St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-12-16
MeCardy Says the Police Fund
Has Run Short and They
Must Wait.
POINTS TO THE CHARTER.
High Salaried Officers in
Other Departments Al
ways Get Their Cash.

force Is in blank of fix. Day in and
day out, night IN and night out, ''in
cold or wind or else in rain" to and
fro, up and down, back and forth,
trudges the weary copper.
For why? For exercise? Largely.
For glory? Partly. For booze? Possi-
bly,. For a salary? Preposterous.
The police fund is eXhausted-com
pletely done up." as it were. How il
became so played out is not known; but
it is understood that it gave up the
ghost from the sheer fatigue Of UNDER
going McCardy's excessively keen
watchfulness. 1t just slid out, van
ished. evaporated, ducked.
And where are the coppers this
Christmas? Why, they are just patrol
Ing their beats and wondering if there
is enough left out of their October SAL
aries to buy Christmas turkey. If not,
they muss stand of somebody. And to
eat Christmas turkey loaned to you
for the occasion is not cheerful occu-
patton, After you have borrowed the
bird and swallowed one of his Joints
you sort of feel that your butcher has
All attachable right on the contents Of
your stomach, and,
As Those Contents Contribute
materially to your enjoyment, just so
far does your butchers lien extend
Now these are not pleasant refiec-
tiOns for even a copper to indulge in.
Christmas comes but once year. but
McCardy is with US always. Would the
system were reversed, is the sentiment
of every guardian of the police. In
vain do you expoStulare with a copper
that McCardy, J. j., is a watchdog OF
the treasury and that watchdogs are
good things to have around. You
might even Quote''Tis sweet to hear the
watchdOg's honest bark bay deep.
mOuthed welcome as one draws near
EOme," but the copper sees that tbs
simile won't do in this case. The nearer
be draws to the city treasury the iierceI
its watch doggrowls. Alas for the
copper!
And then, of all times in the year, to
distress the copper! Think of it! Just
before Christmas! On Christmas eve,
indeed, for now must he wait until the
ides of January for coin OF the realm.
And that coin will much of it go to pay
for such Christmas jOIlities as the cop
per has been able to provide on credit.
1t is not right. Coppers have souls,
They also have wives and children, and
lots of other human characteristics. In
fact, they are very much like other
folks in their homes. They love theiI
families. and like as not detest theiI
work. and when they do that work they
want their pay. And they should have
it, even if the city Of st. Paul IS theiI
employer. That city already owes
them 80 per cent of what they earned q
year ago last November. That sum in
the case of an ordinary patrOlman il
S22.5O They were told by the grim
watchdog that they would get lt-well,
when they got it. That is, when the de-
linQuent taxes came In.
They Haven't Come in Yet.
The query Is, when will they get their
100 per cent of this November's sal.
aries? When the COWS come home?
Verify the outlook is bluer than in
digo.
Then that Bell charter. That's a
cuckoo. It's such a safe. sure, "tie-me-
up-tight" affair. But it's nuts for Mac.
For example, the police fund is empty.
and the park fund is swelling with
Nieldy surplus. Why not tap the park
funds barrel for enough 10 feed the
policemen for a month, provided resti-
tuition is subsequently made? The in
stant after you hint at such thing you
can hear McCaTdy's monOtOnOuS chant:
"The charter says that one fund can
not be diverted for the use of another;
amen" And the covert smile that turks
under his dropping mustache makes you
curse him as well as tine charter.
Why did you do this, Nh Bell.
There was an alderman with Iarge-
hearted impulses who sat in the last
council. His name is Pat Conley. Pat
sympathized with the copperS, ard tried
to wiring from the city treasury the
So 80 due each patrolman. He intro
duced a resolution to that effect, which
both bodies adopted. But the watch
dog took crimp in it, and back it came.
1t was not legal, pronounced Judge Me-
Cardy, to pay the expenses of 1895 out
the budget Of 1894. Yet, forsooth, bills
incurred by the police department in
1898, amounting to some $4,000, were
paid out OF 1S94's budget.
Truly, the law. as construed by a
bookkeeper with judicial propenSlties,
works in a mysterious manner its won
ders to perform.
The great charter" says the police
department shalt have $lS5,00a year.
This year it has had and expended $751;
600 up to date. There is no more money
forthcoming this year. The fire de-
partment also fell a tritle short. and the
men were compelled to sacrifice 10 per
cent of their salaries.
But did any one ever hear of the big
salarIed city officials in other depart
mentS and their assistants failing 10
draw their full pay?
1e poor coppersl