New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-31
THE EYUBERANT GUY.

Nucb Is 10 be parloncd 10 an enthusiastic
r,,ure and ardent temperament. Especially
when such nature and temperament have been
in constant exercise In politics for several years
and their possessor has made coinl"r'apie
living bv keeping them on tap for the promotion
- tho nublic welfare and general good. For THIS
rooson Senator GUYS exuberant diction anu I'M
uossioncl oratory are usually 10 BE- taken Win
soror,, aegrees Of allowance Senator Guy l. IN
.dvocote and orator who never permits hiInscir
IN be governed by considerations or ecohoh! III
,he expenditure Of somewhat Opulent vocaDu-
larry when he IS playing politics IN convention
or earning q fee In court He scOrns meanilcss.
r-ror ,hs most ordinary occasion he uses IAN
cuore that is clearly copious and frequently snS-
yests nrodigality. Consequently when he sald
ON Monday In course ~ trial of an Ordinary
po,,ce Cont case under the Sunday closing pro
v,s,ou az the Excise law that the policeman max
inc tho arrest had been guilty OF "unwarran'ed
and o,roc,ous assault" and added thereto That
tho neonlc I'm his district had been living FOR The
las. three months "ln reign ~ terror mat
ohurclaries and crime Of almost every Kind nave
.heen going on RICH, here under their very noses
.,,hve the police are sneaking around pceping ia
"back doors trying TO see If citizen drinks
..p,,ss OF lager" Guy was probably not ham
n.red NV actual facts or considerations OF ac-
curocv I'm, WAS. rs one might say. "Suyins the
court and the public.
A q matter Of fact, II is not likely That there
hos heon any such reign Of terror as Guy IN
his nueucy describes II there had been. The
community would not have had 10 walt for 'uy
:, fell about H. IL would have been gcn"rHliy
known. The press Is too enicrprislng 10 permit
cuv 10 have a monopoly OF such stirring news
IN Inc kent conccale1 until his opportunity came
., dis.mhopu. IL in a Police Court Moreover
In the statement that IA reign Of terror prevails
hecouse the police are "sncaking round prepng
.In hack doors trying 10 see II a citizen drinks
"o glass Of lager" instead Of arrcsting burglars
and other Offenders who commit crime oi al
mos, averv kind " there, seems 10 be indifference.
for Il Is not pretended that the police are dis
,rac,e,l from their legitimate duties 10 engage
in sneaking except on sunday. aud the reign 81
,.rror" 70 h.. a genuine reign OF terror must
preyall all the seven days OF the week Guy
was. Of course letting his language loose when he
described the situation In his district az reign
OF terror" There are no facts TO warrant H.
- there has been any reign OF terror. 1t has been
confined 10 the select class who have heretofore
been in the habit Of violating law with IMMUNITY
nd become
laws enforcement.
And since Senator Guys imprisoned outb'rst
was partly political AZ well as professional II
may not be amiss To remind MN that 'he I"'''c
,orco 40 nj present constructive Police force
which he says IL neglecting lis more Important
dnties while "sneaking around peeping In back
doors trying 10 see II citizen drihKs glnss Oh
'lager'-is the product OF the political manage
ment OF his own party The present Police force
is not in all respects admirable But such as IL
| Is the Tammany Democracy, and not the present
municipal administration, Is responsible Tor IT, III
lis members are OF the sort VINO are ready 10
neglect their more important duties In order 10
sneak around back doors 10 catch the unwary
citizen drinking beer. the discredit OF ming up
the force with such men belongs TO Senator Guys
Tammany party and no one else. They may be
pursuing this course from sheer ignorance. or
| indlscreton, or pcrhaps-what IL entirely pos
slbe-from the notion that by making the en-
forcement Of law as offensive a. possible they
will bring about reaction against the party or
municipal reform, In favor OF the party to which
they owe their positions. In any case. whether
they ovcrdo the "sncaking" to the neglect OF
other duties from ignorance, indscretlon or
| malice the dscredt OF II belongs 10 the party
| which made the force what IL H. ana NOT 10 tlie
officials who are trying to use such instruments
AZ they have TO the best advantage for the en-
forcement Of law.
Nor does the circumstance escape notice that
almost without exception the Democratic states
men. from Senator Hill down TO Collector Crosse,
who have undertaken to discuss the Excise ques-
ton have INDUCED in IN abundance Of cpihcts,
In unreasoning abuse OF officials who have done
nothing but enforce the law and in excited de-
nunciaiion Of every one who disagrces with
them. 1t Is their own law the enforcement OF
which aggrleves them. II any hardship IL en-
tailed upon citizens by IT, the fault Is theirs for
having passed IT, II the methods Of enforcing
It are "sncaking." they cannot In reason com
plain for the Police force TO which the duty Is
intrustcd Is OF their own selection. and the en-
tire system Of their own creation. Meantime.
when II comes to making political issue Of the
Excise question: let II be remembered that the
gist OF the whole matter Is contained In the fact
that Republican administration IL enforcing
n Democratic law. and that the Democratic con-
tention is openly and badly that the Democratic