Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-16
TEE POLICE MUDDLE.
Comments Made by Major Furrey
and Mayor Hazard.


Comments made by Major Furrey
and Mayor Hazard.
If the new Charter had created the
Police Commission with the express and
avowed object of having it afford the
public something to talk about and be
amused over that purpose, could hardly
be achieved more neatly than it is at
present. The situation up to yesterday
when Major Furrey was removed, was
edifying in the extreme, but the outlook
from this on is better than ever. The
comments on the action of the Council
yesterday are summarized as follows
The Police Commission is supposed to
be non-partizan body appointed by the
Council, with the Mayor at its head, for
the purpose of electing q Chief of Police
and q police force, and regulating the
liquor traffic and other matters which in
large cities always come under police
control. On the present Board the party
of great moral ideas has, up to yester-
day, been represented by Mr.. Hervey
Lindley and Major Furrey. The Demo-
cracy has managed to worry along with
Captain Knox and Mr.. Bilderrain. In q
rumpus like the present, where the
city government from one end to the
other is all of one complexion, the party
which is out has nothing to lose and can
enjoy all the amusement it de-
sires at the expense of the
other. The Mayor having vote,
the majority of the Commission is Re-
publican, which throws the RESPONSE
bility with that party.
The first thing which the Commission
did was to split up into minority and
majority. Then the Mayor, Major Fur
rev and Mr.. Bilderrain formed coali-
tion, for the purpose of electing Chief;
and as Messrs. Lindley and Knox went
to some extremes in their public express
sions on the matter, they were quietly fro
zen out on the further proceedings of the
Board. For time, the minority stayed
away from the meetings and exhibited
no interest whatever in the work of the
Commission. The other three settled
down to business in a perfectly unani-
nous fashion, and presently had list OF
policemen ready, which was published
about month ago. The community
took a good look at the list, and then
threw up its hands in horror. Very
little comment was made in the news
papers, as it was pretty well understood
that the list was likely to be revised.
1t proved to be only a preliminary
experiment to try the temper of the pub
lie and to satisfy the claims of the
various people in authority who had OBJ
legations to settle. About a week ago the
Board, or rather the majority fragment
thereof, took another whirl at the list,
and succeeded in improving it a good
deal, alleging the ground of physical in
capacity for service for the removals that
were made. Nobody considered that
this excuse vas anything more than a
mere makeshift, but it served its purpose
well enough, and things were getting
down to business in the Police Depart
ment.
1t had been limited for some time that
q sensation was in the wind in regard to
the Police Commission, and yesterday
morning it came off. The Council, be-
lieving that the power to elect includes
the power to unseat, pounced down on
Major Furrey and hurled him out of
Office. The vote was seven to two, and
the only ground alleged was that Major
Furrey's conduct on the Board had ex-
cited adverse criticism, and it was be-
ieved that his removal would harmonize
things better. The action had been
worked up beforehand in caucus.
'sWas surprised ?" said Major Furrey
after the decapitation was over, and he
wandered into the Mayors Office to dis
.cuss the situation with his Honor. "Well,
/ am not ashamed to confess that l am
completely taken aback. It is deliberate
insult, slap in the face, and 1 am ut
terly unable to account for it. l think
al 70 hou dnna dntu ou xuall
as could be asked of me while l was in
office. am aware of the fact that didn't
vote for the appointment of every man
who was urged by certain members of
the Council. If there are any charges
against me, why are they not brought
forward instead of being insinuated in
tions have been criticized; by whom and
which has come to my ears, is that which
worst element of the saloon men. l am
perfectly willing to stand by my re-
cord"
Mayor Hazard was calm and collected,
but under the surface there glowed a
good deal of heat which occasionally
came to the surface as he talked.
i 10 uOJ kuOW hudt ~ u6huSy edlu
he, "unless the Council is anxious to up
set the whole business and stand in the
way of an honest and straightforward
administration of the police affairs.
Why have they.singled out Major Furrey
and pitched into him in this unwarrant-
able fashion? l can testify that he has
done his duty in the Commission. From
the time that we went into Office certain
members of the Council have been
pulling to get favorite men appointed,
and they have been angry because their
wishes were not carried out. Things are
Just settling down now into satisfactory
shape. The police list is carefully
selected, and under the present
Chief, bids fair to be very efficient.
The white gambling houses are all
closed, and the Chinese places are held
in subjection. The liquor traffic was
never better regulated. Now, the Coun-
Gil steps in and for no conceivable reason
upsets the whole arrangement. If it is
intended as blow at me, l can under
stand it, for the Council has, from the
first, opposed every appointment that l
favored, and did all that it could to pre-.
vent me from carrying out my own line
of policy. Very well, | am here to stay,
with two years ahead"
1t is said that there are good legal
grounds for maintaining that the Council
has not the right to thus peremptorily
remove number of the Commission.
and the fact that the Mayor and