Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-12-07
A Crooked Policy.

- SAOOhSo
In its issue OF last Saturday, the
Olgmpian gives al account OF the ar
rest of nine boys, the night before, for
disturbing the peace Of the people re-
siding in the vicinity Of the northeast
corner Of Adams and Union streets.
Officer Taylor, assisted by two citi-
zcns escorted the young men to the
city Jail and locked them up for the
night. They were released, however,
before midnight, presumably by order
of the Chief of Police, but for what
reasons no statement is made The
Uympida also fails To publish the
names Of the young marauders al
though it states that their names were
secured before they were released
Now it is plain that the little daily
must have rustled about in pretty
lively manner to CLEAN all these facts
for its early morning edition. But
while it publishes general facts why
does it not give the people those rital
facts which constitute the gist OF all
local happenings and for which the
people are all clamoring. In other
words, why did not the Olyu,pian pub
lish the names of the boys and the
grounds upon which they were re-
leased in such free and easy manner?
In every city of metropolitan, or hum
BILE pretentions, all police arrests are
public property and no executive Of
ficer has legal authority to withhold
the details of such information from a
newspaper reporter or any private cit
izen asking for the same.
According to the statement OF one
OF the citizens who assisted the police
man in performing his duty. the Of
tenders ranged from IA to Is years OF
age while their department and the
language they freely tossed from
mouth to mouth betrayed the most
shocking depravity; fact which
alone would have warranted their ar
rest and punishment in any we'll regu.
lated community, even if they had not
been found holding bacchanalian or.
gies over key of beer. Another salt
ent point looms up, involving a ques-
ton everybody has right to ask as
we'll as demand an answer to, and that
is, why were not the younger members
of that gang taken in hand and dealt
with according to the terms of the
curfew ordinance as the law so plainly
directs? Is our curfew bell only what
Saint Paul calls tinkling cymbal?-
an idle bell rung only because some
body pulls the rope? But let us turn
back another leaf in the doings of that
week. Because obscure Jack Brady,
only the night before, was detected in
an attempted petty larcey, he was
summarily arrested, locked up, and
kept locked up till morning and then
his name was voluminously paraded
before the public in our local daily, all
as current news of the city. Thus it
appears that the hayward sons of ten
derfoot parents can, with IMMUNITY,
hold their noisy bouts over key of
beer, either stolen or otherwise sur
reptitiously obtained, while if poor
devil OF hungry hobo perpetrates a
small theft to keep his miserable soul
and body together, he is dealt with ac-
cording to the strictest letter of the
law. Well, after all, human events
proceed according to natural tenden-
cies, and that fact explains the whole
business.
1t must be borne in mind that the
incidents above criticised took place
just before our municipal election, and
subtle tact was an imperative factor.
Otherwise, what would Mrs. Grundy
have said3
Republican municipal officers and
councilmen were to be chosen and
Republican Chief of Police appoint
ed. See?