St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-29
Pioneer Press. May 4, 1890.
ST. PAUL'S POLICE PROTEC-
TlON.

There Is one feature of the present
city government which even critics are
compelled to admire. and that Is the
protection accorded toiife and property,
and the comparative infreauency Of the
more serious forms of crime 1t is prub.
country can show record equaiing
ours in this respect, when all the cir
cumstances are taken into considera-
ton. The police force is small in pro-
portion to the population. It's Increase
has been contemplated: but, if we con-
slider the number of off GERS and men
actually OH duty and the area aud pop
ulation of the territory which they must
cover, they will be found to have as ar
dnous task as any force in the country.
Notwithstanding this, the preservation
of public order is marred only at long
intervals by the occurrence Of notable
crimes. There is an occasional drunken
shooting or stabbing affair in the shady
quarters of the city, and little pilfer
ing here and there from time to time.
But 1t astonishes the resident Of Chicago,
st. Louis or any other large city who
are so infrequent as to be the subject of
extraordinary sensations when they
occur. Deadly assaults and public rob-
berries are almost unknown, while it has
been long since single case of success
full burglary was heard of. Life and
property, always held by a sIighter ten
ure in large cities. are almost as secure
in st. Paul as In the quiet of some
country village.
We may boast. therefore, that we
have succeeded in achieving one o. the
two purposes of city government-the
financial purpose and the protective.
And this happened. not because the
criminal element of our population is
less numerous and active than that ot
other cities, but because the repression
of crime is stern and intelligent. There
IS no better policed city in the United
States than st. Paul. Every rascal is
spotted as soon as he enters the city
j
gerOus character, before he has been
here half day. The native criminal
element is kept well in check and under
such close and constant surveillance
that it dare not venture far. For thi,
we are indebted to the existing manage.
ment of our police force, of which, to
whatever criticism it may be open, it
may at least be said that it does its duty
and saves US from evils that beSet other
great cities. 1t would be calam-
ity TO have this police supervision.
made effective by years of the
most careful building up and
by familiarity with the situation,
broken down for no wOrthier object
than to make places for new men.
Other departments of the city govern.
ment might be better for change, but
a revolution In this could scarcely fail
to be for the worse. And especially
must this be true of any reconstruction
of the police force for the mere purpose
of filing election promises. 1t is valid
objection to the candidacy of Col. Kie.
fer. aside from those already presente d
tina the is openly committed to the re-
noyal of the present police officers. and
has limited to his audiences everywhere
that new men would be needed through.
out 1t will not strike the averages
voter as worth while to exchange the
remarkable security which he now EN-.
joys, the certainty that his property will
not be molested or his home broken
into, for the reign of terror that would
inevitably follow the appointment of a
force of green policemen, Differed by
inexperienced and therefore necessarily
incompetent nlen.