The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-07-14
fHE MAYORS REPLY
lis Answer TO the Police Commits
sioners Letter.
lis MESSAGE TO COUNCIL STANDS
mo Consideration Was Paid to the Publfs
In Making the Police Farcc-some
Facts Plainly Put'-Sha,ne-
less Abuse Of Power.

Facts Plainly Putr-Shaine-
less Abuse Of Power.
The following communication, which Is
a copy of the one sent yesterday by Mayor
Shortlidge to the Board Of Police Commits
sioners, explains itself:
To the Board OF Police Commissioners:
Dear sirs: beg to say in reply to your
public communication Of the 9th instant,
wherein you take exception to certain
terms, phrases and statements which ap-
lpeared in my message Of the I'd instant to
Council, that j wrote those statements
under a deep sense Of public duty, and not
without some misgivings as TO the pro-
priety or opportuneness of them. But there
was no part OF 1t where the propriety and
Justice of the structures made were clearer
to me than that referring to the creation
and conduct OF your board.
4 regret to have contention, either pub
licly or privately, with any one, and es-
pecially SO with fellow-members OF the mu-
nicipal government, but regard for the
truth and for the public welfare constrains
me to maintain in detail each particular
criticism made upon your board. To begin
at the conclusion of those statements to
which you take exception, said in my
message:
4 This commission was created for purely
partisan reasons and the next Legislature
ought to wipe 1t out" .. ...
i II is quite natural for the members oil
your board to take exception to that state.
ment, but there is no one else in the com
munity, excepting your masters-the small
cabal of politicians who make your ap-
pointments for you to the police force-to
'Iobject to that proposition. Even your
board will not presume to contend that the
commission was not created for partisan
reasons" 1t was created simply for the
purpose OF depriving a Republican mayor
Of the power to appoint police force.
AN EXPENSIVE LUXURY.
Compared with Reading, Pa, city OF
about the same population as Wilmington
we pay annually $40, 600 more for the main
ltenance of peace than is found necessary
by our sister CITY," This is more than
true. The Reading police force, including
-Ieyery possible man, is composed of fifty
six persons, who cost that city annually
100000, according TO a letter received this
lay from the mayor OF that town. As O
fact, we are spending nearly double what
Reading is spending for the same service
! The Police Commission cost
the taxpayers s72,0O0 this year, and they
have exceeded this appropriation by nearly
$4,000" This is the only incorrect state
ment made. Your appropriation was
I $4,000 and you have exceeded IL by
F5,OZ3.l2. If you can find any comfort in
this correction you are welcome to it.
PUBLIC NOT CONSIDERED.
Neither in it's inception nor in its exc
cution was the public interest considered. ="
Your board was created by the General
Assembly of 1891 and was the outcome OF
a conspiracy On the part Of small group
OF politicians who had no other object in
view than to secure places for party work
ers, the personal followers OF the conspira-
tors; and in the execution of your powers
you have carried out to the letter the in
tent and purpose of the conspiracy. Party,
and not public reasons have controlled 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 as
tendency in certain districts and wards,
have nearly all your appointments been
made.
IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE RRBN CREATED "
That sentence needs neither defence nor
Explanation.
THE creating of the Police Commission
has not only been gross violation Of the
,lprinciples Of local self-government, but II
| has been attended from the first by scan
ials, by corruption, by violence and by
shameless abuse of power This sweep
o ling charge was not made without con
lsideraton. 1t was a shameless abuse o
power to place more than one-third OF tn
/ tpyliee force into the Twelfth ward upol
: the occasion of the election in June, 1899
!, for the purpose of influencing the choic
Of Democratic member of Council TIL
:. violence Of your officers in that instanc
y which resulted in the arrest of a numbe
!. of innocent voters who were there merel
u in the exercise of freeman's right, re
Iceiyed then, and merits to-day, the con
If demnatiOn Of every honest man In tn
community. 1t was a shameless abuse {
power to thrust squad Of armed officer
into the Court House last March at tn
II session of the Levy Court for the purpos
gIof intimidating the hundreds OF citizen
o who fiocked there to be assessed and
:, hinder them in their righteous purpose
/, cireumvent the conspiracy for their di,
n REIMBURSEMENT.
y The appointments of your predecessor
d gave rise to the
q GRAyEsT POLITICAL SCANDAL
n that ever shocked this community, and
l. was not unattended by corruption. Tn
political bosses who inspired your boar
made strenuous and shameless efforts I
bride the commission to appoint a polio
1t force OF their selection and the presider
~ of your present board was the willing
81 unsuccessful. instrument in that CORFU
"a attempt. 1t was only by the united efor
IS and the watchfulness of the local pres
10 and of public opinion, without respect
ne parties, that defeated the wretched col
10 spiracy. ..
all FURTHER LEGISLATION ASKED.
~ Although the Police Commission W,
originally created amid elamorOus protc
tations of on-partisanship, no sooner h.
the attempt to bride its members fail,
ia than further legislation was invoked wi
40 The result of board that is entirely anne
~ able to the dictation Of the original co
a. |spirators. Your board was re-created (
o partisan reasons, and you have not disa
n pointed your creators. You appointed +
1t chief of police, as a political reward, Il
man who gathered together in the fan
1882 body of men, and, under the pr
tence Of preserving the public peace, &c
! y rupted them by public funds to support 4
% Democratic ticket. You violated all 70
~ pretensons Of non-partisanship hy takii
u. from the Democratic party two1third of
IL your appointments, including the chief
.. police and both cautaIns nf vonr forca M
nd same nretensions were ,,foia,od or;,ri,,a,
in the selection of the minority member
your board, the choice of whom was le
Ill ~ no sense 70 the leaders and organic