1t is understood that
several members secretly favor the re-
peal of the act. but they stand in awe
of certain old grannies in the party, and
will be afraid to come out boldly and
stand by their convictions. Freeman
Lane will prepare and Introduce bill.
and the first course will be to refer it TO
the delegation. The public will want to
know just how the delegation stands.
and the GLOBE will see that such bill
is not quietly smothered in the commit
tee from pure lack of nerve. 1t should
require less .'sand'' to remove thOs.. to
place burden, and the delegation-elect
should have at least the courage of its
predecessor.