Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-07-19

public communication of the 9th instant,
wherein you take exception to certain
terms, phrases and statements which APP
peared in my message of the ID instant to
Council, that | wrote these statements
under deep sense of public duty. and not
without some misgivings as TO the pro-
prlety or opportuneneSS Of them. But
there was no part of it where the pro-
priety and justice of the structures made
were clearer to me than that referring to
the creation and conduct of your board.
regret to have contention, either pub
licly oriprivately. with any one. and espec-
tally so with fellow-members of the mun
cipal government, but regard for the truth
! and for the public welfare constrains mt
to maintain in detail each particular criti-
cism made upon your board. 10 begin AZ
! the conclusion Of those statements 10
which you take exception, | said in my
message:
This commission was created for purely
partisan reasons and the next Legislature
ought to wipe it out
Il is quite natural for the members of
your board to take exception to that state
ment, but there is no one else i'll the com
munity, excepting your musters-the
small cabal of politicians who make your
appointments for you to the police force
to object to that proposition. Even your
board will not presume to contend that
the commission was not created for par
tlsan reasons" 1t was created simply for
the purpose Of depriying Republican
mayor OF the power to appoint police
force.
Compared with Reading, Pa, a city of
about the same population as Wilmington,
we pay annually $4,000 more for the
maintenance of peace than is found neces-
sary by our sister city" This is more
than true. The Reading police force i'll
GLIDING every possible man, is composed
.l.gNn Nl,,t.
$4,000, according to a letter received this
day from the mayor of that town, As
tact, we are spending nearly double what
Reading IS spending for the same service.
1.-THE Police Commission y cost
the taxpayers $1,000 this year, and they
have exceeded this appropriation by nearly
$4,000 This is the only incorrect state
ment made. Your appropriation was
$4,000 and yon have exceeded it by
S5,023.l2. If you can lind any comfort in
this correction you are welcome to it.
Neither in its inception nor in its exc
cution was the public interest considered"
Your board was created bu the General
Assembly of 1891 and was the outcome Of
conspiracy on the part of a small group
of politicians who had no other object III
view than to secure places for party
workers, the personal followers of the
conspirators; and in the execution Of your
powers you have carried out to the letter
the intent and purpose of the conspiracy.
Party, and not public reasons have con
trolled the appointment of nearly every
man put in uniform by the majority OF
your board. Not to maintain peace nor to
protect the public against law breakers
but to strengthen party lines and secure
party ascendency in certain districts and
wards, have nearly all your appointments
been made.
ut should never have been created =
That sentence needs neither defence nor
explanation.
The creating of the Police Commission
has not only been gross violation Of the
principles of local self-government, but il
has been attended from the first by scan
dals by corruption, by violence and BY n
shameless abuse Of power" This sweeping
charge was not made without consideration
IL was shameless abuse of power TO place
more than one-third of the police force
into the Twelfth ward upon the occasion
OF the election in June, 1873, for the
purpose of influencing the choice of u
Democratic member Of Council The
violence of your officers in that instance,
which resulted i'll the arrest of a number
OF innocent voters who were there merely
IN the exercise of Il freeman's right.
received then, and merits to-day, The
condemnation OF every honest man III the
community. 1t was a shameless abuse of
power to thrust squad OF armed officers
AhNO bAC NOulI llOuSc lHSl AluTCl at LHN
session of the Levy Court for the purpose
Of intimidating the hundreds of citizens
who locked there to be assessed and Ia
hinder them in their righteous purpose ID
eircumvent the conspiracy for their dis
reimbursement.
The appointments of your predecessors
gave rise to the gravest political scandal
that ever shocked this community, and II
was not unattended by corruption. Ihe
political bosses who inspired your board
made strenuous and shameless efforts ID
bride the commission to appoint il police
force of their selection, and the president
of your present board was the wiling, II
unsuccessful, instrument in that CDrrulr
attempt. 1t was only by the united effort.
and the watchtulness of the local pres!
and of public opinion, without resnp II
parties, that defeated the wretGhed con
spiracy.
Although the Police Commission wa
-. originally created amid cIanlorous lrrotes
tations of non partisanship, no souiicr hitt
the attempt to bride its members lailet
than further legislation was invoked, viii
the result OF board that is entirely amen
able to the diGtallOn of the original con
sprators. Your board was re-Greated 10
partisan reasons and you have not dis
appointed your creators. You appointed
for chief Of police, as political reward
the man who gathered together in the fal
of le92 a body Of men, and. under the pre-
tenCe OF preserving the public peace, cor
rupted them by public funds to suppUr
the Democratic ticket. You violated al
your professions OF -partisanship b,
taking from the Democratic party two
thirds of all your appointments, includiu
the chief of police and both captains q
your force. The same pretensions wer
violated originally iii the selection of til
minority member Of.your board, the ehdie
of whom was left i'll no SENSE to the leader