The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-03-10
NEWPORT''S
POLICE
FORCE
Public Hearing on tho Bill to
Abolish Commission Held at
Old State House Yesterday.

The judiciary committee of the house
OF representatives gave a hearing at the
old state house at Newport yesterday on
the bin to abolish the police commission
OF that city.
The house chamber OF the old capitol
was crowded to the doors and numerus
witnesses were heard on both sides OF
the question Among those present were
Representative Barry OF Providence. ex-
Senator Patrick J. Murphy and Mayor
Boyle of Newport, together with many
of those prominent in the city.
For the bin Senator Murphy, Mayor
Boyle, Representative Brown, ex-Mayor
Franklin, q. II. Taylor G. II. Burnham,
o. II. p. Gladding, w. f. Mumford. Jul
ius Engle, j. G.. Franklin and c, w.
Crandall were the speakers.
Against the bill appeared Judge Baker,
DR.. Bradley, 7. NJ. Seabury, the Rev
DR.. Beckley, r. s. Burl.ngame. T. T..
Kaull, A. X. Mcmahon, the Rev. DR..
Derricks, @. A. Pritchard G. r. Harvey,
Col. w. p Sheffield. Il. +. Tanner. the
Rev. G. G.. Williams and Alex Mcclellan.
Clark -.urdick appeared for the police
commission and j. Stacy Brown for the
opponents.
Ex-senator Murphy OF New port was
the first speaker. and he fired hot shot
at the commission. He said 1T gives
me pleasure to enter my protest against
retaining I'm Office the board OF police
commissioners. They are an extremely
ornamental or useless lot of officials. The
conditions at the time OF the establish
ment OF the board were clearly exaggera-
ted.
Two professional politicians. the city
solicitor an ex-Chief of Police, Col. Will
liam p. Sheffield, Jr, and Harwood f.
Read. were mainly instrumental IN hav-
ing this bill passed. Boss Read had a
lot OF time on his hands after he was
removed from office. He was color blind
and near-sighted when he was chief OF
police, but after he was removed he saw
things that he never observed when he
was an officer. Iae police commission
was merely to give Boss Read job.
Mayor Boyle followed saying that ne
had always been an advocate of abolish
ting the commission. He said In part
From an impartial Jury ] will invite
an investigation and criticism OF the NOR
al conditions OF Newport before the COM
mission and since its establishment. Nat
urally there Is a political feeling I'm this
meeting here today. The two political
parties will be arrayed against each
other. The work OF opposing the police
commission is charged the Democratic
party, but such IL not the case. / am
here as a self-respecting member OF a
law-ablding community that is able 20
attend to It's own affairs under the In
fiuence OF the bill which created them.
Those In favor OF the bill did not go
into particulars about the shortcomings
OF the police commission, but said that
the cndtion OF the city was no better
than II has been. tha he cos OF the COM
mission was a useless expenditure that
moral conditions had grown worse, rather
than better, that the commission was a
violation Of home rule principles and had
uuerly failed 20 Justify any further ex-
istence and that they were willing 10 put
the question TO the test of a popular
vote.
The supporters OF the commission said
that conditions were much better than
they had been for years. that the COM
mission had done well. but not all 10
should have done. and repeated the old
stories about the condition OF affairs
when the commission was established.
None of them mentioned willingness 10
! put the matter 20 a test OF popular vote.
/ though some said majority of the busi-
ness men and citizens believed as they
/ did.
None Of the commissioners were pres
\ ent