The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-10

tons were forced to pay equal taxes with
the citizens the Police Department could
be enlarged
Mayor Hoos concluded by saying that
he looked forward to the time when we
would nave a Greater Jersey City.
President Abernethy said he desired to
testify to the fact that Mayor Hoos had
upheld the hands of the Police Commits
sioners in all that they had done.
Flavel MCGEE made an address on the
Police Department. He sald:-"I am sat
isfied that the Police Department in Jer-
sey City is the best in the land. Why,
if a burglar tries to get into my house in
the night I call up the police and they
come. When l offer them elaret the re-
fuse and say they prefer whiskey. And
they stay and hunt through the house,
with me leading the way, candle in land.
We have grown SO righteous in this city
that 1 sometimes wonder what we need
the police for. / know now. If the
Spaniards should attack our seaport
towns We would nave the Mayor order
Murphy and his men out to arrest them
and put them in the lookup. The police
| are the eyes that see, the ears that hear,
the senses of the body polite. Our po-
| licemeht are men of brains. We have
| yet to find any of them reereant 10 their
| duty, corrupt or drunken We have pc
lice who know no politics, no friends, no
anything but their duty. We should ser
that they are well paid, well ed and we'll
| clothed, for they are the ones who pro-
tect us in our hours of sleep and hours
| of helplessness." Mr.. MCGEE closed with
an ~allusion to the war.
Police Justice John Nevin was the next
| speaker. 'For nearly ten years." he
said, 81 was a sort of supsrnunssrary in
| the Mayors office, but this Is me first
time l nave ever been the guest of the
Police Department. After paying a few
compliments to the Police Department,
Justice Nevin said:-"The Police Depart
ment is allowed an insufficient sum for
the police courts. There IS no means Of
establishing a proper record This mas
bothered Judge Potts and myself consid-
erably. We have tried various means
for keeping the records straight. We
ought to nave a proper system of keeping
the record. AT present a person cannot
| ascertain what he wants to Know unless
he has the date of the arrest
Speaking of the Police Department, Jus
tice Nevin said
III NIL. 1CSS ldO III OPPOSCa NA00A
taxation we might have had a larger po-
lice force on parade today. We, Judge
Potts and myself, can attest 90 the eff
| iciency of the Police Department. There
is need of a larger police force. There
are many sections of the city where men
are needed. 1t is true that the Police
Commissioners might avail themselves of
the prerogatiye granted them by the Leg
| ;eIof,ro ond iporaoco tho f0rop 6ffppn
| men a year. but they realize that the
| city could not afford such an increase"
Police Justice Potts introduction to the
| few remarks he made, caused roars of
laughter. He said: I'll be sociabie for a
| few minutes, but you must not expect it
in the morning. He spoke at a late
hour. Justice Potts reiterated what JUS
tice Nevin said about the police records.
This is an embarrassing position for me
to be in, he said, IF it hadn't been for
| Mayor Hoos. I would nave been sitting
up at the head of the table as your Chief
Executive After a short but humorous
l address, Justice Potts concluded by say
ing that he hoped that he and Justice
Nevin would occupy the positions they
now occupy for many years to come.
Mayor Hoos spoke again, in words Of
praise for the Police Justices and Gener-
| all Wanser. OF General Wanser he said:
ssWhen the President nominated ex-May-
! or Wanser for Postmaster, ! said Well
| done thou good and faithful servant of
, this country.
Fire Commissioner John Erickson,
| aroused the ire of the police officials pres
| ent, by .poking fun at the Police Depart
ment in his address. He made alleged
humorous illusions to the duties of
a policeman and said that the Police De-
partment was the only department lsat
| could be spared to attend panquets ar
| other festivities. The Fire Department
| could never be spared. He alluded to the
p~oliceman's job as a sinecure.
Former Commissioner Feeney was the
next speaker. He replied 70 Mr.. Errick-
son in sharp language. Mr.. Feeney
| said:-.1 want to begin by saying that I
| am thankful to the Commissioners fer
their kindness in inviting me here this
evening to meet old friends about this gay
and festive board. want - compliment
| the Police Department upon its fine APP
pearance this afternoon. My business is
| that of a policeman, and l am in a posi-
ton to know. I have seen many exhi-
billions such as that of this afternoon,
but / never saw any superior. A few
days ago 1 saw the parade of the Police
Department of Greater New York. 1t
was a magnificent sight, but those men
have performed nc such duty as ours
! have. Here there are thirty miles OF
paved streets and the largest railroad ter-
| minus Of the world, and only 900 men To-
| protect life and property. the record OF
4 our department will compare favorahly
to any department In the world. WnIie |
am not now a member of the dtpartr.enar
I shall always feel an interest in it. T.
would like to see 1t ever as it is now. su-
perlor to any department of its size In
| this country or in the world.
The position of Police Commissioner Is
not a pleasant one. II a man is honest
he enters the office with a sparkle in his
eye. color n his cheek and the love Of his
| gone from his eye and the color from his
cheek and he hasgthe damnation OF his
position Of a policeman is not a sinecure.
He earns every dollar he gets. There is
not a time that he goes out on duty that