Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-28

/ SCiAs fAao faCCorUluSiy pdSscu luc LictIOpOA
itan police law. He announced thas b,
would honor Marsh Murdoch as long a.
he lived for having the manhood b,
! showed when he took the stand he dc
| against having a police commission ap
| pointed to dominate over Wichita. As fol
| himself he was not prohibitionist. but hs
was as law abiding man as any one pres
! ent, and be believed in the enforcement oil
| those laws upon the statute books.
No man who, in his opinion, would moi
enforce the laws could get his vote. but the
| mayor and city council have nothing to dc
| with the police commission which is over
this city. [Applause.l
This Stirred up the animals" and when
Rev j. d. Hewitt got up and started for
the front of the hall, where he pulled OF
his overcoat, everybody, regardless OF
opinion, applauded the combative divine,
as they expected more fun and they had
it. for as he walked up the aisle,
pulling loft his coat, he said,
that there were some things which should
be said and said now. He then proceeded
to give, what he assured the audience,
what was the true history of the cause for
the enactment of the metropolitan police
law and said that it was not passed TO ft
Wichita's case, but was conceived as a
necessity to regulate certain other large
cities on the border of the state. Mr.. Hat
field was appealed to and said that was so.
Mr.. Hewitt said he was going to tell some
things he had not intended TO, and gave
his history of the means by which the
commission had been inflicted upon Wich-
tia. The substance of his remarks was
that when Mayor Allen was elected two
years ago he instructed Chief of Police
of Police James Cairns to close the sa-
looms, and closed they were, quickly. The
council, seeing that the mayor was going
to enforce the laws, repealed every law
concerning the selling of liquor. In less
than three days the saloons were again
open. stencil in the nostrils
of the people. He went to
the councilmen and asked them
for Gods sake not to do that, but they de-
clined To rescind their action. He then
went to the mayor and begged him TO veto
the action of the council. That gentleman
declined to do so. Then he went to the
editor of the EAGLE and said you have the
influence which, if brought to bear, will
prevent this action by the council, bat al
though that might be SO, he said he would
not interfere. | said to him as l had TO
Mayor Allen, that will bring police COM
mission down upon this city. l also said
to the editor of the EAGLE. land you will
be responsible for it," lie said, Let it
come
The reverend gentleman, with consider
able dramatic effort, then announced that
1.-The editor of the EAGLE is the man who
is responsible for Wichita's having a po-
lice commission" which assertion, a gen.
tleman said, sounded very much like the
little girls composition on pins" She
said ''they are very useful articles and have
saved many thousands peoples lives"
''How is that?" asked her teacher. by
their not swallowing them" was
the answer. Mr.. Hewitt then
called a meeting and committee
of five was appointed to get names
on petition to Governor Martin,
asking that police commission be ap-
pointed, but he requested the governor not
to appoint the commission unless he felt
he had to, although the petition insisted
upol it. After some advice about scan
ming the candidates. he threw out hint
that this meeting might result in the
of ticket" which was rather in
the nature Of letting the cat out of the
bag. He also told the newspapers that
they ought to do certain things.
Mr.. Hewitt's remarks lasted some twenty
minutes and were closed by the announce
ment that the committee was ready
with its report.
Chancellor Everest proceeded TO read
quite lengthy series of whereases and re-
solveds, etc. in the form of an address
to the citizens of Wichita, which they de-
sire to circulate by publishing in the pa
pers of the city and by other means. The
document is minus several rather striking
features, which it is stated were struck
out because they were not exactly in ac-
with the facts as the latter exist
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES.
They urge all men and women TO regis
Ter, and suggest meeting of similar
character to this one frequently from now
until the day of election. Then proceed at
length TO dilate upon certain
conditions OF crime which they find in this
;ity and urge that no such institutions as
Joints brothels, gambling houses or the
ike be permitted to run by being fined.
which they aver amounts to a licensing of
rhine in the financial benefits of which all
citizens are participants indirectly. They
'aY that the city Is run for revenue, not
or the officers, but for the city. The |
,auses for this condition of affairs they as !
,ert is the defective city ordinances, which !
1roYide if an informer fail to prove a case |
re is to pay the costs. Fines are also stated !
,nly with a maximum and not with I
so that they may be nominal !
They then express opinions as to the 1
'equisite stern christian character Of men /
Who must be elected to the city Offices wlFo /
make all the appointments, as they claim. |
After reading the report the meeting did /
lot seem to be just ready for anything 4
Use and some one moved 20 adjourn, which /
eceived a second and was carried
AS the crowd, which was considerably |
unused at the proceeding, and especially |
It the mayor aud city council, who hap |
,ened in just in time TO hear the greater I
PORTION of the declaration of principles"
which gave them such rsking /
ver the Goals. one of their party /
aid that it did not seem to have /
occurred to the author OF the ready
made" resolutions, that the police commits
toner's have the police in hand and regu-
ate the frequency an manner OF arrests
( various classes Of offenders.
FIRE AT PRATT.
Mr.. B. l.. McClain, who came in from
i II, |