St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-19
TURN THE MULE AROUND.

flOneer Press IN some comments on the
local situation. When the council in
dulged the other evening in lot Of
! recriminations over the expenditure
made necessary by a refusal to pay
the police department their legal SAL
aries until compelled by the courts,
the Pioneer Press, which is not in as
close touch as some others with its
party, mentioned next morning the fact
| that the blame for this seemed to be
distributed among several different
parties. Had there been no demand
upon its party fealty, that would have
been it's last word; but the Dispatch
next evening, having noted that the
G o b e and the people were rightly
holding Comptroller McCardy respon-
sible for this outrage, appeared with
a haming attempt which was to take
the blame from the shoulders of this
Republican pet and prodigy and locate
it in the Democratic ranks. The Pio-
neer Press in this, as in a great many
! other matters where originality is in
Volved, takes it's cue from it's evening
contemporary. Imagining that it's pat
ronage will suffer still further in
roads by a comparison between it's
activity in the campaign and that of
the Dispatch, it how repeats the
customary laudation of it's comptroller,
and says that the attempt to fasten
upon Mr.. McCardy the blame for ex-
pending over $1,000 in collecting sala-
ries due to the policemen is putting the
saddle upon the wrong mule. "It was
the mule that kicked" it says And
we quite agree with it. But the pedi-
gree of that mule, and the object that
feels the impact Of his hoofs may be
seen by referring to the illustration
upon our first page this morning.
The documents Of the case are on
file in the official records of this city.
The pay roll of the police department
was fixed'in 1892 It was. perfectly un-
derstood and known to everybody that
these salaries could not be changed ex-
cept by the eommonsceuneil Certain
reductions were said to be possible by
Chief Clark, and were recommended
by the conference committee at the
beginning Of the present year. Neither
the chief of the police department nor
the conference committee, nor any 9TH
er individual or body whatever had
the slightest power to make such re-
ductions effective until they had been
OH -- 80
council. The changed pay roll there
fore, involving salary reductions ag-
gregating $4,000, was a mere sugges-
ton, not only without binding force
upon any official but impossible of
realization until the council had
accepted 1t. This was the state of the
case when the police pay roll for the
month Of January was sent to the
! comptroller's office. That pay roll was
made out in the only way that it
could be made out until the council
should take action; namely, at the old
figures fixed by law. Mr.. McCardy
| took it upon himself, without any war
rant or authority, solely by virtue of
refuse to audit the pay roll, and to re
turn it to another department without
power to alter it; namely, to the chief
of police. His letter in the premises
follows:
Feb. 1, 1S96.-The pay roll of your depart
ment is herewith returned for correction
according to the following reductions
as furnished by you to the conference
a,,I
schedule of reductions) This schedule be-
gins the January pay roll this year,
and in view of the above, presented
to you by the conference committee and
adopted, the committee placed a sum in the
| tax estimate sufficient to meet the pay rolls
as above reduced.
Please correct the pay rolls and return the
same to, yours, j. ]. McCardy.
The comptroller had as much and as
little reason, as much and as little
power to do this as he had to refuse
to pay any other legal obligation of the
city because it did not please him.
The chief of police replied, pointing out
to the comptroller that the salaries in
his department had been fixed by the
common council, and that, until
changed by it, he was unable to alter
them. This pay roll then, as we'll as that
of February, was held by the action
of Mr.. McCardy alone, without warrant
of law. Had he sent the pay roll, as
was his duty, to the council, it would
| have been passed as originally made
out. Had he even, after refusing to
audit it, sent it to the council, instead
of to the chief of police, then that
body would have been responsible for
He did neither Acting as he always
does, as a dictator whose mere opinion
is superior to laws and ordinances and
charters, he chose to take upon him
self the entire responsibility, which he
cannot now escape.
The same process was repeated in
the case of the February pay roll, al
though by this time Mr.. McCardy had
been reminded, as we have seen, of
what he knew we'll already, that no
power on earth could prevent the col
ell had ordered otherwise. No resort
was left to the policemen except to ap-
peal to the courts for redress Their
attorneys had had dealings with Mr.
two years he had kept the police and
fire departments out of money right
fully due to them by his mere arbi-
trary act They knew that, being over
L.. ol4