The Advocate and news., 1898-05-18
A Defense of the Metropolitan Police
System.
ny q. @. CLEMENS.

un-American in principle and In practice.
NJ is demOralizing, degrading and debauch"
ing. 1t has subjected every state admlhls-
tration since its adoption to the charse
of boOdesm and corruption, ana 70 the
charge Of being a party to the violation or
the constitution and laws OF our state Dy
accepting stipulated sums for the privilege
of violating law; and for the further reason
that II has absolutely failed to accomplish
the purpose for which the law was en-
ncted.-Shawnee County Populist COnVeh-
tiOn.
am unwilling that the POpullsts OF
the State shall believe that the above
resolution represents the sentiment OF
all the POpulists Of Shawnee county;
and to make 1t perfectly clear that 1t
does not represent my sentiments, l
write this article. My old Advocate con-
st!tuency need not be reminded that
from the beginning l have refused to
be a mere member of a faction, and
have insisted upon being Populist at
large While we have had the govern
mental machine, 1 have deemed 1t my
duty to get out of it all the good posi-
bic for the suffering people, instead OF
getting into war with members OF the
administration; and have never deemed
II good politics to urge the people to
vote for us again because, in our own
opinion, we have hitherto elected nobody
but scoundrels to Office. 1t has seemed
to me that the people might refuse to be-
come enthusiastic for our ticket II at
eacl. convention we say to them: "All
Oui previous Populist Governors have
beer. worthless or worse; but just gaze
upon the combination Of Solomon and
saint we are going to nominate this
time; provided, nevertheless, we shall
also send him to join the previous fools
am, scoundrels when we meet two years
hence" | am somewhat verdant, per-
haps, as a practical politician, but things
have seemed this way to me. do not
therefore deem it my duty to damn every
act of one Of our officers simply because
it was his act; in which respect | seem to
differ from the Shawnee county conVen-
tiOn.
Who demands the repeal of the Metro
politan police law? Do the prohibition
lists consider 1t a failure? The State
temperance convention only a few weeks
ago tabled a resolution demanding It's
repeal; and no sooner would the Peoples
party in its platform pledge the repeal
of the law than the Republican press OF
the State, backed by the churches and
thr State Temperance Union, would
raise the most pathetic wall, and accuse
us of trying to destroy prohibitions
mainstay, with the deVilish design Of
making drunkards OF all the preachers,
boys and gray-haired sires Of the COM
monWealth. Are business men demand
ing the repeal Of this law? Is its repeal
demanded by the mass Of the common
people? To be sure, Republican pOliti-
clans will endorse the Shawnee county
TesOlutiOn-if the POpulists elect the
Governor again; for Republican poll
ticians, while saints as a rule, are very
human at times, and several hundred
good jobs taken away from the Pops and
given to the Republican salt of the
earth would be quite favor to hungry
people.
Not only should Populists refuse to
repeal that law, but they should fight to
the last ditch to prevent its repeal. I'm
til the first police commissioners were
appointed, the local police not only
sought to suppress free speech and to
prevent public meetings to express sem
Iln6ulS Unpopular Will LhOoc pOLIy
czars, but they were guilty of such des-
pOtism over the poor and practiCed such
cruelties towards their victims as would
make even a Weyler hang his head.
l feel deeply upon this subject. 1t was
my fierce conflict with brutal police
administration that brought upon me
business injury and won for me my
professional title of Anarchist" Hun
dreds of Topeka wOrkingmen and their
friends were compelled to organize
Committee of Public Safety" in order to
sten: by their union the awful tide Of
brutal tyranny. The gray-haired sire Of
two of the delegates in the convention
that by the resolution that heads this
article demanded the return of that reign
Of terror-a man distinguished in the