The age-herald., 1898-11-19
ID GET HIM OUT MAYOR RACE This is Why the Bosses" Want
 Police Power. CARD ON THE PEARCE INTERVIEW In Another Attack on Administration The Courier Says German Was
 Turned Out of Office Because
 He Was German.
CARD ON THE PEARCE INTERVIEW

The first city campaign thunder comes from the German paper, The Courier
 This paper yesterday printed supple ment of several columns devoted to city affairs.
 One article was devoted to the city admin istration, another was a reply to an inter- view with Alderman Pearce, printed in The Age-Herald, and the other headed by the somewhat significant caption Down With the Dutch.''
 The Courier is edited by Emil Lesser, d prominent German-American and a member of the police commission.
 He begins with tlle lo4lowing head:
 "CITY BOSSES WANT POLICE CON- MISSION ABUAiSHED-Wan to Elect McCartin Chief of Police, and Thereby Re- move Troublesome Candidate For the Office of Mayor"
 The matter follows:
 Although the primaries for municipal offices have been postponed until April the local political cauldron is nevertheless heated to the boiling point. We take the liberty to define in the two following para graphs how in a general way we view this question. If this does not fully satisfy all our friends, we are sorry If some of our former representatives should feel hurt by this we regret it, but cannot change our attitude nor the policy of this paper, which we are determined to maintain.
 In order to get rid of the candidature of MT. McCartin for the mayoralty, the city bosses have concluded to make him chief of police. But since there is no possibility to do this with the present composition of the police commission, it is proposed to abolish the commission altogether by an act of the legislature It would then be in the power of the present city council to give that office to MT. McCartin. We were always in favor of changing the law which created the police commission and have often expressed the opinion that we would prefer to have the police comm ssioners elected by the city council instead of hay ing them appointed by the governor. But when we see that a political ring is endeav- bring to abolish the commission for no other reason than to create a place for candidate whom it is desirable to get out of the way, then it is time to declare pub licly that we will without reserve join with the side which will use all legal means to frustrate such "schemes." We are assured by many of our best and most influential citizens that they will be with us on this question, and the legislative battle in Mont gomery which is to decide the matter promises to become interesting and will bring to light many things not dreamed Of by some of our easy-going fellow citizens.
 Already strenuous efforts are being made to secure the votes of our German-Ameri- can citizens for the candidates of the pres ent city administration and one of the al- legged reasons is that our two aldermen, Messrs. Hentschell and Rainbow, are in full accord with this administration and that both are in favor of it's reelection. But all this will not avail. Before the great mass of the German-American vot- CTS will promise their support they must be shown that the promises given are hon. estly meant and the present bosses will be compelled to prove that their prom ises will be kept To ignore this assert on would mean an absolute admission of the os.,fC NNxrr hnf 0r0 these grievances? We have number of them but will only mention some Of them
 When Messrs. Fox and McCartin were ap- pointed at the same time members of the police commission, both being aVowed friends of the present administration, 1t was generally supposed that there would be peace and harmony between the two bodies the city council and the police com mission and that in consequence Of such mutual good understanding the police ser vice would be much improved. But not withstanding the harmonious working of the two bodies none Of these hopes were realized. Even direct promises were not kept. On the plea that the finances of the city did not permit It, every attempted enlargement of the police (with large sprinkling of ex-criminal pop ulation deposited here from. all parts of the state) has an active force of all told fifteen men for each twelve hours service What are the unavoidable consequences of such mismanagement? Highway TOD bery, increase of crime and general and deep dissatisfaction of our citizens, who see that the good name of the city Is slowly but surely declining. At an expense of over s5, ,OOO the VanHoose administration in- troduced the so-called Gameweii police sys- tenn here, apparently only to fall into dls- use and to be left to decay, as the present administration has refused to vote the nec- essary appropriation for the -Inaintenance of an institution which Is operated with success in thousand other cities. Ine sal aries in almost all municipal departments were increased and new and expensive po- sitions were created. It Is only the poor policeman who has to be content with the modest s60 per month to which he was re- duced during the time of the panic. That he whose life every minute day or night is endangered more than that of any other city official has the same wants as other human beings, does not seem to concern our city council. But all endeavors, all pe- titions, all so-called conference committees did not avail, and the police department was not permitted to increase its force. What else Is this but an assault on the part of our city government upon the life and security of our citizens, but which will prove to be one of the nails in the coffin of this same administration.
 When last year the German Turn Verein at it's own expense introduced the system of physical culture in our schools 1t was done with a view to popularize this branch of education and in the hope that the board of education would make it a permanent part of the curriculum after having been afforded an opportunity to observe the practical working of the system and to note It's beneficial effects upon the child- ren. Now what was the result of this