Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-04-17
HAVANA'S POLITE POLICE.
Native Guardians of the Peace Are
Now Respected II the
Cuban City.


better be called-combined with an ex-
citability which looked ill for the flu
ture of Havana's biue-coated guardians
OF the peace. But both the people and
the officers of the law have learned a
good deal through the experience of
the year just past and a mutual respect
has begun to grow up. This has been
wisely fostered by the American au-
thorities sometimes with such meas
ures that individuals appeared to suf-
fer the gravest injustice. In the end,
however, was the great purpose of
teaching the people, Americans, Cubans
and Spaniards alike, that the repre-
sentatives of the municipality must be
respected because back of them was the
law.
This was a difficult lesson for many
Americans to learn. To speak honestly
the rank and file of American repre-
sentatives here are not of the kind
which is meek and lowly in spirit. They
are the sovereign rulers of a great re-
public. They are deep-chested, long
legged and big-muscled. They have a
tendency to look upon those who are
not like themselves physically with
contempt, especially if the inferior ones
happen not to understand the English
language. This was especially true of
the soldiers who were discharged from
the army in large numbers during the
early part of last year. In their own
country these fellows would probably
behave as we'll as the next man, no
doubt somewhat influenced by the 1s0-
pound policeman who hung out around
the corner. But down here there were
no such policemen. Instead there was a
dapper little chap with a hollow chest
and a dark skin whose anatomy offered
an irresistible target for just one
punch. The temptation to find out
what would become of him if you land
ed zone good one" was often too-much
for the scrappily inclined and when
Havana's finest" first turned out to
keep order they really melted disorder
among this grade of men, who too often
had their natures heated to the fighting
pitch by liquor.
The consequence of all this was that
a lot of policemen were thoroughly
mauled. Their beautiful tasselled
clubs were often taken away from
them by the riotous Americans, one Of
whom could comfortably handle two or
three policemen in a stand-up fight. So
it came about the excitable Cuban, re-
alizing the hopelessness of using his
club, got to pulling his revolver at the
slightest squall. Things got SO bad that
several drunken soldiers were killed
and the heartiest hatred grew up be-
tween the two forces.
Here is where the American authori-
ties showed their good sense. They
backed up the policemen in every posi-
BILE case. Riotous soldiers were guard
housed" mercilessly and turbulent
American citizens who started out to
edo the dago cops" were handsomely
done when they got into the police
court presided over by Maj. William F.
Pitcher, of the Eighth infantry, who
bears the title of supervisor of the po-
lice. His was the work of putting stiff
fleming in the backbone of the police
men and teaching the public, regard
less of nationality, that the guardians
of the peace must be respected.
The Cuban, as we'll as the American,
had a lot to learn. Like the Irish, he is
naturally "agin the government" be-
u for centuries the government has
been a foreign and depressing power
and he can't realize in a minute that
these policemen are his servants. So
on occasions the natives FLASHED with
the coppers and for the doing of it were
hauled up with so round a turn that
Pitcher became a %bug-a-boo with which
to brighten babies. "Ten dollars or ten
days" slips from his lips so often that
no stage caricature of him is complete
without the constant repetition of this
phrase.
AS run to-day under the chiefship of
Rafael de Cardenas and the supervisor
ship Of Maj. Pitcher, the Havana police
force is really a fine organization. 1t
has it's faults, but the discipline is
good, its members have learned self-re-
straint and courage has come with the
knowledge that they will be strongly
when they have acted rigid
ly. Above all else the Cuban police
is polite. He al give American
officers of the law lessons in this re-
spect which the latter would do well to
learn. Even when under great excite
ment this national characteristic of
courtesy is dominant and occasionally
in a ridiculous way. One night wher
there was a row at the cafe of the Hotel
Inglaterra and some shots had Been
fired, an excited mounted policeman
sprang from his horse with drawn re-
volver. Rushing up to the swaying
crowd, which was dancing around in q
panicky way, the policeman pushed his
weapon under the noses of those in
front and began pushing men back.
"Hage me ell favor!" (Do me the "a
vor), he kept shouting, waving his arms
violently. "Cabelleros, mage me ell ia
vor!"
Imagine a New York policeman try
ing to dispense a crowd with a gun and
do me the favor" It's not
in the blood. A club and a bunch of
oaths would be much more likely. A
policeman who is always polite certain.
ly has his merits even though he be a
week-kneed and hollow-cheAted
and sawed-off. Probably when We get
New York policemen who are always
polite and Havana policemen who are
all big and brave and strong the world
will have reached that stage when a po-
lice force will be q superluity.-N. Y.
Sun.
Noble Conduct.
Gotrox-Iw wish you to know thatIam
4 n1f.mado man