The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-19
FONE MORE BLUFF

Mayor Annes is going down to the end OF
his political career with his nag hyang.
The same OLD flag of bluff and pretence
and fine hollow words floats now above
him as proudly as ever. The mayors 8
political life has been. one long series OF
assumptions that facts are not facts, that
evidence is not evidence. that what really
is ia what he says Is. Often he has fooled
the people and all Of the time he has
fooled himself. He has fooled the people
for the last time, but he is still trying to
fool them and Is succeeding In fool1ns
himself. Doubtless he still believes that
he has been an exemplary mayor, that
there is no corruption worth speaking
of in the police department and that such
as there is has been made public on the
testimony Of men whose words should not
be accepted as against the testimony OF
the accused
And after all, he doubtless finds 1t ab-
surd that such public clamor has been
raised over such trivial matter as few
policemen getting little hard-earned
revenue from graft and blackn1ail and
gambling.
But the mayor has SO often in his
career raised the cry Of wounded inno-
cence that it no longer fools any one.
The ludicrous orders issued yesterday TO
the chief Of police are to the public just
one more piece of obvious acting. 1t
was not even good acting. On the first
impulse he issued an order which was
largely. an order though he did for one
sentence lapse into pretence and make
the absurd statement that recent court
proceedings" have brought into the city
many thieves, crooks and other offenders.
# the mayor could make good the theory
here hinted at, 1t might be we'll to abolish
court proceedings and courts. .-.
However, this first order was too much
of an order, and not enough OF q procla-
nation not enough of bluff. Whether
the mayor recognized this fact or
whether his attorney suggested 1t to him
makes no difference. He withdrew the
order and substituted for it another,
which is, two thirds proclamation and
one-third order, though the latter may
be mostly bluff. -~..'
Burt the order is fine nonsense through
out, enjoyable nonsense; andwe thank tne
mayor for his performance. What arrant,
transparent, grotesque nonsense to talk
about the vicious and criminal class oe-
ing held up to the community in the light
Of prosecutors Of officers! Who were
those officers? Gardner and Norbeck
Does the mayor stand for Gardner and
Norbeck? Does he esteem them men who
ought not be prosecuted? Does he holo
them better than the criminal class
Can he distinguish between then
and - the criminal class? Doesna
the mayor know that the people
understand that these men were guilty
and Justly convicted, the one by jury
the other by himseR?,
The mayor recognizes that It Is dis
couraging to officers when they are liable
to have to protect "their very liberty
from the malicious stories Of criminals
Has any honest officer, any man OF un-
sullied character, been In danger OF IN
fury by such stories? Doesn't every
- honest member Of the force know that he
is in no danger? And as for the others
conviction Of their associates is natural
", Justly and commercially discouraging
Then the mayor still acting, still unable
to get rid Of pretence, speaks OF
recent efforts to belittle and besn1irch the
efficiency Of the police force!
The mayor adds that he Is desirous o,
clearing the city OF crooks:
In this the courts are CO. cooperating witt
him. v. Ez7