The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-24

| oniy TOT the benefit of the laborers
whom they shelter, and that they sell
1t to no one else.
This disposes of all the shanties thai
have been selling the stuff in the towr
Of Clinton, but there are several othel
| shantles engaged in the business. I'm.
fortunately they are outside the juris
diction of the Clinton police. There are
three in the town of Sterling. One, a.
least, does a large business, perhaps
| larger than Pedro was doing. There
are one or two others that are located
in Boylston or West Boylston.
1t is not the purpose of the police tc
let this raid end it, but the performance
VIII be repeated as often as the shanty
bosses break loose.
The shanties have been raided before
but in desultory way. The previous
raids have been more in the nature OF
an assessment than they have been Sc
rlous efforts to stop the traffic.
The selectmen are being urged by cit
liens of all classes not only to refuse
TO have anything to do with the patrol
wagon with the string on it, which the
metropolitan water board has offered
to furnish for the use Of the men paid
by the state, but to put in a wagon of
It's own. A patrol wagon is not enough
to offer. the selectmen have been told,
in return COR the autonomy Of the police
force.
AS has been said in The Spy, it is the
evident purpose of the water board to
make the patrol wagon a pretext for
Issuing Independent orders to the
men.
The specious effort of the board in
this direction was perceived before
there was any tangible evidence of their
purpose. The evidence is not lacking.
It has recently come to the authorities
In very startling way. The water
board has written a letter to each of
the nine men paid by the state. The
letter contains instructions to them
about the use of the patrol wagon. 1t
tells them how to call the wagon, how
to use it and how to return it. 1t in
structs them to make reports to the
board, saying how often they have used
1t. These letters were written to the
officer without the knowledge of the
local authorities and without consult
alton with Chief Bates the head of the
department These nine letters consti-
tute the first serious effort of the water
board to undermine the autonomy of
the force. They are an evidence of
the suspected purpose of the board to
assume control of the police of the sew
eral reservoir towns, upon the ground
that the police are paid by the state.
The authorities are saying nothing.
They will not admit that such letters
have been received by the metropolitan
officers. But they were quick to recog-
nize the meaning of the board when it
provided wagon for the use of the
nine policemen paid by the state and
which cannot be used even by the chief
whose orders the same policemen are
bound to obey.
The effort to instruct the men direct
ly and the effort to have the men re-
port directly to the board were fore
seen, and the selectmen were prepared
for it.
They have protested to the water
board against it's effort to take control
of a portion of the force They have in
formed the board that it's attempt to
give instructions to the men is regard
ed by them as subversive of discipline
among the men and as having a ten
dency to undermine the authority of
Chief Bates by creating in the minds
of the men a doubt as to where their
obedience is due.
The question has been we'll examined
The effort ofsthe water board is with
out warrant, in the opinion of the best
lawyers in town, and cannot succeed.
Without special act of the legislature
the board cannot create a policeman in
the town of Clinton by itself 1t re-
quires the act of the selectrnen to do
Jnal. Inc D0arQ is en1Olned Dy law to
provide reasonable police protection.
But, to make a sure thing surer, the
citizens are urging the selectmen to
have nothing whatever to do with the
unasked hurry-up vehicle rendered by
the commonwealth through it's agents.
The injunction will doubtless be obeyed.
But a patrol wagon is needed A wagon
is needed that can be used by all the
policemen. The seleetmen do not wish
to deny even. the chief of police the
privilege Of using it. The result is that
the town will doubtless have to furnish
its own. 1t is sure betting that the
water boards clever game has failed.
The Hillside baseball team went to
Maynard yesterday and defeated the
crack Maynard team by a score of 20
to 6.
James Burke of Rigby street has ac-
cepted a position as agent for the John
Hancock Life Insurance Co.
Miss Carrie White Of Worcester is
visiting at the home of Miss Martha
Hester on Church street.
The T. M. M. club, a local organiza-
ton composed of 10 young ladies, will
hold dancing party at Red Mems
hall in the near future.
Timothy Mcnamara of Boston, is
visiting at the home Of his parents on
Oak street.
Miss Carrie O'Brien of Worcester is
the guest of Miss Alice Murphy at
Hotel Oxford
Miss Essie Connery of Oak street
contemplates entering Beckers Bust
ness college Of Worcester, Sept. l.