The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-14
ABOLISH THE COMMISSIONS.

| dear major, if you would save your
self a world Of trouble, hold the Re-
publican party Of the state solid in
| line, and come out in your administra-
ton with flying colors, and be Endorsed
| by a reelection. then abolish the six
| police commissions Of the state imme-
! diately." The reply was that it would
be held to be a cowardly thing. There
are Republicans in Kansas who today,
| in view of the experiences and results
of the twelve months last past, believe
that it would have been rather the
brave than the cOwardly thing.
While admitting that a LIES devo-
ton to any cause is liable to render
such advocate extreme in his partisan
ship binding him to the merits of the
opposition. and causing him to find his
highest satisfaction only in the triumph
of his side we are not ready to consent
that our love for the Republican party
and its principles is so unreasonable as
10 render US insensible to either out
RACES upon the part of party leaders,
or as TO make us unable to tell the
wrong from the right, although such
wrong may be upheld as a successful
party policy.
Whatever may be said for or against
prohibition as a moral measure, or as
party policy, of the unwisdom of the
prohibition police commission system
we have ever been convinced. Such
a rule devised for the government and
regulation Of class of communities, in
a general way, and for the better en-
forcement of order, and of laws of
universal sanction, might hold redeem
ing features. Still the rule would be
un-Republican - un-American. But
when, as is the case with the Kansas
law, the sole purpose and the whole
duty of such extraordinary power is to
enforce one single law, and that law
sanctioned only by a minority of those
for whose supposed good it is sought
to be enforced, then, and inevitably the
political party responsible for its enact
ment and maintenance must suffer.
The Eagle protested against the pas
sage of the prohibition police commits
sion law when as bill it was origin
ally introduced, and it has never ceased
to denOunce the measure as unwise,
and suicidal as party policy. Con-
ceding for the sake Of the argument,
that prohibition, including all Sump
tuary legislation, is defensible, right
and proper in itself, and provocative
of the best interests to state morally,
materially and politically, still special
commission to enforce it, nolenS vOlenS,
to the practical exclusion Of every other
interest and consideration, and there
can be but one result to the party back
ing it, or the community made its vic
tim.
Even with the prohibition law still
upon the statute books of the state, to
take its chance with other enactments,
with no preference or special SOlicitude,
were there no police commission gov
of population in the state, the Repub-
Hcan party might still be today master
of the situation. AS it is, this pro-
hibitiOn commission law, and the
troubles arising under the attempts of
the boards to either enforce 1t to the
exclusion of every other public in
terest, or the effort of commissions to
evade its enforcement, or only to en-
force it for what revenue can be made
out of it, has so crippled the state ad-
miniStratiOn and so distracted the Re
publican party as leaves the question
of victory in the next election exceed
ingly predetermined.
The most cOwardly of all the three
coordinate branches of a republican
form of government is the legislative.
In the passing of this obnoxious, Rus
Sian-police-Surveillance enactment, and
which was done only in response TO the
vehement demand of a few EXTREMIST
leaders, as a saving clause or as a
lOOp-hOle and excuse the legislature
provided that the governor might, in
his discretion and wisdom, abolish the
system entire, as TO either or as to all
of the cities of the state, at any time.
and thus leave each community on an
equal footing with every community.
SO far as the administration of its mu-
nicipal affairs might be concerned: or
in other words, thus leave 10 the ma
jOrity of every community in the Sc
lection Of its officers to say whether or
not the prohibition law must be the
only law that should be sought to be
enforced. or otherwise.
The adjustment of the prohibition
police commission system by proclama-
ton is probably too much To expect of
Governor Morrill,. and for the reason
that he himself assigned. which is ex-
actly the same reason that deferred the
last legislature from doing SO. but if
the next legislature should happily be
Republican in beth house and senate.
then. in the interest of the party that
saved that majority. as well as in the
interest Of the state morally and ma
terially. this enactment that so SmackS
of Siberian methods and oligarchical
sovereignty should be repealed and
abolished
ON TO GALVESTON.