The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-01
Why Not Arrest the Thugs First =?

eadr case, and this was formerly so, but
now the Appellate Court had the right to
pass upon the facts as well as legal
qucStiyns involved The present law,
he maintained, gave the courts too much
| power In these cases.
! Those who expected to hear some
! thing startling from the eX-Commission-
| cr were disappointed, for he settled him
| self down to deliver a long lecture upon
some abstruse points of law. He declared
he was equally opposed to making the
| Commissioner decision in police cases
, final. There should be some right of re-
J view, he said. but not by the usual
method of eertiorari. Extactly what the
law ought to be Mr.. MacLean did not
make very clear, and his lecture seemed
to puzzle the senators. He went away
back into the days of Lord Coke and
| Blackstone and seemed to know all the
medieval cases by heart
He didn't think 1t would be a good
p. thing to have a single headed Commits
sion, and said the scheme did not seem
to work well in Chicago.
Dividing Police PIums.
Hasn't "A Police Commissioner under
the four-headed system, almost an alb
solute power of appointment"
Yes, within certain limits"
Mr.. MacLean explained that the Com
missioners divided up appointments
and promotions in about equal shares,
though, he said, 1t was always under
stood that he would not vote for a man
| under thirty years of age.
The vote of three Commissioners were
necessary to make an. appointment, he
was sometimes overruled on this point
/ The appointments of a Superintendent
and Inspectors We're taken out of this
category, he explained.
ing an Inspector" he said
Theoretically the promotion of man
depends upon a civil-service eXamina
ton" continued MIR. MacLean.
Well, how is it practically" asked
Mr.. Gof.
civil service Useless.
II think to a certain extent that the
appointments are not made in accord
ance with records of the men. In other
words. the most capable persons are not
always the ones to receive the ap1pnt-
| ment."
DO you think the introduction of the
| civil Service examinations has been a
benefit to the force, or has improved it?"
| "No, | don't think 1t has to any great
extent, for the reasons ] have already
stated. for, although the law may be oh
served, it does not always result in the
selection of the best men.
This may be due to the nCompetency
of the examiners, but Whether there Is
any corruption or not. | am not prepared
to say"
The duty of enforcing the law devolved
upon the Superintendent and the force,
and the resolution of the Board prohibit
ing policemen from entering saloons in
plain clothes he did not think absolved
the Superintendent from being RESPONSE
Mr.. MacLean said there was no law so
far as he knew that prevented an officer
from entering saloon in citizens
clothes.
; Paying for Appointments.
Were you ever aware during your
.conetton with the Police Department
paid for?" asked Mr.. Goff.
Not that | could obtain evidence of.
l was aware there was a general i'm,
. preston that appointments were paid
for. and many times tried to obtain evil
dence of this, but never was able to
do so.
pCion. hut | made every effort to in
/ vestigate. the rumors that | heard, and
as say, never could set any evidence"
Didn't the general impression also
prevail that promotions We're paid for?"
Was the subject ever brought up in
the Board and dtscussed?'
Never, that | remember. 1t was a
, matter OF individual interest rather than
one for the Board to discuss"
You mean the Commissioners indivd-
ually?"
YES, I suppose So So far as | was
concerned personally it has no interest
for me"
called for any formal action on the part
of the Board
Il did not"
7 "lid YOU ever speak with other Com
miSSiOnerS about it,
, Not that | can remember"
. In answer to Senator O'Connor's in
quirotcs Mr.. Macl.ean said he was In
favor of aholishing the competitive eN-
aminati0us. but said he thought that
, some examination Of applicants should
I he male by persons not connected with
the Police Department., in order to de
termtnc whether they were properly
I qualified for appointment.
Green Goods Again.
BENJAMIN Van Duran yrb,
formerly a mailing clerk in the Jersey
. city Post Once, told what he knew OF
r the Grcun-goodS business in that city.
$ lie first began To notice the operations
r of tn" grern-goods men about eight
! years ago.
+ They had about twenty-five or thirty
/ boxes and brought in a great deal OF
I matter 10 mail told Postmaster
Dickinson OF my suspicious, and he or.
, dercd me To keep a sharp lookout, and II
5 | found any Of the letters open to bring
, them to him.
II found some the next day and they
: | contained greono-Gouls circulars. Post
= master Dickinson sent them oyer to Mr..
James and they were sent back the next
p day. After that | got orders fr m Mr.
: Dickinson To let all such mai go through
q If II was properly seated.
+ Il don't know when he got his or,
. ders. After this the green-goods meT
II patronized the Jersey City Post Office
4 literally. They began to bring so much
y! mail that they could not put it in the
~ boxes and had to take II around tn,
p back way.
' Discharged for Interfering.
They bought $500 or 500 worth %
stamps day. This business was con
e tinued FOR about six weeks, when i
e was suddenly stopped"
q what caused this?"
r II believe Anthony Comstock got ont
s. the business. | saw him over there. IL
came to the Post Office, in fact, an,
!. talked to me about 1t.