The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-12

Of municipal departments by boards,
especially by boards, the members of
which do not receive any salaries from
the city. Experience has shown us
that you get better and more efficient
boards when you don't pay them any
salaries.
Now, the objections to placing the
absolute control Of the police in the
hands OF the mayor are obvious. In
all cities where this is the case, think
it will be conceded that the police are
operated as political body. The whole
force is turned into an electioneering
body through whieh1the mayor rewards
his friends and Furnishes his enemies.
The lives and liberties and property Of
the citizens are not protected.
Take, for instance, our own police
force, numbering some $50 men. Fully
one-third of this force has been chang
ed during theh past 1.-TWO years, mostly
for the good of the service, as it Is
termed. We all know what that means.
Now what is the result of such sys-
tenn? Does it. not render the whole
police force less efficient? Certainly
the newly appointed men are as a body
less efficient.
Again, what, after all, is the police
force engaged in doing, but protecting
saloons and disreputable resorts. those
centers of the vote-yielding districts.
AS long as appointments to and re-
movals from the police force are die
tated by political motives, there will
be no change.
Il contend that these abuses would
disappear in large measure if the po-
lice department was controlled by an
honest and fearless board. Policemen
would then know that they didn't owe
their appointments to political in
fiuences, and that their term of service
did not depend upon their political be-
i1efs or actions, but upon their eff :
cheney as officers of the law. The SYM
pathy or comradeship that arises so
often between police officers and the
criminal classes would soon cease 20
be matter of common knowledge"
Continuing, Mr.. O'Brien declared
that as citizen of st. Paul he would
rather have no police force than one
operated under the present system. He
pointed out that one of the great bene-
fits arising from thu BOARD system
consisted in the rivalry that would in
evitably spring up between the various
municipal boards in the efforts of each
to perfect the best system and effect
the greatest economy. A police board
would not, like d mayor, be looking
for reelection. Mr.. O'Brien thought
there would be no difficulty in secur-
ing worthy citizens to serve on the
police board without compensation. In
city of New York, in which the police
department is controlled by a commits
sion.
Then w. p. Murray expressed his
views. Among other things Mr.. Muir
ray said: -
81 fully concur with every word Mr..
O'Brien has said. One would think he
had served on the police force, for he
certainly knows all about it. / favor
appointing a police commission of four
to serve for four years. I am confident
you can't get the police force out of
politics under the present system. Why
men are appointed now who don't
know the names of the streets on their
beats 1t is just as Mr.. O'Brien says
regarding their protection Ct d.sreputa-
BILE places and people.
why" continued Mr.. Murray. there
was a French ball given here the other
night under the auspices of the police
ard sanction of the mayor"
Mr.. Murray recited some Of the other
abuses resulting from the political
system, such as the official decapita-