Omaha daily bee., 1897-11-30
PAY OFF POLITICAL DEBTS
Police Board Partisans Override the Law to
Bolster Up Their Organ.
LIQUOR LICENSE NOTICES IN QUESTION
Mayors Resolutions for Exhibit of
Newspaper Circulations Defeated
a. by Reform Trio According to
.-1--4 PrearrnnRed Plot.


The nonpartisan reform members OF the
Board OF Fire and Police Commissioners gave
an example last night Of partsanship for
the furtherance OF selfish erAs and the pay
ment OF political debts. The partisanship OF
the board could not have been more ap-
parent than when the question regarding the
proper medium for the advertisement of
liquor lIcerse notices for the coming year
arose. 1t Is the reading of the law that the
advertisements shall be inserted in the paper
having the largest circulation in the county.
AS means OF determining what paper was
legally entitled to the notices and to prevent
costly mistakes by the liquor dealers the
following resolution was introduced by Mayor
Moores:
Whereas, The law governing the sale of
malt, spirituous and vinous liquors requires
that each applicant for license to sell such
circUiaton f on in the Ct county % his notice of Of e ap
plication for such license for period of
two weeks; and,
has been much controversy between the
different newspapers in this city as to
which was the proper paper in which said
notices, were. to be published, causing
great deal of annoyance and loss of time
to the license board as well as to the appli-
cants for licenses; therefore, be 1t
Resolved, That for the purpose of ending
such controversy and loss of time the diff
ferent publishers of this county be invited
by this board to furnish statements under
oath of the circulation of each separate
edition of their newspapers, said state,
ments to be addressed to this board and
delivered to the clerk no later than De-
cember 9, at o'clock p. M; said state
ments to cover only the actual paid circu-
lation in Douglas county for a period of
three months ending November 30, 1897
these statements to be given to the clerk
of this board for the guidance of appli-
cants
This effort to deal with all in an impartial
manner met with scant consideration at the
hands Of the reform board. 1t was at once
evident that the majority had no intention of
acting in the matter with any pretense of
fairness. In spite of the express words of
the law that licenses shall arpear in the
paper of largest circulation the so-called non
partisan aqpointees of Governor Holcomb at
tempted to declare the World Herald to be
entitled to the publication of these notices
WITHOUT any testimony whatever as to its
circulation. Mayor Moores' resolution was
voted down by Commissioners Herdman,
Gregory and Peabody-Bullard being absent.
The foreordaned purpose of the board in
suppressng fair play was emphasized in a
resolution offered by Commissioner Herdman
and affirmed by his two associates in the
last previous vote, follows:
Resolved, That liquor dealers are hereby
publish their notices in the newspaper of
largest circulation in Douglas county for
two weeks and that these publications.
of their present licenses, if possible.
n Resoved rdvod,1 That this board will abide by
made upon January 3, 1896 wherein, after
an Investigation II was found that the
daily World, Herald was the paper of larg
est circulation in Douglas county until
the further order of this board
Mayor Moores protested against accepting
any circulation statement made two years
ago as holding good at present. The law
nj at thn hi ltD, inv, Of
tices in the paper having the largest cir
culaton at the time of publication and it
made no difference whatever what might
have been the circulation of any paper two
years ago. Mayor Moores vote, however.
was the only recorded against the Herd
man resolution.
MERCHANDISE SLOT MACHINES.
In regard to the inclusion of merchandise
slot machines in the order for their gen.
eral suppression the chief of police sub
mitted instructions which he had received
from Mayor Moores. 1t had been generally
felt that an injustice was done in abolish
ing machines which were merely automatic
vendors and in the operation of which the
element of chance did not enter The chief,
In his Interpretation of the order issued
previously, had included them in the gen :
eral abolition OF the machines. The mayor S
instructions made an exception in their re-
gard and his view was upheld by the en-
was addressed to Hon. C. " Gallagher, chief
of police, and was as follows:
l am informed that you have construed
thd action of the Board of Fire and Police
Commissioners at the last meeting in ref
erence to ''nickel-in-the- slot" machines as
including all slot machines which do not
have any element of chance about them
and that under such construction you
have included telephone Instruments
music boxes and automatic sales boxes
which have slot attachments but which
deliver each time to tine customer a
tain definite value, and that you have
ordered the police to remove them.
Any slot machine which does not involve
the element of chance is legitimate en-
terprise, and the Board of Fire and Police
them removed than 1t would to order
business enterprise to run without clerks:
Any iiniterfering 1i,e with such machines would
action.
You will therefore direct the police to re-
move only such nickel -the-slot" ma
chimes as are gambling devices and into
which the element of chance enters.
A resolution of endorsement was passed
directing the chief of police not to interfere
with any slot machine in which there is no
element of chance
The quarrel in engine house No was then
brought up before the board for adjustment
The facts disclosed that Lieutenant Frank
Urban had lost his temper regarding the
proper fuel for the company stove and had
insuted and assaulted Captain Taylor. "a
number OF fremen stationed In the house
testified to the improper conduct of the lieu
tenant and the board reduced him to the
ranks, the action to take effect at once. Five
days pay were deducted from the salary of
Driver Sidner, engine company No. 8, for
driving down Eighteenth street north from
Dodge. a route against the ruIes of the com
pany.
Officer Dan Baldwin was suspended pend
dng the investigation of his course In taking
three days leave recently without proper
notification. The following leaves of absence
were granted Patrolmen Andy Fahey, p.
Flynn Sylvester Pool, Driver s. d. Osborn.
all for five days.
Sykes Fight for Liberty.
Detective Cox of Memphis, who is in the
city in quest of Caleb Sykes wanted in
periencing considerable trouble With his
prisoner. Thursday Detective Cox went to
Lincoln and secured the proper papers for