The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-07
THE POLICE SCANDALS.

Mayor BAsKIN has justified the conf
dence in him which even his political OPP
ponents feel, that he is disposed to the
right ana Is DESTROYS OF leaving a good
record as head of the city government.
After satisfying himself by thorough in
vestigation that his chief of poles and two
members of the force were guilty Of con-
duct unbecoming men occupying their posi-
tions lie removed them. This is to the
mayors credit, and especially so in view of
the fact that tho chief was popularity sup
posed to be one Of Judge .BAsKIN's pets,
and an officer in whom his honor felt pride.
1t is not doubted that the mayor would
have been pleased if the investigation had
given him an excuse for exoherating the
police and retaining them in their posi-
tons; but the evidence of wrong-doing be-
ing conclusive the officials heads went of.
There is one thing, however, that the
public will fail to understand, and that is
why the mayor should censure the coun-
cilmen who exposed the conduct of the
captain Of police and his subordinates,
The public viii fail to understand this, be-
cause the public do not regard it as an Of
Tense for city councilmen to bring to light
wrong doing or the part OF city officials.
If we have been correctly informed the
members of the council who are censured
by the mayor were told that if
they would go to a certain house
of ill-fame they would find
the chief Of police and some Of his subor-
dinates indulging in the orgies OF the place.
They went and saw what they subse-
quently reported. It seems 10 US they did
their duty as members of the municipal
government, and the mayor is wrong in
seeking to cast odium upon them. If police
men of the character Of those removed are
to be employed, it would be well If all the
councilmen were TO turn detectives aud
undertake to purify the city government.
We have said on more than one occasion
that we believe 1T is Mayor BAsKIN's ambi-
ton to give a good administration. He
would like to go out of Office
leaving a record which would be
creditable But it may be doubted
that he Will succeed, not through weakness
but on account of the elements by which
he is surrounded. He was placed in Office
by as dishonest and corrupt party as was
6tCI anu IO OHC5 lib cl6CIlcE W
methods which were a disgrace to those
who practiced them. He is under obliga-
tons to those who put him in Office and
they are demanding payment of the debt
He has been paying also, as many of his
appointments too plainly tell. While he
may not think there are strings on him.
too many Of those by whom he is sur
rounded tell different story. Fortunately,
in the present instance we believe be has
broken away from the bosses and acted on
his own judgment We don't believe
Captain PAUL was recommended to
Mayor BAsKIN by any of the
leaders in the last campaign, and we
don't believe Captain PAUL will be at all
satisfactory to any Of those leaders. We
do believe the captains appointment is
offensive to the men who made BAsKIN
mayor, for the reason that PAUL is an
honest man who has shown in one Office
that he has mind OF his own, that he will
90 what he thinks is his duty, and that he
will not submit TO political bossism and
dictaIion. In this appointment we believe
Mayor BAsKIN has risen above his party,
and we can say TO him in confidence that
he win have to do 80 in future appoint
ments, or his administration will be as
rank failure as was its predecessor.