St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-19
TAKEN BY SURPRISE.
The Change in the Detective
Management Raises a
Ripple.
The Stern Necessity Of Doing
Something Arouses May
OR Wright.
Everybody Sick OF the Re-
form, and Reformeps All
Know It.
A Montana Man Describes the
Capitol Fight Out
There.

The announcement in the GLOBE yes
terday of the coming change IN the
head of the detective department set the
city bv the ears. AS matter Of course.
the Republican organs all deny that a
change is contemplated, for the reason
that to admit it is to admit the necessity
for such a change. Even Mayor Wright
himself IS quoted as saying the an
nouncement was without authority,
which, however. is a method of begging
the question. He did not directly au-
tnorize the GLOBE to announce that a
change was forthcoming, but he HIM
self, at the Minnesota club, on Thurs
dav evening, told friend that he had
to do something to quiet the loud and
general complaint going up all over the
city, and that he was going to appoint
McGinn to succeed Mason, as chief of
detectives. Before that, however, the
GLOBE had already learned, OIL the best
of authority, that the move would be
made. 1t IS quite possible that, now
that the GLOBE has made the announce
ment, Mayor Wright may delay the
change. or even call it off entirely.
Everybody knows that the reform po-
lice administration has been lameDta-
ble failure. 1t has not required the
long line of burglaries, robberies and
highway outrages, and the conse-
quent reign of terror, TO convince the
people of st. Paul that fatal error was
committed when John Clark and John
O'Connor were removed from the man
agement of the force. The numerous
and emphatic complaints Mayor Wright
has received have thoroughly convinced
him that the reform administration has
been weighed in the balance and fonnd
wanting. Even the Dispatch, the eS-
peclal champion Of the Wright regime,
admits this in an editorial last night, III
which it says:
sure it is that mighty few of the 3000 to
5000 independent voters who gave their sup
port to the Republican party last spring are
any longer In It's ranks. Reform was evil
denty too much for them.
But 1t is question with the best
friends of the administration and with
those few who still believe in and wish
1t success whether the removal Of Mason
will get at the bottom Of the evil and
remedy it, Mason is not the head OF the
police force, and in the present disor-
ganiZed condition Of the city conSta0u-
larry it is doubtful whether even so good
a man as Capt. McGinn can put an end
to the carnival of crime with which the
city has been and is still being RECALLED.
There are many good Republicans III st.
Paul who feel that even the removal
of Garvin may soon become neceS-
sary to restore the public confidence
that was universal when Mayor Smith
Of FL ha hAah Of fbn nipin1I a.
chine. Certainly heroic measures are
required. Every day that passes under
the existing condition of affairs adds to
the difficulty and the danger. The
knowledge that st. Paul is at the mercy
of the criminal workers has been spread
all over the country, and has been an
invitation to many noted crooks TO
headquarter here, and the Invitation
has been accepted by quite a humber or
them. This class of criminals IS entire
ly unknown to either Garyin or Mason.
and could commit acts of Outlawry uI-
der their very noses with impunity.
The GLOBE is not disposed to eXag-
gerate any class of crime which may be
committed in the city, but simply gives
the full details as matter OF news.
The police were instructed to withhold
all particulars. and therefore the other
papers were minus accounts Of many Of
the most fragrant burglarieS of the past
few months, while the GLOBE obtained
full accounts from outside sources. The
loud complaints made TO Mayor Wright
came from his own friends, and from
the victims Of the police 1ncOmpetency,
and could not have come unless the ac-
counts of burglaries given in the GLOBE
were true. Nothing could be more fool
ish than such statements as the follow
ing, taken from last nights Dispatch:
That these complaints are largely due to
the hatred of the reform administration in
augurated under Mayor Wright is we'll
known. and the police department. insists
that the majority are of a groundless char
acter. Several police officials said this morn
ing that the morning paper i'll question
makes a habit of grossly exaggerating the
offenses committed against the law, and bas
even been known to invent fictitious ones.
The Stiffness of such statements is
best known by the fact that the very
same edition of the Dispatch contained
references to two outrages, both of
which it copied, virtually, from the
GLOBE, though both occurred in time
for Thursday edition of that paper, had
it the enterprise to have secured them.
Here are the paragraphs referred to-:
Last night the establishment of the Cassidy
Packing company, located at the corner of
Locust and Seventh Streets was burglarized
TO the extent of $l3, taken from the cash
drawer. The burglars effected their entrance
from m8nhole in the sidewalk. No clue
has yet been found.
Wednesday night as Joseph Maekey,
drayman, was walking up jackson street, be-
tween Ninth and Tenth streets. he was APP
preached from behind and received stun
ming blow on the head, almost deprlving
him Of consciousness. Another blow IN the
face rendered him insensible, and he was
robbed OF Sis and a valuable oVercoat.
There is no use talking. Mayor
Wright has made up his mind that he
must do something and has concluded
to bounce Mason and put McGinn i'll his
place, and if he does not do it, it will be
because he changed his mind after he
saw the announcement in the GLOBE.