Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-26

stOOu th0t we DO not wish TO be under
stood" That is precisely the present
position Of the World Herald, which de-
sires Il distinctly understood that 1t is
for home rule in the government of the
police, but r~ejolces over the decision
which takes away home rule from
Omaha and transfers the government
Of the fire and police to the state house
at Lincoln. When the air is cleared of
the sawdust and sand and the true in
wardness of the movement for another
change Of police boards is disclosed, the
business men Of Omaha will discover
that they have been imposed on by
schemers who have no other object in
view than to use the police commission
to promote their ends In politics.
The original object of the creation of
a fire and police board appointed by the
governor was to make a strictly nom
partisan body free from local partisan
influences that would divorce the fire
and police departments altogether from
politics. The first board appointed by
Governor Thayer chosen from among
his personal friends was so intended to
be. The board consisted of Chris Hart
man, L. NJ. Bennett, George Gilbert and
Howard B. Smith, two nonpartisan
democrats and two strictly nonpartisan
republicans. The board sought to keep
out of politics, but in spite of all its eff
forts was accused by the opposition
press with being in politics.
When Mr.. Bennett dropped out Will
liam Coburn was substituted, but that
did not seem to make the board less
offensive. When James b. Boyd became
governor the democratic organ raised
the howl of politics and insisted upon a
change. In response to this clamor
Governor Boyd tried to displace Chris
Hartman by Con Gallagher, a non
partisan business man whose principal
business was politics, and to Gust two
Of the other members with his OWL
.favorites. Governor Boyd's nonpartisan
board failed to connect, however, by
reason of supreme court interference,
which was denounced by the World
Herald as the most rank exhibition of
judicial ~partisanship.
Two years later Governor Crounse in
jected Attorney V. o. Stricken into the
board in place Of Mr.. Gilbert. This APP
pointment was made expressly for the
benefit of the World-Herald, which then,
as now, pretended to be in favor Of bus
mess men on the board.
Governor Holcomb's appointees to the
police board were Charles II. Brown and
d. Glen Beaver, to serve with Stricken
and Smith. This board was eventually
ousted by special legislation that trans
ferred the appointing power from the
populist governor to the republican land
commissioner and attorney general.
Their successors, the Churchill-Russell
board, were business men out of politics
who were always active in politics,
namely, w. ]. Broatch, A. G. Foster and
Paul Vandervoort. This trio, although
decidedly in politics, appeared to be IN
inently satisfactory to the World-Herald
and it's political hackers, and they found
no fault when BrOatch was succeeded
by another business man out Of politics
in the person Of Captain H. E. Palmer,
Or when, a year later, p. w. Blrkhauser
took the place Of Vandervoort.
When these nonpartisan business men
were displaced during Governor Hol-
combs second term by such business
men as Lee Herdman, DR.. J.. II. Pea
body, Attorney d. ID. Gregory n w. 9.
Billiard the change brought on no re-
sentiment from the nonpartisan organ.
The Herdman board succumbed to the
home rule decision originally rendered
by Judge O. r, Scott and confirmed by
the supreme court, placing the appoint
ing power in the hands Of the mayor
and council.
The only really offensive partisan
board, then, is that appointed by Mayor
Moores, constituted in the first instance
of the late Charles ]. Karbach, DR.. V.
H. Coffman, NJ. II. Collins and p. w.
Birkhauser, who had also been a men,
Der of a former board. In what respect
Df. COnmdu ulueItu ILOh LII ASNDONS
from the standpoint OF business or poll
tics and how far Mr.. Karbach differed
from Captain Palmer or Mr.. Collins
from Lee Herdman as political factors
will scarcely be discernible to anybody.
The present police board, including,
besides Mr.. Collins, f. A. Kennedy,
| George A. Mead and P. @. Heafey, GER
tainly has as good business standing
| outside of politics as any of its prede-
cessors. The objection to it is not that
its members do not belong to the CON-
mercial club or associate with other
business men, but because they have not
ground political grlst upon the popo-
cratic mill. They nave offended not by
what they have done politically, but
what they have failed to do. The fire
and police departments of Omaha are
surely as well administered today as
they were under the two Gallaghers,
The board and the departments under II
certainly have not been as perniciously
active in politics under home rule az
they had beer under the model business
mans boards made up Of Broateh
Palmer, Herdm6n, Vandervoort ano
Foster, when everything went "just
n 10. aaalgua