St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-13
Republican Assemblymen
Hang Up Police Appoint
mentS for Purposes
TO SUIT PARTY MEASURES.
Reardon Prefers Charges of
Gambling Against O'Con-
nor, Chief Detective.
TRIED TO Do NUGENT,
But His Scheme Is Foiled a nd
Nugsnt Is Made a
Detective.


They showed their hands last night,
those Republican assemblymen on the
police committee. Under the preteXt
of love for civil service reform prin-
'ciples, they hung up nearly half of
Mayor Smiths appointments to the
police force; that is, they deferred
action upon them in order to give the
men discharged or reducedin rank by
the mayor chance to come before the
committee and tell their tales of woe,
by way Of showing that they were faith
full and efficient policemen, and were
unjustly treated. In other words, it
was simply furtherance. on the part of
the committee, of the Republican
scheme to balk the administration and
make things unpleasant generally. But
the patriotic gentlemen will be disap-
pointed in the end, for every single one
of Mayor Smiths appointments will
eventually be confirmed.
There was full attendance of the
committee on police, which consists of
,Assemblymen Strouse (chairman), ArO-
sin, Lewis and Reardon. 1t will be
was as one to three in such company.
And to the credit Of Chairman StrOuse,
it should be stated, that upon every
motion to defer action on the appoint
meuts he voted no. Mr.. Stro use an
nounced at the outset, when it became
apparent that the Republican members
of the committee We're bound TO hang
up the appointments, that he wished it
understood that he would vote against
deferring action.
Timothy RcardOn Talked
the most and tine loudest, as usual, and
before he finished. laid himself open to
the severest criticism.
TO begin with, the committee con.
firmed the appointment of Chief of Po-
lice Clark unanimously, and without
hesitation. The next name considered
was that of John j. O'Connor. whom
Mayor Smith named for chief of de-
tectives. Reardon was Drimed for this
occasion, and delivered himself sub
stantially as follows:
II object to confirming this appoint
ment at the present time. Personally,
L nave no objections to Mr.. O'COnuor,
but do not think that the people of
the city want professional gambler
for their chief of detectives. Moreover,
it is matter of record in the district
court that O'Connor has rented house
for gambling purposes"
"Do you wish to make that charge
against Mr.. O'Connor?" asked Char
man Strouse.
Reardon hesitated moment, and then
said he did Asked what knowledge he
had to warrant such a charge, Reardon
replied that he had no personal knowl-
edge outside of what he had read in the
discussed the matter, and the committee
finally voted TO defer action and give
O'COnnor an Opportunity
to come before 1t and disprove the
charge. Chairman Strouse Informed
Reardon that he would be held down
strictly to proving the charges he had
made. And so confirmation of the ap-
pointmeut of the chief of detectives was
deferred.
The committee proceeded to consider
the remaining appointments. In all
there were twenty.nine appointments,
consisting of twenty-five patrolmen,
five detectives and the two chiefs. City
Attorney Chamberlain rehearsed the
law regulating the police appointments.
The chiefs, captains, lieutenants, SER
geants and detectives, said the city
attorney, were exempt from the age and
physical limitations imposed upon the
patrolmen. By the law of 1883 no man
over thirty five could be appointed to
the police force. But in 1887 the law
was amended so as to reduce the age
limit of patrolmen to thirty-three years.
This clearly exempted all officers and
detectives.
Fortified with this knowledge the
committee proceeded with its labor.
After disposing of the two chiefs the
appointment of Jim Nugent, the one
armed officer,as patrolman, was taken
up.
Jim's Absent Arm Worried
the committee. Chairman StrOuse
championed Nugent's cause by calling
attention to his long and faithful service
on the force, where, in the full dis
charge of his duties, he lost that
arm. Reardon admitted that Nugent
had made an excellent record, but now
he had only one arm, and to vote to con-
firm him minus this member would be
to violate his (ReardOn's) oath of Office,
as the man was physically disqualified.
Therefore Mr.. Reardon could see no
way out of it but to refer the case to the
CITY attorney. That official suggested
that the committee could get around the
difficulty by recommending that Nugent
be appointed detective. The commit
tee liked this suggestion, and adopt
ed it.
The committee recommended that the
following appointments be confirmed:
Lucky Officers.
Dan ]. O'Connor. detective; Dan j.
Ahern, detective; Isaac Hines, detect
i've; Michael DAILY, detective; Thomas
Kenealey, detective: Joseph Stockton,
patrolman; George Koedler, patrolman;
Hans Hanson. patrOlman; Michael
Horau, detective; Thomas Horan, pa
troiman; Joseph M. Guion, patrolman;
Charles A. McMahon. patroiman; Will
lam b. Ryan, patrolman; John s.
Webb, patrolman.
: The foregoing list numbers fifteen.
All the restot Mayor Smiths appoint
ments were deferred, and for, these rea-
sons. In the case OF Chief of Detectives
O'COnnor, because of the charges pre-
ferrcd by Reardon; in Nugents case
because of his one arm, and in the re-
maining cases because the men were
appointed to fill vacancies due to the
dismissal OF men. or reductions in rank
OF certain officers. The list of the ape
peintmonts to fill vacancies, upon which