Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-25

among the most liberal.
EXPECTED TO SQUARE THEMSELVES.
An overwhelming majority of the citi-
zens Of Omaha, irrespective of party,
are in favor of home rule in the govern
ment of the police and fire departments.
They have been taught by experience
that police boards appointed by state
officers, whether by governors, land CON-
missioners or attorney generals, simply
become political agents of their makers.
and have always used their power to ac-
complish political ends in violation of
the solemn oaths of Office, which obligate
them to disregard politics and creed in
the appointment, discipline and govern
ment of the police and fire departments.
The most Objectionable feature in gov
ernor-appointed police boards is that
they are not responsible to the commu-
nifty and cannot be he'd to account or i'm
peached by anybody except the man who
appoints them. 1t is a matter of no
toriety, moreover, that nearly all the
governor-appointed police commissions
which bave dominated Omaha police
and fire departments within the past
eight years have been appointed at the
instance of railroad magnates for the
purpose Of ~subjugating the people with
police clubs.
That was the object aimed at in the
appointment Of the Russell Churchill po-
lice board, whose appointments were die
tated by General Manager Holdrege of
the Burlington. That is the character
of the present commission, whose APP
pointment was dictated by mutual agree
ment Of all the railroad managers, not
only for the purpose of forcing the nomi-
nation and election of David H. Mercer
against the will of the rank and file of
the party, but also for the purpose of
controlling primaries and elections in
this city and county by coercion and in
timldation.
Under existing conditions It was not to
be expected hat a county convention,
dominated by corporate m~ercenaries,
would declare in favor Of home rule or
in favor of equitable taxation Of rail-
roads, telegraph and telephone and ex-
press companies. The failure of the con-
vention to pledge the candidates to tax
reform and home rule does not, however,
Obliterate those issues from the local
campaign. On the contrary, it will force
the candidates on the county ticket to
square themselves with the people n
especially with the friends of home rule
and equitable railroad taxation.
In other words, the candidates on the
republican county ticket are expected to
declare themselves on those issues or
take the consequences. With one or two
exceptions they are reported to be
against home rule. Some Of them have
been %outspoken in favor of the continu-
ance of the Mercer-Baldwin commission
In control of the police and fire depart
ments and against any change that
would allow the people to elect the mem
bers Of the board as they do all other
city officers who are entrusted with the
disbursement Of public funds. We have
yet to learn that any of them have raised
their voice against the Ubiquitous system
Of railroad taxation by which the Union
Pacific bridge, which earns $1,000 a day,
contributes $46.9S a year in taxes toward
the expenses of government of the city
of Omaha, which run up to $~1,OOO,OOO a
year. This is a sensitive subject with q
great body of Omaha taxpayers, espe.
cially with the owners of small homes,
who are compelled to bear an undue pro.
portion Of the burdens of municipal gov.
eminent.
The taxpayers Of Omaha will want tc
know positively where each individual
candidate for the legislature stands
They will want some assurance that the
men who are to represent them in the
coming legislature will stand up fol
them rather han for the ~tax-shirkin0
railroad corporations. They will want
positive assurance that their representa-
tives will help to erase from the statute
books that part of the charter that de
prives the citizens of Omaha of the right
to govern themselves and subjects then
constantly to personal caprice, politica
intrigue and corporate conspiracy.