Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-09-13
COLBY AND THE POLICE.


 Whether or not the police board of Waterbury has power to take the prose cution of liquor cases out of the hands of Prosecuting Agent Colley will resolve itself ultimately, in all probability, into a matter of legal interpretation. It is very certain, however, that the board has full authority to instruct the police force to pay no attention to the schemes of Mir Colley and to perform their duty hereafter without special reference to swelling that thrifty young mans claims against the city treasury. That they have availed themselves of their au- thority in this connection is matter for sincere congratulation.
 Mir Colley's course in his office has been largely that of a petty persecutor rather than a just public prosecutor, and there have been times during his career when it would seem that men might be justified in seeking retaliation for inju- ries at his hands. How much the city has benefited from the vast sums it has been called upon to pay to feed the avarice of Mir Colley is largely matter of opinion, but few we believe will venture to assert that it has received in any sense all equivalent therefor. Indeed, the major ity of citizens-and we are not. speaking now of those only who are engaged in the sale of liquor-will, we think, agree that the city of Waterbury has been carrying pretty expensive luxury dur ing the time that Mir Colley has had his hand on it's public treasury. And the majority of them will, too, we believe, welcome any plan that may tend to make his pickings smaller by conining prosecution to those cases where there is a fair and reasonable presumption of guilt and reasonable probability of conviction. The people of Waterbury have grown tired of seeing cases brought on the most trivial technical grounds with no other purpose in view than to allow our thrifty young prosecuting agent to enrich himself at the public ex- pense. It it high time that something was done to check his greed and allow a large taxpaying element of our commu- nity to enjoy ordinary safeguards against petty prosecution. We have all idea that, if yearly salary were attach ed to the office of prosecuting agent, or if the agent were allowed only to draw compensation for services in cases of con- viction, we would have seen fewer cases brought last month for violation of the screen law and we would have much fewer cases brought generally for any violation of the laws regulating the sale of liquor. MT Colley's zeal in such q case would have been tempered with discretion and broader sense of right and justice. The present system ot hire for prosecuting agents invites in justice, persecution and outrage for the reason that it caters directly to the greed and avarice of these thrifty in dividuals; and any plan that looks to change is deserving of commendation.
 We think the action of Mayor Rough ton and the police board in divorcine the police from the schemes of Mir Col ley will meet with hearty appreciation from citizens generally without regard to their views on the liquor or saloon question. The police force should not be made an annex to MT Colley, and tax payers generally will be glad to learn that they are not hereafter to be used as instruments of persecution to father the monthly bills of MT Colley against thu treasury of the city. And the poic' themselves will rejoice to learn tha' thev are not to be compelled to play thu sneak in order to ferret out cases thai