The age-herald., 1898-11-18
UPHELD PEARCE INTERVIEW
Commission Vent Out of the County to
 Get a Man.
MIR. LANE DEFENDS THE BODY
No Friction Has Existed-He Will Not Serve Longer Than the Expira- tion of His Term Which
 Ends January l. 1899.

Police Commissioner John McCartin, former alderman and who is spoken of as a mayoralty possibility, in an interview the police commission and endorsed the att tack of Alderman Pearce upon that body printed yesterday morning.
 Chairman Lane of the commission de- fends the body over which he presides and says there has been no rupture between 1t and the board of aldermen. He will not. serve on the board longer than the expi- ration of his term on January 1, 1899.
 The Age-Herald yesterday endeavored to get an expression of opinion from every member of the police commission on the action of the city council.
 Both Messrs. Lane and McCartin gave their views. Emil Lesser would say noth- ing, but will express his sentiments through his paper today. MT. Fox was Ill at home when a reporter called at his place of business and w. c. Garrett is in Mont gomery.
 It is understood that a bill for the abol- ishment of the police commission will be introduced in the legislature today
 Chief of Police T. c. Mcdonald who re- turned from Montgomery yesterday de- clined to express any opinion further than that the city council was trying to get the control of the department in order that it could be made political machine and so they could get man over it who would be led around by the nose.
 From MT. McCartin's View
 ''I indorse every word said by Alder man Pearce in his interview in The Age- Herald this morning." said MT. McCar- tin. "I do not hesitate in saying that the police commission is political ma chine used to pay political debts. Since l have been @ member of the commits sion there has not been an appointment that was not made for political reasons. They have gone so far as to elect man to the force from another county.
 '"The talk of keeping the police de- partment out of politics by police com mission is bosh. Is the fire department influenced by politics? No. it is not I was one of the first members of the board to start the movement to divorce rom pOlltlCS. 1Ue DOdIu Ol diucihSh Is competent at all times to administer the affairs of the police department and should be allowed to do so.'
 Chairman Lane, of the police commits sion, was seen at his office late yesterday afternoon and said:
 "I deny emphatically the charge that the police commission has been run as a political machine, or that politics has in any way entered into the administra- tion of the affairs of the department since I have been a member or the board. There has been perfect harmony between the city administration and the board of police commissioners. On Jan uary 12 last a resolution was unani- mously adopted inviting the mayor and the police and sanitation committees to meet with us, looking to improvements in the police department. We asked the administration for additional men, but were told that they could not pay for them, and therefore did not put them on, as we did not want to burden the city. I can say that as good order is preserved in Birmingham as in any city of it's size. have no personal rea- sons for making a defense for 1t was only at the earnest solicitation of my personal friends that consented to be- come a member of the board, in order to bring about harmony with the city administration, which I have been in- strumental in doing. My term expires in January, and after that time shall no longer serve"