St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-05
CITY HALL Z3GPhYRS,

Mayor Babb swelIed up again during
the past week and, as usual, stepped Oh
himself. ''Were you acting under the
orders Of your superior officers when
yOn meitdled with the Lepla house," he
asked Sergeant KrumWeide. "If YOU
were not you were not doing your duty
in raiding the place. This opens fruit
full field for debate. Several questions
might be involved in discussion of the
matter, among them: Are the keepers
OF designation houses laWbreakers? Has
a police officer the authority to arrest
burglar or murderer without specific
orders from the chief? In fine, has he
the authority to do anything except
to be upon his beat unless
specially directed by his superiors?
Ii keepers of houses OF assignatIon are
not law breakers, inmates of them
should not be. But they are 50 re-
garded. Likewise, the keepers are
treated as criminals whenever arrested
during raid which has been officially
directed by the chief of police. How
does the order of the chief to an officer
to arrest certain keeper of house of
i'll fame render that woman more of
criminal? 4 criminal should always be
criminal when engaged in an unlaw-
full traffic. Yet Mayor Babb's remarks
to Sergeant Krumweide pointt TO the CON
cluSi0n that an officer has no right to
arrest Il law breaker, unless there be
distinctions among law breakers, if not
specially ordered to DO so. OF course
Mayor Babb cannot explain this him
self, but, will some one who pities the
mayor please explain?
Robbing. pure and simple, NAV be,
too. a strong term to use when speaking
of Clerk Haney's retention of fees
which pass through his office. He as
serts that he has the laWon his side, and
that what he has done was with the
consent of the aldermen. Possibly
the aldermen were cOgniZant of
the whole matter, but the fact remains
that the majority of them deny it. But
their permission would hardly clear the
transaction of Its shady character. AS
for keeping within the law, the immortal
Mr. Fecksniff did that. He even per-
suaded some of his victims to believe
that he was doing them a service. while
ruthlessly despoiling them. 1t is too bad
that Minneapolis has no Dickens who
can adequately paint the virtues of this
modern municipal Pecksniff. When
you think of it, Mr.. Haney has not a bad
face either for a model Pecksniff.
Smooth, Suave, plausible, he is capable
OF convincing some people that he is
genuine son of heaven. But day of
reckoning will surely come, and the
Pecksnif. of the city hall will one dav
be called to account, and his party viii
go with him, too.
Jim Bradish is developing into some
thing of leader in the council. He
floored Aid. Parry's snow ordinance in
one round, and now he has SHE'D his
castor into the ring preparatory to tack
ling the telegraph. telephone and cleo
trio light companies. He has already
got in good, hard body blow on the
companies named, and he undoubtedly
has the sympathy of the public with
him in his war on the harnessed light
ming monopolies. His ordinance impos-
ing a penalty for every pole left stand
ing after a certain date, as established
by the underground wire ordinance.
went through the council, which was
quite right. Now if Bradish viii fol.
low up his lead and force the fighting
until the monopolieS are forced to adj
init that municipalities have some rights
which they are bound to respect, he
will be able to get almost anything he
asks for.