St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-06
TODAY WILLDECIDE
OMAHA is ANXIOUSLY AWAITING
THE DISTRICT COURTS DE-
CISION.
REPLY OF THE A. P. A. BOARD
PROCEEDINGS OF THE OLD PO-
LICE COMMISSION DECLARED
TO BE A BLIND.
SALARIES REMAIN UNPAID.
Suspicion That Some A. p. A. OFF,
GERS Will BE Dismissed From
Duty This Morning.
REPLY OF THE A. P. A. BOARD
SALARIES REMAIN UNPAID

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 5.-The an
swer of the A. P. A. police commits
s1onerS to the petition of the regular
fire and police commissioners was
filed in court today. The hearing
comes up in the morning and will be
in the nature of test of the con-
Stitutionality of the new law under
which the A. P. A. is acting. The
petition claims that a premeditated
plan was arranged by certain indi-
viduals to render the law void, and
that for further prosecution of said
plan Mayor George P. Bemis pro-
cured a pretended injunction to be
issued, pretending to restrain the
city council from approving the de-
PENDANTS bond, but said injunction
was and is illegal, void and of no eff
feet, and was procured with the
fraudulent purpose and design of
preventing these defendants from
having legal status herein, and in
pursuance of the aforesaid corrupt
agreements, as defendants are in
formed and believe; that the said
plaintiffs, said suit having been
brought and served too late to pre-
vent the approval of said bonds and
the qualification of the defendants,
now have commenced this suit to fur
Their delay the defendants herein in
getting the control of such offices
and the police force, and to hinder
and delay them in the discharge of
their duty, and that the same is
justification. Defendants further
say that no proceedings have been
commenced by said plaintiff to test
the rights of these defendants under
the said law by quo warranto, and
that the said plaintiffs have not
commenced the same, and that the
allegations in the said plaintiffs pc
tition, that said plaintiffs are about
to and will commence said pro-
ceedings and pursue them diligently,
are without foundation and are not
made in good faith, but are made
for the purpose of deception, and
so that said plaintiffs may pretend
to be acting in good faith in that re-
gard
PLAINTIFFS BLAMED.
The answer concludes: eff any
dual board Of commissioners exist it
will be because said plaintiffs, in
violation of law and in pursuance
to a long before pre-conceived plan,
and in pursuance of an agreement
to set aside the law and to violate
the same, will continue through the
police, as aforesaid wrongfully or
gained, controlled and created, to
exercise the functions pertaining to
said board And the defendants
maintain that the plaintiffs cannot
try the constitutionality of said law
in these proceedings
Not a ripple of excitement was
noticed in the city today. so far as
the police muddle is concerned.
Whether it is a calm before the
storm, and a premonition of i'm
pending bloodshed, is a question I'M
determined. The only subject now
agitating the members of the po-
lice force is about the payment Of sal
aries. Some, but not many, of the
officers have accounts of sufficient
proportions that the delayed pay
ment will not occasion any loss of
sleep, either on or off duty All sal
aries for last month are tied up.
While the seventy-five special police
men appointed by Mayor Bemis
have been discharged until further
notice is given, it is given out that
the further notice was interpreted
to mean: Report for duty Tues
day morning." One of the specials
said he had instructions to report
tomorrow, subject to the directions
of Chief White. Whether the chief
of police anticipates trouble, or
whether it is the intention of the
board to use the official ak upon the
heads of the seventeen police who
are suspected of having a sympa-
thetic feeling for the A. P. A. board,
is unknown.
QUO WARRANTO PROCEEDINGS.
Papers were filed with the clerk of
the supreme court at Lincoln today
directly in relation to Mayor Bemis,
member of the present board of fire
and police commissioners, and eX-of-
ficio chairman, as plaintiff in the pro-
ceedings in the nature of quo war
ranto to test the authority under which
the A. P. A. commission assumed to
have been appointed. This will force
a decision from the highest tribunal
of the state. The attorney general
also began quo warranto proceedings
tonight to force the Omaha police COM
mission to show by what authority it
acts.