The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-14
GOSSIP OF A DAY.
Talk About the License
Commission Bill.
The Sort Of Board That Will
Give the Best Results.
How Anti-Cruelty TO Animals S0ci-
ETY. Was Established.

Since THE NEWS published exclusively
last Thursday the text of bill confer
ring upon the City Council OF Providence
authority to create a police commission
TO be composed of either one or three
commissioners as the Council may deter
mine the Gossiper has heard good deal
Of discussion ON the measure, and most
Of Ii was not of commendatory character.
The single-headed feature doesn't find
many supporters, and even should the
Legislature pass the bill in its present
form, which is regarded as hardly within
the limits of possibility, it is doubtful
whether the one-man power feature OF
1t would receive the support OF corpo-
ral's guard. The only argument in favor
of it u based upon the excellent results
that have followed the placing of the
public works department under a single
comm issioner. Ii is pointed out, how
ever, that the conditions in the two de-
partments are vastly different. Under
the triple headed public works commits
sion there was constant division of re-
Eponsibillty which proved decidedly cost
ly 10 the city. There was no concert OF
action between the commissioners who
had special charge of the work In the three
important branches of the department
Thus 1t happened that a street might be
macadamized or paved at great expense
and that very shortly afterward would
me ripped up again In order that a sewer
Tight be constructed or water pipes laid.
bhis tearing up OF streets after money had
been spent upon them was, in the view
Of the City Council, due to the divided
responsibility which then existed i'm the
public department and II was in order to
have one responsible executive head that
the one man comm ission was decided up
ON.
With the police department no such con-
dition prevails and those who oppose the
proposal to create commission OF one
to control 1t say that the same end
could be attained and one salary saved by
giving the chief absolute control and
comforting on HIM the powers now pro-
posed by the framer OF the bill referred
to TO be given To a single headed COM
mission. In this connection the most
pregnant and valuable suggestion the
Gossiper has yet heard was made by
gentleman who is well informed on
municipal matters in general and police
matters in particular. "What Providence
needso ne said. sis not single headed
commission elected by City Council
that has come into power through a poll
tical accident, but a metropolitan police
system with police commission at the
head similar to that in Boston. The
commissioners should be appointed by
the Governor so that they will be indie
pendent OF and above factions snd fights
and who will manage the department
with the sole view of increasing it's
efficiency and raising the standard OF its
morale.
"Not only should these commissioners
have entire and absolute control OF
the police department, but they
should also have charge OF the granting
OF all licenses-liquor licenses. dog IL
censes, show licenses, ball licenses, junk
licenses, pawnbrokers' licenses In fact
licenseo OF every description should be in
their control and management. The effect
of such a consolidation of authority could
not fail to be beneficial. commission
clothed with power TO grant all licenses
and with the police department under its
control could enforce every restriction
imposed by those licenses and compel
strict observance of them TO a degree
utterly impossible under any other sys-
TEN. Take IL in the case of liquor licens es
not only could the holders of licenses be
kept to a strict observance of every re-
quirement, bat unlicensed dealers could
te more quickly dealt with and their un-
lawful traffic stamped out. There is GER
tainly some thing in this suggestion the
members o the committee on the Judi
ciary, which now has commission bill
before il, may well take into consider
alton before making its report to the
House Of Representatives.