The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-08
A.P.A. PLAN BLOCKED.
Nebraska's Governor Acts In
the Interest Of Peace.
He WANTS THE NEW Law TESTED.
II Is Provided That the Act Need Not Go
Into Effect For Thirty Days and He
Proposes to wait-The City Buildings
Guarded by the Old Police.

OMAHA, Aug. 2.--The governor OF
the state has blocked for q time the
plans of the American Protective asso
citation and thus prevented bloodshed
The governor refused to meet Attorney
General Churchill and Commissioner
Russell, for the purpose of appointing
the police commissioners, and in justi.
fcation of his course, made the follow.
ing statement:
Yours of present date calling atten.
ton to chapter 10 of the act of 1895 re.
lating to the appointment of fire and
police boards in cities of metropolitan
class, and to the provisions of such act,
is before me.
"You request that said board be con.
vened at the Office of the govern or Aug.
l, 1895, at 4 o'clock p. IN. of said day,
to select three citizens 10 act as mem.
bers Of the fire and police commission
OF the city of Omaha rnder the provis.
ions Of said act. Permit me to say in
reply that have considered the pro.
visions Of the act you have called to my
attention providing that appointments
be made within 30 days.
"You say this phrase doubtless would
be construed to mean 80 days from and
after 1t took effect, the act not to take
effect until Aug. /, 1895, under the gen.
orally accepted construction of the con.
stitutional provisions governing the
time when acts shall take effect when
passed without the emergency clause.
The act in question and all other acts
passed without the emergency clause
by the last Legislature have been treated
as not taking effect until the first of
August of this year. Therefore, under
the provisions of the act in question, 30
days time remains in which these ap-
polntments may be made.
''In order that there may be no un-
due haste or seeming desire to precipi-
tate trouble, and in view of the doubt
full validity OF this act, do not deem it
my duty nor consistent with the main
tenance OF peace and good order to take
such hasty and precipitate action rela-
tive to the appointment of new board.
L, therefore, as chairman, decline to
call the meeting as requested, or to par
tioipate at the time suggested, in the
appointment of board Of fire and po-
lice commissioners under the provisions
Of the act referred to-"
Churchill and Russell declare they
right away and let them use force to se-
cure the city property.
Mayor Bemis, when asked what
prompted him to issue a riot proclama-
tion, said itva'me ely hl revolutionary
measure adopted to prevent Jodshed.
He said nothing had occurred i'll the ma
ture Of a disorderly act or demonstra.
ton 80 far on the streets, but from what
he had read in the newspapers it was
necessary to put the people on guard
against probable riot.
II am here to enforce the laws of
Nebraska, and that l propose to do, Z"
declared Chief of Police White, when
asked why he had a reserve force of po-
hoe headquarters and the official police
alarm operators guarded There has
been a great deal of intiammatory talk
upon the streets, and there have been
tnhammatory articles printed, and in
the event OF trouble 1 want men on
hand to suppress it,"
Editor John 9. Thompson of The
American, the A. p. A. organ, has re-
ceived the following dispatch from
Chicago, sent by j. w. Dixon: 1--WE
can furnish 5000 armed Americans to
put down lawbreakers in your city at a
moments notice"
No explanation of the dispatch could
be made by those who would naturally
be in position to know regarding its
authenticity and meaning. There have
been no assemblages of persons on any
Of the streets either with or without
riotous or disorderly conduct. In fact
the city is quite free from gatherings Of
crowds. The conflict of authority, if it
occurs at all, will take place after the
formal legal demand has been made by
the incoming board for recognition at
the hands Of the police demartment.