Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-18

Commissioners have the right 10 prescribe o
line OF policy and OF conduct 90 be adopted by
each Commissioner and the other must sUbDsst-
liz 10 the persistent assumption. or rather
presumption, Of Cox Robert OF she right 20 run
the police force IN HIS own way and the de-
teetSe methods lac adopts 10 cast saspsclos
rnon police Officers which / denounce. H,s
efforts TO personally investigate several hun
ared places where liquor WAS sold and bis
method Of discipline Of the prOpraetors would
be intensely ludicrous 10 they were not frAught
with such eraSe resnlts
Col Roberts reference 90 the trial Of an
orhcer for drunkenness and his suggestion that
uld not consider drunkenness on duty o
very serious ofense' IL not only dislugenuous
but untrue. Ii is the case Of Nolan and 4 re-
Ter To the record ef that trial (which lie open
70 any one 10 eKasaanel and the action tskea
'hefeon to prove that Cot Roberts comments
on that case are gratuitous.
Il do not think il possible that Col Iobert has
burned the sffidavits and statements urocureA
.! MN ana submitted 20 the board and by the
board submitted 20 the major or suDerintsad-
ent OF police and af;erward 20 the attorney Of
the Dlstrlct and which we're called for by the
defense IN the Guy trial. such an act
would he very grave offense FSeo
state secrets or privileged cosmuui.
CATIONS received or procured by pSb-
nc ohcers are not destroyed without
eadshgerlhg the personal liberty as well ~ the
official position OF the officer who DESTROYS
them. Col. Robert had no more right 10 de-
stroy them than be has to destroy ANY other
paper of the District government. The re-
porter must have misunderstood hun N true
he Is very unsafe man TO handle pul,ilc aaea-
mems. and 1t is excuse 10 say that be h.s
got the steRosTaphis notes.
'toi- Roberts statements rs 20 his relation 10
the expenditure Of public money aud the
SUPERVISION OF the other Commissioners over
the funds IL begging Of the question. True
all the Commissioners are required 70 sign
contracts where the amount involved he over
Sl'oco an any particular csse, aud
that all checks have TO lie
signed by one Of the civil Com
mlssloners. but IA neither of those cases does
the danger arise. Errors aud mistakes arr not
liable TO occur In executing contracts, because
the law Is sufficiently srocifc 10 prevent them
~ is IN their execution that mistakes and
errors sometimes happen. and while !
nave entire confidence IA the integrity aud
ability OF the assistants 20 the EngI-
neer Commissioner. 1 do insist that
as they have charge Of the execution Of difirult
work. requiring the closest supervision that
We should have the right 10 direct them and re-
quire reports aud information from them with
OUT asking permission from the Engineer Com
missioner. True X is that IN the two instances
referred 10 those assistants performed services
not specially under the charge Of the Engineer
Commissioner, hut II necessarily had TO be
done by his consent One was a service
performed an TINS city requiring pertains three
hours; the other involved yIsIt TO New Jersey
New York and Boston. aud necessarily involved
an order from the Commissioners TO enable tho
assistant TO be paid his travelling eNpensos. 1
should have performed the work had not be-
heved he could do it better than could. The
public Is probably tired Of this dispute. aud
propose, so far as | am concerned 20 relieve
them OF the nuisance by not exposing any
more dirty linen 10 the public gaze"
No ACTION ~ THE PRESIDENT.
STAR reporter sought at the White House
snI, g.. a
commissionership and asked Mr.. Halford as to
the situation.
There Is no situation he responded. smi-
ing. 1.-The President has Vet taken no action
on Mr.. Hines resignation and has received no
applications for the vacancy. 10 not believe
that there has been single person here to talk
10 MN about IT. IL there have been any dele
cations have not seen them"