The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-31
THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL.

message it is not necessary, or, perhaps,
feasible to set out in detail, but there
are hundreds Of questions. both great
and small, that should be studied.
Among them are grade crossings, the
building ordinances, the dead and down
houses and smoke nuisance There are
also many fiscal questions such as the
increasing tax rate, the perennial Bond
problem. Then there are pure water,
improved street car service, cleaner
streets, and many others. %
BY getting together with the safe
and sane majority of the council much
can be accomplished, and certainly. a
great deal Of loose, ,ssa vicious and %h boodng
been ''combines'' in the council
against the people, why should there
not be one for the people, and why
should not the mayor be a member
Controlling the Council.
There would need to be thoro under
standing between the mayor and the
majority and each should treat the other
fairly in a spirit of harmony and of dis
interested public" service. The mayor
should in particular insist that the coun-
Gil do not try to put him "out OF the
game by passing matters as motions
which should be in resolutions or
ordinances. He ought also to notify
ordinance which had bene materially
amended on the night of it's final pas
sage. Nearly all the railroad jobs that
have been, put thru the council have
been put thru in this way. An inno-
cent looking ordinance or resolution is
brought in, read and referred; discussed
and brought back and just before the
final vote is taken on it the ''joker' is
inserted. Much good can be done by
intelligent cooperation between the
right.
Guarding the Treasury.
Another thing that the mayor of Min
neapolis can and ought to do is tc
call public attention to the fact that
appropriations for the different depart
ments of the government are intended
to be all that those departments shall
spend in any year. Of course he can
not under the present charter stop the
reckless expenditures Of department
moneys except by holding up the vouch
ers, but he would be justified even in
this. Of course, if Mayor Jones is
going to do this he will have to begin
by setting the example.
The police department. has been one OF
the worst offenders in the matter of over
running it's appropriation The fire de
partment has lapsed often and the street
! lighting fund is usually OverdraWn. Al
Of these habits are evils that vigor
Gus, resolute mayor can assist to cor
rect.
AS Chief Of Police.
In his own special department there
is work cut out for the mayor. Some
people in Minneapolis affect to belittle
| the mayor because he is practically
chief of police, but where is there 8
department of government where a gooC
man can do so much good or a bad mar
so much harm? The fire department
has the care Of property, the city en-
gineer is building sewers, bui
the chief Of police is deciding every
day whether Minneapolis shall be filled
with lawbreakers or with lawabiding
citizens. He has more influence upon
the future Of certain classes of young
men and young women than all the
churches combined, simply because he
and those under him can reach then
and the churches cannot. The position
Of chief of police is certainly full Of op
portunities.. Il
Mayor Jones has shown a disposition
to take the department out of politics
by the appointment Of James G. Doyle
as superintendent. He has also show1
by his choice that he means to have
the department efficient and disciplined