The evening times., 1896-06-06
POLICEMEN WILL HEED

For the most part our Washington po-
licemen are a splendid lot OF officers and
will compare favorably with the personnel
of any other force in the country. Many Of
them, however. have one very bad and very
dangerous habit-the reckless use of the
revolver. II is habit utterly indefensib.e.
and Indulgence in it ought to subject IN
officer not only to punishment in the
courts, but from his superior officers. A
police officer has no right to fire his
pistol in crowded street, unless it be to
defend himself from serious bodily harm,
or save another persons life. In this
respect he stands precisely on Il level with
the private citizen. Under no circumstances
should he be permitted TO use it simply to
secure the arrest % Il fuGutive, or even
because IN ordinary assault has been made
upon him.
All this has been explained to our police
men, both by the newspapers and by the
judges OF our courts. Fines have been i'm
posed upon Offenders frequently. but all tn
no purpose. 1t seems as if their zeal every
little while runs away with their discretion
and then they offend again. AT last Judge
Miller. of the police court has given warn
ing. which, it is TO bc hoped. policemen will
heed, if for no other reason than for their
own good. Judge Miller has declared that
the next time policeman fires pistol
in the public street and is brought before
him, he will impose no more fines, but
hold him for the action Uf the grand jury
u. -.,I,
men that they hit anything o. an ybody save
the thing or the person they want to hit
and in the eyes of the grand jury this de-
ficiency ought to constitute an additional
reason for returning an Indictment.
- -
PROTECTING TIE PENSIONERS.
Never was beneficent reform accom-
its good effect more Immediately and
more strikingiy apparent than that which
had for its object the safe-keeping of the
old veterans pension money. 1t was only
| a change in the method OF delivering the
| checks. Instead of giving them to the
| pensioners at the agency, they are now
| mailed to their homes. But that change
| caused great difference in the appear
| ance of the police station blotters on the
| morning following pension day" On
| that day in March 80 per cent Of the
| persons arrested as drunk and disorderly
| were old veterans who had drawn their
checks, fallen into the hands of sharks,
| and spent their few dollars in liquor. On
| this last day only per cent OF the
arrests could be traced to pension money.
| The whole thing proves how frequently
| great results are brought about by CON-
paratively insignificant causes.
A flaw has heen discovered, however
in the new modus opcrandi. The law
| prohibits the delivery of the checks to
any one save the pensioncr himself, OF
| some duly authorized member of his fam
lily, and hence good many veterans wko
| were not at home when the letter carriers
| came. and who had not given the necessary
| authority to any one, failed to get their
checks for twent y-four or forty eight hours
| This defect ought to be remedied. Til,
| law was intended 10 throw a Safeguard
around the pensoper, when the checks
were delivered at the agency, and to pre-
| vent imposi,ion upon the government ani
| fraud upon him. Probably its repeal, o
! at least material modification, is Quit,
| practicable now.