Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-08-25
GENERAL INDICATION OVER 70
LICE BOARDS ACTION.
BOTH COMMISSIONERS SILENT.
JOHNSON TRYING TO CLIMB INTO
THE GANGS BAND WAGON.
Is Now Doing the Bidding of the Boss
es in Obedience to the Order of
Marcy n. Brown-The Dis
charged Men Call Upon
Mayor Jones.


Public Indignation continued to swell
yesterday as the true facts concerning the
discharge of sixteen of the most efficient
officers on the police force for political
reasons purely came to light more fully.
All classes OF citizens, regardless of party,
universally condemned the partisan and
unfair action of the two members of the
board of police commissioners. who seem
to be completely under the thumb of the
Stone machine, and the same people who
denounced them were loud in their praise
of the honest and manly position taken By
Mayor Jones.
Clear-headed people who can see through
a milestone with hole in 1t did not have
to look far to find the real causes
which actuated Messrs. Fyke and john
son. They could readily understand that
the selection Of the sixteen Republican
members of the force for decapitation was
due to the desire of the Democratic men,
bers to build up in Kansas City another
powerful machine similar to the one by
which for years they made every election
in Kansas City a farce. To build up such
a machine it is necessary to have police
force entirely in sympathy with the pur-
poses of the gang and its bosses.
1t is believed by close observers of the
political situation in Kansas City that one
very strong reason for the position taken
by Commissioner Johnson can be found
in his anxiety to climb into the band
wagon and secure seats there for himself
and his patron saint. Marcy K. Brown.
Brown knows that his days as a political
dictator in jackson county are at an end.
and he proposes to make his peace with
the gang bosses. hoping to get fresh grip.
Undoubtedly he has been told in very plain
English that the one way he can get back
into the good graces of the bosses, who are
now in control. is to have his man Friday,
Frank Johnson, convert the police force
iRto a political machine which will be SUBJ
servient to the dictates of the bosses, and
be ready to aid instead of hindering them
in carrying out the kind of work they are
accustomed to do on election day.
The sixteen officers who have been thus
removed, for political reason purely pro-
pose to see how far the commissioners can
use their power for such purposes and they
have already arranged to test in the courts
the power of the commissioners to remove
them without cause Attorney Ben Har-
ON. who has been retained by them, says
1t Will be easy to establish the fact that
no charges of any nature We're brought
against the discharged officers and that
their removal was for political reasons
only.
Yesterday morning the sixteen discharged
officers. accompanied by Mr.. Hardin. paid
Sonaliy thank him for the stand he took
in the matter. Mayor Jones replied, thank
ing the men for their kindly feeling and
sentiments.
AT the close of his address a motion
was made to extend a vote of thanks to
the Kansas City Journal for the fearless
stand 1t has taken against the gang rule
politicians. The motion carried with q
hearty cheer.
The officers then went into a private
room for consultation with Attorney Har-
dir as to what course they will pursue to
preserve their legal rights. After the con-
sultat.on. Mr. Hardin said that while the
matter would assurediy be taken into the
courts, he was not prepared TO say in just
what manner.
After the conference the officers all went
to police headquarters and surrendered
their reyolvers and uniform buttons to
Property Clerk Snow. Ex-Sergeant Camp
bell alone refused TO surrender his, and
this is taken to mean that he will be the
medium of the test case to be made.
Here is one point said Mayor Jones,
"tnat L forgot to give you in my last
nights interview. Three of the sixteen
policemen who were discharged by the
Democratic commiss toner's served as wit
nesses for the state in the election fraud
cases. They are Sergeant Blockburger
and Patroimen Hobby and Wachs All
these little things work together to show
the reasons for the removals"
The mayor received many messages by
telephone commencing him for his action.
Many persons also called upon him to
congratulate him.
The Democratic members of the police
board. when seen yesterday, refused to
talk. They said they did not care to enter
into newspaper controversy with Mayor