The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-17
be silent during that critical period Il
Capt. Van SAINTS political career.
TERRIBLE TO RELATE.

The true nature Of the attacks which
have been made during the past few
weeks by the newspaper organs of the
local Republican machine on the police
commission is shown with much clearness
by the latest outcry raised against that
body.
The news" columns Of the Pioneer
Press have been particularly offensive
and foolish in this direction. Every Of
! fetal act and omission Of the body
in question, no matter how trivial 1t may
be- or how necessary On its face to the
proper administration of police affairs, is
being assailed as involving grfevous pub
lie wrong.
The fact, for instance, that the police
board has been placed in possession of
the only available room in the municipal
building-one, too, which Is entirely in
adequate for its purposes-is being rep
arbitrary as anything else which that
body has done from the beginning. The
readers of that paper are reminded as
a matter of news that great wrong Is
thereby done to the efficiency OF that al
together indispensable department Of city
government-the building inspectors Of
! fee. Involved In this high-handed wrong
is the capture by the police board Of a
safe from among the assets OF the build
ing Inspector. The appropriation OF this
safe is, according to our contemporary
enterprising news gatherers, particularly
| criminal and inexcusable, since 1t was
used for the safe-keeping Of the bonds
| given by billboard proprietorsl 1t viii
now become necessary for the building in
spector to transfer these valuable public
documents, among the many other writ
ten evidences Of legal obligation which
he is known to possess, into the large
fre-proof vault. which is part of his Of
! Ace accommodations, In order that to
some extent at least there shall be fur
nished some slight security against the
grievous loss and damage which is GER
tain to come to the community In case
the bonds of the bill board proprieters or
any one of these numerous and vol
luminous documents should suffer destruc-
| ton by fire or flood.
Side by side with this ptHful tale Of
arbitrary power it is related that certain
discharged employees of the police depart
ment have been asked to surrender the
paraphernalia of their former official posi-
| lions in the form Of police shields, keys
to police patrol boxes, etc. The grieyous
! public wrong involved in this latter COM
pulsory process Of the police board may
be better understood when 1t is remem-
bered that these discharged employees Of
| the police board, In being compelled to
! surrender these articles, are thereby pre-
vented from enjoying the privilege at
| their own sweet will and pleasure of dis
charging police functions, among which
may be mentioned the power to open q
| patrol box and send an alarm Of fire or
riot or any other form Of public disturb
| ance throughout the entire community
| Considering how long many Of these Ill
| treated ex-off1cials have earned their sal
aries by the discharge of this simple duty
| of reporting their existence through the
patrol boxes Of the city, the grieyous
nature Of the crime against good govern
ment which the Pioneer Press thus makes
public may be easily understood.
We pray the Pioneer Press and It's more
adroit and youthful party associate, the
| Disnatc To maintain this form of war
faro on the police commission long
enough 1t is really valuable aid to
the better public understanding of the
influences which control In the attacks
which are just now being made on the
| police commission.