The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-02-11

|
were heaped upon the peasants. Hav-
ing been taught French and German,
she began to read books upon social
frequently put in power in Missouri
officials as little liked as the third
Napoleon was liked by the mass of
Frenchmen. The present police-law,
which Governor Folk Is pledged to re-
form, is the most extraordinary, the
most iniquitous that ever disgraced
the statute-books of a civilized state.
BY virtue of that law the Governor of
Missouri appoints four commissioners
who are vested with absolute control
of the st. Louis police, removing and
appointing its members, and fixing the
amount of money which the city shall
appropriate for the departments ex-
penses. When the Governors four
commissioners certify to the Speaker
Of the House of Delegates and to the
President of the City Council the sum
wanted for the ensuing year it forth
with becomes the duty of the house
and council to appropriate the amount
demanded; and any member of either
house who votes against the appropria-
ton thereby becomes guilty of a crime
that is punishable by a $1,000 fine, by
Acknowledgement and by permanent
disability from holding any office Of
honor or profit. There is no maximum
as to the number of police whom the
commissioners may employ, and no
| maximum as to the amount of money
they may demand from the city
! treasury. Immediately after this law
| was enacted the commissioners de-
manded some $1,800.000; prior to that
time the expenses of the police depart
metn had never exceeded some $780,
| 600 per year. This increase Of nearly
| million dollars at once bound aroused
a storm of protest and members of the
city legislature refused to vote for the
appropriation. When taken into the
courts, however, the Supreme Court
declared the law constitutional and
President Hornsby Of the Council, a
Democrat, in voting AYE" declared
from his place on the Presidents
bench that the billy was iniquitous and
that he voted for it only because to
vote against it would subject him to
a 81 900 fine and to loss of all his rights
as a citizen.
!
ifest; that four men not elected by the
people, therefore not responsible to
them, should be permitted to employ
armed police at their discretion; that
taxpayers of a great city should then
be compelled to pay whatever sum
these four commissioners demand,
whether that sum be one or a dozen
millions; and that any member of the
c1 Ia f1r txyh1 b.
the appropriation demanded by the
Governors commissioners. not matter
how unreasonable, how huge that ap-
preparation may be, may be legally
fined $1,000 and deprived of his citizen
ship-all this seems incredible in an
American state protesting those fun
damental principles of jefferson, home
rule and self-government. But that is
the condition to-day in Missouri, and
that is one of the things which Cover
nor Folk is pledged to reform. Had
the people been as aroused on the
other State offices as they were on
that of Governor. had they nominated
a complete ticket in harmony with the
campaign of equal taxation, home-rule
and honest government. there can be
no doubt but that the entire ticket
would have been overwhelmingly elect
ed, and then Governor Folk would
have had willing and able lieutenants
to aid in carrying out the promised
reforms. But after the fearless prose-
cutor of boodlers was nominated for
Governor the peoples interest relaxed:
business men went back to their BUSH
ness; professional men went back to
their offices; farmers went back to
their farms. But the boodlers fought
0n-and while the people slept over
their partial victory, friends Of the
boodlers, friends of the "Prominent.
Citizen" Ring captured the other most
important nominations, with the re-
suit finally recorded on the eighth of
November-defeat and disaster for all
save Folk and almost defeat for the
head of the ticket. How much the
Governor alone, unaided, can do, re-
mains to be seen; that he can do much
that he can at least appoint police COM
missioners who will cease to make
elections in st. Louis a tragedy and a
travesty upon democratic institutions.
that he can appoint election commits
sioners who will install honest clerks
and judges in the polling places and
cease the system of carrying election,
with lead-pencils, after the voters have
cast their ballots and gone home,
that Governor Folk can do this much
all Missouri knows. And all Mis-
siouri will be grievously disappointed
if he fails to do it. His enemies saw
he will fail; his friends say he will
keep his pledges. The people will know
which prediction is right after the an
pointment Of the Police and Election
Boards next January.
st. Louis, Mo.
J 81" -~>.4 80 f..<3a,1&;.