The record-union., 1892-04-04
THE NEW POLICE ADMINIsTRA-
TION.

Sacramento has new police admins
tration. The people expect it to be free
| from scandals such as attached to the late
one. Were all published that is known
to the press concerning the outgoing ad-
miniStration it would shame every citizen
and make Sacramento's title by-word
| in the land
No police administration can reform
society; it is not expected to move ahead
of public sentiment, but it ought to keep
abreast of it, The sentiment in Sacra-
mento is that the dead walls that isolate
some decent sections from the city proper
should be broken down; that the in
famous dive nuisance be rooted out; that
bribery of the police amounting to sys-
tematic payment of extra salaries cease;
that the hokey-pokey and robbing games
that fleece whoever plays at them be
closed up, to the last one of them; that
business streets be made passable at any
ordinary hour by women and children.
by clearing out the spewing, foul
mouthed, indecent and disgustin beings
who make some of them now worse than
Whitechapel avenues.
The new police administration has
enough to do if it accomplishes these
things, and frees US from the vagrant
class living upon the wages of the aban-
doned and loafng upon our corners. If
the Police Department attempts too much
it will meet with the fate of all who seek
to turn the world upside down. Let it
proceed steadily and earnestly against
the open, fragrant, notorious evils and
disgraces, and give the lie to the prophecy
that it will presently fall down and into
the beaten track of subserviency and in
efficiency. 1t will have its hands full if
1t breaks up the lines indicated; puts a
stop to the use of the courts as aids to
crime; makes fixing of cases the most
| dangerous of practices; teaches the high
binders and the bosses of hell-holes that
they are not superior to the law, and
~ O'SS w sh% PONp4S tldt Oac pTOSDSIlbY
of community is not dependent upon
the maintenance of dives, robbery dens,
indecency, and the liberation of class of
leeches who live upon the wages of hon.
est industry.
Chief Rodgers and Captain Bradley
can do all that the community expects of
them. For it is not true that the people
will not support self-respecting officials;
1t is not true that the achievements we
have indicated cannot be worked out; it
is not true that the vicious class is domi-
nant; it is not true that the laws are dead
letters. But it is true, as an old officer
has just said in our hearing: 'Give me
authority and let the people stand by
me, and will make your streets as de-
cent and orderly and as free from
ohenses as any in the land, and will put
a stop to every scandal that now black
ems the city's reputation. I'll do it with
force half as large as the law now gives"
1t remains for Chief Rodgers, Captain
Bradley and the Police Commissioners
to make the new broom clean sweeper
all the time. But it is not the work of an
hour, nor day, nor month. If they
are resolved, and not discouraged by fail
ures now and then, and by weakened
juries, they will have the support of the
people. We admit that just now, such
have been the disappointments of the
past, that public sentiment does not have
faith in much being done, but it as quick
to recognize and applaud honest work, as
it is to laugh at cranks and abhor corrup-
ton.