The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-28
THE LONDON POLICE.
THEY ARE COMPARED TO 1.-THE FIN
Esrn IN OUR LARGE CITIES
Reason. Versus Clubs-The Art of Conduct
ing an Orderly TOwn-The Democracy of
donarchy-The London 'sBObby" In q
Fight.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
LONDON, June 3.-For the life OF ne
I cannot avoid drawing contrast be-
tween the police of London and the po-
lice at home in New York. In London
they are a band of courteous public serv-
ants who are willing to obGge and give
information to everybody. In New
York they ara a proved set of offensive
blackguards and DULLES. This is hard
and straight to the point way of putting
it, but it is the truth, the proved truth
And, again, no man can say that am
going back on~America or am an anglo
maniac. 1 love America above all other
places, and hate to have to listen in
silence to the sarcastic illusions English
newspaper men make to me concerning
the mock liberty that exists at home in
New York
The average wage Of a London police
man is ahapt "a shi1lings a week 1857,
and even IF he had the desire there is
no show for him to levy blaclmaiL Con-
trast thiswith the salaries paid the pa
trolmen at home and their opportuni-
ties, and remember also that N oney
goes pretty nearly as far in New York
as it does in London.
I have lived in London now for three
months and have discovered a strange
fat. It is this In London the individ-
ual has much more liberty than he has
in New York. Think of it Here in the
great town of an old monarchy there is
actually more freedom than there is in
the great town Of q new republic. It
ought not to be true but it is true. In
Hyde park you will hear men and wom-
en- saying things for which they would
be arrested and given a years impris-
Onment in New York, and still London
is most orderly town. Yes; the police
of New York understand the art of levy
ing blackmail, but they don't under
stand the art of conducting an orderly
town, and why men should have moro
freedom under a monarchical form Of
government than under a republican
form is riddle the solving of which I
leave to others. And people wonder at
Americans becoming anglomaniacs. I'm
beginning not to wonder at it at all.
The principle of the London police
man is to keep and preserve the peace,
restore order and see that there is no
breakage of the law. The principle of
the New York policeman is to break the
peace, aggravate disorder and have the
law broken so that he may be able to
levy blackmail. At least this is the
principle he acts upon. The following
will illustrate the attitude of the Lon
don policeman toward those that come
within his supervision. At about 10
o'clock last Sunday night, as I was
sauntering along Threadneedle street, I
saw two men fighting in the entrance
way of a public house. They were at it
hammer and tongs, and I watched them
for short while, till suddenly up camo
policeman. At once he rushed in be-
tween them, and after a great deal Of
difficulty, in which he was knocked
about considerably himself. he managed
to part them. Noticed that all through
the scuffle he never attempted to strike
either of them himself Imagine New
York policeman doing this After part
ing them he expOstulated with them
and advised them to go home. Then
both began to tell him the story of their
grievance. He listened patiently and
judicially to them, and when they were
through he advised them to go home
again. They took his advice, and then
he calmly resumed his beat He had full
filed his duty by restoring the peace.
Even in the lowest and most danger
ous parts of London the policemen show
a disposition to perform their duties in
a fair and humane way. If the roughs
are doing anything out of the way, they
meet and talk to them as man to man,
and only arrest them in a case of neces-
sity. Often in Waterloo road and along
New Cut, I see them in the act of argu-
ing the point with unkempt looking,
roughly clad men and boys
suppose if I were to speak to a bull
doing, Matchmaking police captain at
home of this way of handling the rough
element Of a city, he would tell me that
it was all wrong, because it taught the
people not to be afraid of the law. But
he himself would be in the wrong. In
the first place, he would show that he
knew nothing at all of human nature,
because the best way to get the best out
of people is by appealing to their reason
and sense of prepriety and not by pis-
toling and clubbing them And, again,
why should people be made afraid of
the law? Why shouldn't it be helpful
and protectful to them?
The way that the London police han
die great crowd is magnificent. You
never see a club raised or hear hard
word used The police are courteous and
civil, and the people pay attention tc
any request they may have to make.
Apropos OF this let me tell you of what
4 once saw IN Chicago. It was during {
big celebration, and the streets were
thronged The police had to clear pas
sage through dense crowd of people.
How did they do it? Why, simply by
cursing at, showing and pushing them,
and when they were unable to get out
of the way fast enough by murderously
clubbing them. saw the blood of free
American citizens fall upon the stones
because, like a lot of frightened rats
they were unable to obey a policeman
order fast enough.
This order of things exists in a great
ar Iac1o1s -,