The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-29


Social crime in st. Paul is under police
protection. It has received official sane.
ton. and much political capital IS being
made i'll favor of Mayor Kiefer and his
administration because of the revenues
which 1t returns to the city. 1t Is ILL
come revenue. to be sure but it is rev.
enue. So Mayor Kiefer and his po-
lice administration claim to be entitled
to the unusual credit Of putting money in
the city treasury. whereas the function
OF every political city administration is
understood to be. not to put money in,
but to take it out Of the treasury.
We pass for a moment whether it Is
to Our credit or our disgrace as the resi-
dents OF an American city that we
license the general pursuit of this form Of
crime on a sliding money scale. We can
disregard for the present the inquiry
where Mayor Kiefer found the authority
for embarlIng in this sinister industry.
But the details of the scheme still remain
for examination. They are not details
that decent people want to mix up with
very much But they cannot be ignored.
Who Is It, Mayor Kiefer, that is your
tax-gatherer here? Which of your fav-
ored police officers is it in whose charge
the levying of this infamous toll IS?
What record Is there Of it? In whose Gus
todJ and contror is that record?
There Is list That list has been made
out by Lieut.. Boerner, a police officer very
near in a personal as well as in an Of
fetal way TO the mayor. 1t is in Lieut..
Boerners custody, and he is general
superintendent Of the undertaking. He is
the city's financial agent in the transac-
ton. So much the public have. or think
they have, In the way of information of
the undertaking.
Lieut.. Boerner is The officer who has
.bcen in charge for some years of the po-
lice business in the municipal court. He
Is an experienced officer in this form of
activity. financial and otherwise. What
he docs not know, as the result of his ex-
perieuce in this behalf about making
criminals yield up revenue is not worth
Knowing
Now, Mayor Kiefer, why does not
Lieut.. Boerner, or whoever is in charge of
this Infamous traffic, file this list in the
municipal court? Why has he not done
50 since it was prepared, or, indeed, since
1t was in course of preparation? There
Is another list of that character that has
been in the custody Of the municipal court
Tor years. What becomes of the additions
and other changes in the list? Is there a
supplemental list, assuming that what
purports to be the existing list is flied
with the court? If We must engage our
selves as a municipality in this sort of
thing, let US at best do 1t up in a bust
ness-uke way.
The u l o b is no party to this infamous
business; but since it exists It is desirable
that its demoralizing effects, even On the
police themselves, shall be kept at the
minimum. For the establishment of such
a scheme Mayor Kiefer and his admin
lstration must stand the responsibility
during the next few weeks of public dis
cusson. For the present the people have
right to know what the scheme is in
its entirety. Its injurious effect on local
morals cannot be estimated. Ne revenues
that either the police or the city may de-
rive from 1t will ever compensate for the
pubic and private wrong that involves.
Eut since it is an especial feature of
Mayor Kiefer's administration, and as
long as it remains In operation, it is i'm
perauye that the public should under
stand 1t In the details Of its operations as
well as in the exact money gain which is
being realized from it.