The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-21

mos every sin in the decalogue has been
charged against me, and yet /
claim to be an honest man and defy
any one to prove that have ever received
Or accepted one dollar, or any other sum
oil Jnorrr. from any source, since / have
been chief Of police, except from my salary.
In carrying out my plans as chief of
police have expended much Of my private
funds, and while ! had a fair balance on
the right side of my bank account when
elected, l leave the Office several hundred
dollars in debt, but thank God. / have an
approving conscience and q big stock of
hard days work left in me, and with these
| vii! overcome all obstacles.
'sit is not because of this Published abuse
that tender you my resignation, for per-
soDaIly ] care nothing about it, nor am
coward. took up the nag when Is years
OF age. went into the service of my country
and faced rercl bullets from the opening
till the close OF the war: was wounded and
left for deal ut Gettysburg, captured and
placed in Libby prison, escaped, and had
the pleasure Of being with Grant at APP
pomattox. No. am not q coward Then,
why do resign? Because regard the
public ice Of much more importance
than the interests or ambitions of any one
man. In the past have done all within
my power to make my services to the city
Of Scettie valuable and efficient. think
that can claim. without uEtine self-iauda-
ton. that have rlcasnrabiy succeeded in
attaining this object.
II now feel, however, that owing TO
combination Of circumstances beyond my
control, my task in the future would b
more difficult than 1t has been in the past.
The gamblers and vicious classes arc
fighting me because / have warcd re-
lenticss war ON them and their practices:
and the ministers and many of the honor
able people Of Seattle, whose good will /
esteem, are opposing my administration
because they do not know me personally
and have been nisied by the scribbling
and falschoods Of designing men. Both of
these influences being at work, some ofmy
good friends have advised me that this
state oil affairs would render it
extremely difficult for me to so
conduct the affairs Of my department as to
give tho degree Of popular satisfaction
which is essential to successful adminis-
tration. In the hope that some other man
serving as chief Of police might be free
from this determined opposition both from
the criminal element and from those most
interested in slpprcssing crime, now ten
der goa my resignation.
II take this opportunity of extending
heartfelt thanks 10 his honor the mayor
AMI 10 the members Of the police commits
sion, for their uniform courtesy and kind
ness 10 me during my incumbency in Of
fee :"
The commissioners knew before they
went INTO session that the chiefs resigna-
ton had been handed in, and only the
spectators evinced surprise at the reading.
Commissioner Guy Immediately moved
that tho resignation be received and placed
on iiie; to he considered at the next meet
ing of the board.
Before that motion is put said Conn
missioner Crawford. rising, 81 would ask
that be allowed to read letter given me
by one-armcd coinrade of the chief s.
1t is written by wounded Union soldier
who fought side by side with the chief
during the war;
The letter was headed. "What know
about George c. Monroe, Chief of Police"
and was signed by William Frazier of
Whatcom. who served during the civil war
in Company l, Sixteenth Maine volunteers.
1t is in substance as follows:
i knew Chief Monroe AS boy in 1861,
and remember when he joined the Union
army at the beginning of the war; / was
with him when he was color-bearer, and
saw him take brave stand when the rebels
were coming like devils, three columns
deep, and saw him fight without hope.
Seven or eight men were killed around
him, but he never tiinched, even when his
brother fell, mortally wounded, from be-
fore him. ! was corporal of the color
guard and heard our captain, j. C. Ayers,
say Go to the rear with your brother He
replied This flag is my brother and my
family That night his brother died in an
old blue schoolhouse, a short distance from
the battlefield, and when the wounded
man breathed his last, his head was on the
color-bearcr's breast--Seattle's chief of
police.
Il saw him at Gettysburg when he was
surrounded by the rebels; when all the
commissioned officers of his company were
killed or wounded. | saw him rally
around him what was left of his company
and he made heroic defense That night
he was left for dead on the battlefield. /
saw him six weeks afterward at Libby
prison. He had bullet in his head and
was still insensible y
The writer closed by paying to Chief
Monroe glowing tribute as man.
The motion Of Commissioner GUY to re-
ceive the resignation was carried Chief
Monroe will continue in Office until one
week from Monday night, when the CON-
nissicners will meet again to decide upon
his successor.
The question Of electing a captain of
police, a position made vacant some weeks
ago by the resignation of Captain Shea
han. was brought up and Acting Captain
u. +. Willard was unanimously elected to
nil the vacancy.
The following communication was
handed in:
To the Honorable Mayor and Police Commits
sioncrs-- Gentlemen; Nothing is easier, nothing
is more unjust than to disparage the worth or
excellence OF useful acts by throwing d;strust
upon the motives of the men by whom they are
performed. There 10 no name SO lofty that it
cannot be thus assaulted, no character so clean
that il cannot thus be stained But if motives
are to be judged by facts, by attendant circurn-
stances ana by character, and we know of no
test SO decisive and so just, can recall no act
in the administration of Chief Monroe to Justify
the assertion that he lacks ability that he does
not enjoy the full ard complete confidence OF
his men. IL is true that certain persons have
been repleie With aspersions against him But
so lar a. an unprejudiced Judgment goes we are
OF the opinion that the charges that have been
brought forward are frivolous, captious trifiiug
end insiaoere. and are unsupported by a single
fsct II Is not our desire TO impugn the motives
OF those who have urged these objections to the
chief oil police; bur we recognize the fact that
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