The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-02-06
The Metropolitan Police
CHARLESTON UNDER THE BAN.

CHARltSlUN UNUtR IHt BAN,
| Governor Evans Has Appointed Commits
sioners to Direct the Police Department.
How Charleston Roceivod the News.
Charleston Is under the metropoli
tan police. Governor Evans has ap
| pointed q board Of police commission
ers, and the commissioners have me
and appointed j. ElmurC Martin chic
of police. No other changes have beer
made us yet. BY an act of the Legls
lature passed in 1894, the Governor .
the State was empowered to place any
city undor metropolitan police whom
over it was doomed necessary to the
enforcement of the disponsary law by
State board of comm issioners, con
State and the Comptroller General
The people OF Charleston are bitterly
opposed to the metropolitan system
and they believe that Governor Evans
Is prompted in his action simply by
the determination to keep a personal
friend and follower in office. In De-
cembcr a now municipal administra-
tion went into office. When the time
for appointing chief oi police came.
Mayor Smyth appointed !n.,rah4m
l1ascll, who had been opposed to him
politically, but q man in whom every
one had great confidence. j. Gilmore
Martin, who had been chief OF pu,lce
under the previous administration, ";.s
u persona friend and follower Of Gov.
evans ans; one of the very few Tii,man-
tvs in Charleston. His opponents
claimed that he had been s. bittor par
tisan and for that reason he was I'M
qualified to hold Office. Martin has
made u good police officer outside Of
political considerations, and he had
strong friends In the city. Two of tho
aldermen selected with Mayor Smyth
being sick when he appointed Uasell,
his opponents had a majority OF one in
council and refused to confirm the ap-
pointmont.
1t was after this that Governor
Evans began to threaten that unless
Martin was reappointed he would put
the metropolitan bill in force. This
he did by appointing j. Nj Eason, II.
the local board of commissioners. This
board met and organized, and their
only action besides the transaction OF
routine business was to appoint j. Ell
more Martin, the man whom Governor
Evans Is accused Of trying to Feep in q
job, marshal or chief Of police OF tho
city. The city council met and Mayor
Smyth again appointed Hasoll chief Of
police. The appointment was at once
confirmed, a Smyth alderman having
recovered from his illness and one of
the opponents OF the administration
voting with the mayor.
Mr.. James M. Eason, tho president
OF the board, was asked about tho stu
alton. He said that Capt. Martin hat
| been appointed chief, and further thar
| this nothing had been dono at the po
| lice station. The other officers an(
members OF the force would remain as
they wore for the present. The board
he said, had full power to remove any
or all members of the force, but haC
not made any removals Or appoint
ments as yet, except as stated in the
appointment OF q chief. Chief Martin
had takon charge, and Il communica
tion to that effect had been addressed
to the Mayor and city council by the
board.
At the meeting of tho city council
after Mr.. Hasell had been re-appointed
and confirmed, and official notices had
been read from the board of police
commissioners and the chief Of police,
Mayor Smyth said that he had s0mo
correspondence that he would like to
lay before council, and requested the
clerk to road tho following letters. He
said he would call particular attention
to the dates Of the letters 4:
CHARLESTON, S. c., Jan. I6, 1896
Hon. John Gary Evans, Chairman
State Board OF Puiico Commissioners
Columbia, S. C.--Sir: it came TO nv
knowledge yestel day evening, through
telegram received by Con. Edward
McCrady from Mr.. Thomas w. Ba-
cot, that it. was in your contC :np!a
tion, or that OF tho State board Of po-
lice commissioners, to 80 far insist upon
tho appointment by the Mayor OF
Charleston Of Mr.. }. Elmorc Martin as
chief OF police OF that city that in the
event of his non-appOintment the law
providing for a metropolitan police
would be put into ctlcct against the
city OF Charleston.
| was, Of course, naturally quite sur
prised ana concerned at the grav" and
exIrome alternative Witch might b,
brought uUon Ci.ta crm"'"ni'v ~ sn,l-
denly, ana therefore r"vu"gt"u Con.
McCrady 10 telegraph at once to Mr.
Bacot, asking the latter TO say that
p"rtln5 hero were 10" in ")rf@rcr"o,
a"h suggesting that ans acton be hc-
ia!Ch until you could ~ .Ir;hvr ron-
mnnicatcu with upon I'll" snbjcct.
Fully Impressed wiLh one gravity OF
the situation | was a."Ai,-..ng t. SC, :
| could, with your perm Mission, have an
interview with you some time to-day
or tomorrow on the subject, but unfor-
tunately am this morning i'll ia bed
at home. with every apparent Iikcl-
hood OF being 80 for one or two days If
not longor.
Under these circumstances I doom it
best at once to write and SEQ whether
yourself and the gentlemen Of the
board OF police commissioners arc
willing to accord to me d conference,
either as an individual, or as the
Mayor in his official capacity, so that
we could froely talk over what seems
to be threatening and certainly is q
most unexpected condition OF affairs.
II you and the gentlemen OF the
board desire this interview, then
shall ask favor at your hands, name
ly, that you will do me the courtesy to
permit this interview to be made o. q
somewhat deferred date, 20 be arrang-
cd with you as soon az the improve.
ment in my health will cnablo me to
make an engagement with certainty.
This, ! hope, will be in the course OF
the next day or two.
In the meantime, OF course, the situ.