The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-23
THE CLURRING pAsrIME


moved to appear as the apologist and
defender of those policemen who in
clude in the sphere of their duties the
brutal clubbing of inoffensive citizens,
protests against complaint by unrea-
sonable men for so small a matter as
a broken head. 1t is vastly improper,
according to this authority, for a. man
whose scalp has been laid open and
who is covered with blood and contu-
sions, to air his grievances or to make
complaint to the mayor, the sole au-
thor1ty competent to deal as they de-
serve with these men, who outrage the
very name of officers of the law. 1t
suggests that the court is the proper
place for them to appear, and that an
action of law would definitely and sat
isfactorily settle the point at issue. We
agree with it so far as to urge citizens
who have been assaulted by the few
brutal members who at present dis
grace the police force of St. Paul to
carry their grievances into the courts
and push them to the limit Unfor-
should have to suffer in damages, we
can pay even that price for our present
worse than incompetent local govern
ment, rather than to permit bold as
saults by policemen at pleasure.
1t is in order, however, at this mo-
ment to recall the fact that the judges
Of the municipal court have al
ready expressed their adherence
and indignation at the spec
tacle of men brought before
them covered with wounds and bearing
evidence of horrible mistreatment, and
their regret that they cannot put the
assailant in the prisoners place. One
of the judges expressed himself to that
effect some weeks ago in one of the
sidering. While the article in which it
dismisses the grievances of people who
have been dubbed with a suggestion
that they seek legal remedy was run
marking, III the cases brought before
him that day, that "he was not at all
certain that it was not the police Off
GERS who should be on trial, instead
of the defendants"
In any we'll governed city, or in any
city with g. government that pretended
to decency, not only would such cases
not have to be carried to the courts,
but the suggestion of such a thing
would raise a small-szed riot. 1t is
not common in any city in this country
for police officer who has been OBJ
viously guilty of assault to retain his
place and be ready to draw his club
again the next day, whenever his pas
sionate cruelty suggested that salts
faction might be found in smashing
somebody's skull. The mayor, to whom
these men are responsible, and who
has the power of removal, would not
permit such a policeman to retain his
position for an hour In st. Paul it is
different. The Dispatch is probably
correct, and describes the attitude of
this administration accurately when il.
by implication, asserts that nothing
will be done by the proper authorities
to remove or punish police officers who
assault citizens for their personal graf
ification, and that the public safety, as
we'll as the satisfaction of justice, re-
quires resort to the courts. What they
will do in that event is not left doubt
full by the indignant expressions from
the bench, which voice the condemna-
ton felt and freely expressed by all
right-thinking people for the present
carnival of the policeman's billy.