Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-05-27
WILL or nrLp. NEIGHnoR ?

The Ignorance OF municipal affairs
especially the management Of the Police
Department and the history Of the late
Police and Fire Board, exhibited by the
h,tciIhcnocr Is simply astonishing. 1t
says:
L. has not been many months since our
esteemed ueighb0r. the ROOSTER, was ad-
vocating the idea Of taking tue cohttol on
the city Police Department out or lhe
hands Of the BOard and ESTABLISHING l"c
system which is now in force. Ihere was
strong opposition % the REGISTER posi-
ton then. rs many iOresaW the cVils MNiCn
would result, and which the REGISTER Is
al this late date frank enough 20 acAuoWl-
s1pe have resulted The very evil OF
which our neighb0r complains, namely,
that ward politics and other vicious iniiu-
esces control. 10 "A large extent, the employ
mont of our police. is the result Of the agi-
tatiou bv the REGISTER and It's partisans m
favor of the abolition OF the Police ana IRE
Board The lutsiiigsncfr oppoSed thc NOV G.
ment. but those who were iu FAVOR OF
giving over these Departments OF uoll'
Safety 90 the control OF PARTISAN poutlS'
led by the REGISTER, succeeded lu their
plans.
The absurdity of this will be apparent
10 everybody who remembers the late
Police and Fire Board. That Board
was purely ornamental. II did not APP
point the chief and had mo- control over
him. And the evils which the REcl>-
TER has pointed out existed then 20
the same extent they do now. The
REcisrER would be- as firm in opposing
a return 90 that system as 10 was in adj
vocating It's abolition The old Police
and Fire Board was a useless iucum-
brancc and the city is well rid Of it
Whether the HtcVgcnccr is 50 obtuse
that it really does not comprehend the re-
form the RECIsrEE is advocating, or is
simply trying tomake little cheap poli-
teal capital by disappearing the s,t-
uation. we donot know. But assuming
that il is pure thickheadednc>S ON our
neighbor's part, We will explain our
meaning again. The REGISTER has
pointed out how under present arrange
ments the Chief Of Police and his men
can be bulldozed by the gang
of toughs and criminals that infcSt the
city. They control large floating
vote. and at election times have
the candidate az their mercy. He
must often do their bidding
~ hc would Dee elected. Parti-
san politics has nothing TO do with their
support. They will support the man
with whom they can make the best
deal. and who will remove officers, who
by faithful performance Of their duty
have made themselves obnoxious 20 the
gang. That is the evil. 50 FAR as the
Police Department is concerned. which
the REGISTER wishes TO have remedicd.
10 existed under the old Police and Fire
Board To the same extent il exists under
the present system. The remedies we
suggest are. that either the Chief of
Police De- appointed. or, that, IL W. con-
tinue % elect him, his term Of office Dee
heightened. and hc be made Ineligible
AS his own successor. Eithcrplan would
caccually prevent the bulldoliug of the
Chief and his men by the toughs and
criminals who now hold club over
their heads at every election. BY no
means does this involve return 70 the
old Police and Fire Board plan. or any
thing like 20.
The hiicugoccr admits the evils
that exist and proclaims itself
always ready to advocate reform. This
sounds well. but ifitmeanS what 10 SAYS
let il cease its foolish attempt 10 mis-
represent the REcISrEE and the situa-
tion and advocate this one and others
which we have suggested. Let IL take
oil its coat and help fight for "a reform
of our present Squire" system. for
special court and grand jury for the
speedy disposition OF criminal eases aud
for reform in the present petit jury
system. The h,iclg0ccr will only clog
the way TO these needed changes 10y
dragging party politics into the discus
sion. The present Democratic munl-
cipal administration is not failure as
the Iutelligmccr claims, because these
reforms are needed. The same evils
existed under Republican admiuis'ra-
tionS % as great an extent. IL not To-
greater. The Republicans failed 20
correct them. We shall see what the
Democrats will DO.
NEWSPAPERS PARTIES.