The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-15
TIME FOR a CHANGE.

GAIT LAKE CITY is indeed in the
- hands Of the enemies Of law and
order when a citizen finds It necessary
to employ a private detective to run
COVE thief and TO secure the plumber
stolen by him. The case of T. c. Wal
tenspiel is one which the taxpayers of
this city may study with profit
Mr.. Waltenspiel not long ago missed
a number Of fine pipes and other para
phernaiia used by smokers from his
place of business. At the same time
one of his employees disappeared. He
notified the police Of the affair and
they took but a languid interest Al the
case. Finally one of the officers sug-
gested to Mr.. Waltenspiel that he eff
feet a compromise with the thief.
To the officer there seemed nothing
reprehensible in the suggestion, because
Chief of Police Samuel Paul has made
a practice of compromising with Grim
inals lately. WaItenspiel. however,
viewed the matter in a different light
He Indignantly rejected the compro-
mise offer because he wanted his goods
and he wanted the thief brought to
justice. Since then even the languid
interest taken by the department faded
away and Waltenspiel was forced to
employ a private detective.
It seems to The Herald that it is
about time for Mayor Thompson to ex-
ereise the authority vested in him and
give the city a chief of police who viii
at least refrain from encouraging crime
by allowing criminals to go scot free
with from a half to three-f Ourths of
their 'swag." 1t has been said by
Chief PauPs friends that he is doing
the best he can. That may be true
but if Chief Paul is doing his best,
that best lacks a deal of being good
enough for salt Lake.
In spite of the efforts of the chief
and the police. acting under bis orders,
to conceal the numerous Offenses daily
committed in this city, crime is plenti-
ful and increasing at a rapid rate. 1t
Is but natural that crime should in
crease, too, for the conditions We're
never more favorable. When a GRIM
inal knows that he can purchase i'm
munity from punishment by surrender
ing a portion of his profits to his vic
tim, he naturally feels that he ought to
do as much work as possible while the
field is ripe for the harvest
The root OF the evil is in Chief Paul's
management of the department, or
rather. in his lack of management. He
is probably the only chief of police Salt
Lake has ever had who attempted to
conduct a large private business and
draw salary as chief at the same
time. The most competent chief of DO
lice in the country, and we are sorry
we cannot place Chief Paul in that cat
alogue, would find the dual position
too onerous.
When the taxpayers pay a man to be
chief OF police they have a right to
expect him to devote his entire time
TO that business. He should be IN his
Office or on the street a reasonable
number Of hours every day, and he
should be easily accessible at ali times
Chief Paul has served his private in
terests and the city about long enough.
The time has come when he must
choose between them.
he has demonstrated very conclu-
sively that he cannot do Justice to
both. and it is not his private interest
that has suffered. And, after ali. Nav
or Thompson is the responsible official.
FOR he put Chief Paul in office and he
knows that Chief Paul is not doing his
duty by the taxpayers. Let the chief
be removed and man appointed who
VIII earn the salary attached to the no.
sitiOn.