St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-07
The Minneapolis Police Com
missioners Pat Themselves
on the Back,
And Point With Pride to the
Millennium Now in
Sight,
While Mayor Ames Pokes a
Little Fun at the Four
Mayors"
And Shows Some Of Their
Statements to Be at Least
Ridiculous.
TWO REPORTS SUBMITTED.
The Mayor Answers the Remarks
of the Police Commission.

of the Police Commission.
The feature of yesterdays council
meeting was the submission of majority
and minority reports from the board of
police commissioners. The former is a
Republican document, in which the
board realistically dwells upon the
great work of reformation accom-
pllshed. 1t is simply an attempt to JUS
tify the political steal by which the
power of the mayor has been
usurped. Mayor Ames' reply i'll
the shape of minority report is
written in the vein of pleasantly more
than in anger, and clearly indicates that
appreciate the attack made upon him.
The council chamber was crowded, and
when the reports were read by City
Clerk Cornman. in his rasping mono
tone, all were attention. The Demo-
Gratis were evidently satisfied to let the
reports be published, and, after some
discussion, $50 copies in pamphlet form,
to include the reports of the superln-
tendent of police, chief of detectives
and superintendent of the work house,
were ordered printed.
THE TWO REPORTS.
After reviewing the changes in the or
ganiZation, the majority report goes on
to make the rather surprising statement
that "no officer or member has been ap-
pointed on account OF any political Serv-
ice rendered, OH account of political SEN
timents, nor has any member of
the force been removed or reduced
in grade for any political opinions"
Here the clerk gave gulp, and gasped
for breath, but managed to proceed.
"The first annual report OF the
board of police commissioners would not
be complete" this remarkable docu-
ment went on to state, eff we did not
latlng to the actual condition of the
police force and its methods at the time
of taking control of it. The military
titles of colonel, lieut.-colonel, major
adjutant, by which the commanding
officers of the department were known,
we promptly abolish, substituting
for the first two the more
appropriate titles of superintendent
and assistant superintendent, and
abolish entirely the offices of
major and adjutant, thus at once say
ing to the city two large salaries and Sc
curing better service. We were
early impressed with the lack of any
system of bookkeeping at headquarters
and want of discipline. the force being
divided into factions, each Jealous and
working against the other to the injury
Of the service. Especially was this true
in the
DETECTIVE DEPARTMENT..
The standard of morals was extremely
low, many officers and men openly
patroniZing the saloons and places of
worse character while on duty, and
some even interested as copartners in
saloons and patrons of houses of prosti
tuition. 1t must not be inferred from
This that this was the character of even
r majority Of the men on the force. On
The contrary, there were many whose
integrity and sobriety would com
mand respect and confidence in any po-
sition i'll life. AS q rule, however, these
worthy men occupied subordinate or re-
mote positions where their influence
was but little felt. The same local
methods and want of discipline pre-
vailed at the central lookup station,
where the Imprisonment of certain
classes of criminals pwas farce, for
numerous keys of cell doors that we dis
covered were in the hands Of citizens
and policemen other than jailOrS, all of
whom had not been restrained. We
call your attention to the license inspect
Or'S department. A year ago there were
1884 retail liquor dealers doing business
under license in the city. There were
also, according to the statement of the
license inspector, rs to 100 more doing
business that were not paying license
to the city. There were also, by the
same authority, rs to 100 of the
SO-CALLED BLIND PIGS
in full operation, unmOleSted by the
authorities. From these figures it
would appear that the city re-
ceived a larger share of the income
from this source, but when
license inspector handsome salary
ment out of its share of the receipts, the
conclusion then, perhaps, is fair that
the net receipts from liquor ordinances
were about evenly divided between the
city and inspector. To-day there are
231 open saloons, each and every one of
which has paid into the city treas
ury the full license fee of $1,000.
And there are none open that
have not paid this license.
"Of the so-called blind pigs there are
doubtless some that it is difficult to
obtain evidence against that will bring
conviction. We cannot dismiss this de-
partment without commencing in the
highest manner License Inspector
Enoch Ray for the patient industry, in
tegrity and intelligence displayed in the
discharge of the burdenSome duties of
his office, made doubly so by the corrup-
ton of previous years and the petty
RnnOyanceS with some of which your
honorable body is familiar that beset
him from all sides. In spite of these he
has administered the affairs of his office
In an honest, honorable way unknown
to it's previous history.
GAMBLING AND GAMBLING HOUSES.
Zone year ago this vice was unchecked
by the authorities, and the number of
industry, which, in the minds of some,
adds so much to the prosperity of city,
was apparently without limit. Orders
were early issued by the commission
for the suppression of this vice, which
resulted in the immediate closing of
these houses and clearing the streets
of the numerous gambling devices
that disgraced and infested them,
so that to-day this vice is SO nearly sup
pressed that it is comparatively harm
less. Behold how the whitening hand
of fanaticism' brought paralysis upon
the two leading industries. 1t caused
the heart of the boodler' to mourn, and
whilst he pointed with pride to the
halcyon days of the recent past, he
viewed with alarm the destruction that
threatened his Doodle. With the review
of the year before you it must appear
that the labors of this commission have
not been in vain, and we be-
lieve that if the same general
policy is pursued that was marked
out at the organization of this board, to
eliminate all partisan politics and con-
duct the business of this department on
purely business basis the time will
come when the police force of Minneap-
oils will be second to none. That its
moral standing is much improved must
be apparent to all. No longer are uni
formed officers and men seen frequently
patronizing saloons; drunkenness is for
hidden and largely on the decrease, and
in many other ways is this improved
moral tnnp madn onnarQpt nQrh9nS in