The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-19
THE SENSIBLE TALK OF THE CHIEF
or POLICE.

OI IOLttb.
In the talk Of the Chief of Police with
a reporter of The Times. which we PRINT
ed Yesterday. the Chief said:
.syou can take II for granted. as long
as | am Chief Of Police and as long as
the present Sunday laws exist, they snail
be carried out to the letter. Nhlle i
have my men well N hand. it may pos
sihlv take mo a month or so before
shail he able 10 force every saloon-keep-
or IN close ND his place of business on
SUNDAYS. but | have fully made up my
mind that they shall remain closed on
the Sabbath day as long as the Jaw pre-
scribes IT,.
That IS the way the Chief of Police
s,ou,d talk. and that is the line upon
which he should frame his conduct lie
has nothing TO do with the wisdom OF
the folly of the law. 1t is for him 10
execute the law II the peoples repre-
sentatives choose 10 make foolish laws,
let the people send other representatives
20 the Legislature. who viii make wiser
laws. but so long as the expressed VIII
of the Legislature remains its eXpresseu
will. executive officers have nothing to
do with whether that will is wise or I'M
wise. 1t is for them TO respect 1t ana
compel all 20 respect 1t whose good el'i-
zenship fails TO prompt them to do So
The Chief of Police will have the DacK-
ing and support of every man In Rich-
mond whose good opinion is worth raw
ing so long as he holds on 10 these views
and acts upon them. All men VINO are
nt 20 be free citizens, wish to see the
DAVIS respected and obeyed, and MOTH
ing shocks good citizen more than the
snectaole of laws openly dehed. one
dience TO the laws is the cornerstone
OF order. and without order there must
be anarchy and confusion.
The New York City Police Commission
ors are now enforcing the Sunday liquor
law there very rigidly. and they are CON
sequently drawing upon themselves Inc
fire OF certain class OF persons ana
politicians. Police Commissioner Roose-
Welt made a speech on Tuesday night
lac, before the good-government clubs
in which ne combatted the statement
that crime had increased in New YORK
city under the new administration OF the
police department and he producei sta
tistics TO show that the number of ar
rests under the new administration iid
been greater than under the ole. lie
then went on to say of Senator III.
81 do not usually ascribe motives. and
/ would ordinarily hesitate, in speaking
Of a United States Senator, 10 say mat
his Governor and his Legislature uof
ne controlled them both absolutely dc-
uberately enacted law which they de-
nberately intended - be dishonesty tx
ecused. but / do not have 10 ascripc no
tives i'm this case for Senator hliis
letter is in effect a frank aVowal that
these were the motives which actuateo
the Tammany Legislature that 2asseo
the present law This law Is now being
honestly enforced and Senator Hiifs as
sault ,Don the honest enforcement II
santamount TO the admission. in the rrst
place. that IL never has been honestly
enforced before. and. in the second place
that he had never expected II TO be hon
estly enforced.
ssThis Sunday excise Law has never been
q dead letter. II has always been eniOrc-
el against the man without money and
v,,thou. political influence. Ii was pass
ed with the deliberate purpose of keep
ing a sword over the neck Of every sa-
loon-keeper who did not render abjecty
faithful service 20 Tammany Han ana
30 the state machine which Tammany
Hall served. 'sss
ss\Sith law such as this enforced
only aeains: the poor or the honest man,
md 10 be violated with impunity by
every rich scouEdrei, and every corrupt
nolitician. the machine did indeed seem
10 have It's yoke on the neck OF the peo-
"Remembel this law never was dead
letter. IL WAS always enforced against
some peopie. During the year before l
camc into office something ike rve
tro,isand arrests were made for viola
lions OF the Sunday Excise law. Think OF
ma, Five thousand arrests, Our arrests
have only been a little mere numerous
nroportionately. But whereas as IN the
KID DAYS men with a pull went scot
free. we. on the contrary. have taken
,,articuiar pains 10 see that IL was tho
man With pull whose store was closed.
"Every honest liquor dealer owes us .
lebt o. gratitude for rsscuing him from