Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-23
HoME RrLE M1sorERAprRs.

only hope of the democrats to make
their present masquerade effective
rests on the short memories proverbi-
ally possessed by the people. The
question of municipal home rule in
Omaha, as is we'll known, has turned
chiefly on the location of the control
ling authority over the FIRE and police
departments. A brief review of recent
history should serve to set present con-
ditions in their proper light.
In 1887 a metropolitan board Of FIRE
and police commissioners was estab-
lished for Omaha by legislative act to
consist OF four members appointed by
the governor to serve with the mayor
as ex-offcio chairman. The moving
purpose of vesting the appointment in
the governor was to divorce the police
and FIRE departments completely from
municipal politics. In this expectation
The Bee favored the innovation and
looked confidently forward to it's real
ization.
1t soon transpired that instead of
taking the police and fire departments
out of politics the new plan put them
into the very vortex of political con-
tention and merely changed the center
from the city hall to the state house,
while the nonpartisan police board be-
came an active factor in every political
campaign. When Silas A. Holcomb
took his seat as governor In 1895 the
republican legislature, to prevent the
appointing power passing to the fu-
sionists, changed the law over his veto
and created a special board to appoint
Omaha fire and police commissioners
in which the governor was only a
minority member.
When the democrats and fusionists
came into undivided power in 1897, in
stead Of establishing municipal home
rule, they simply abolished the special
appointing board and restored the APP
pointing power to the governor. Worse
than that, they forced the governor to
name the notorious Herdman-Pe Peabody
/ Gregory board a few weeks before the
election called to fill the places of re-
publican city officials iegislated out of
office and turned every resource of the
fire and police departments to help the
democrats capture the city hall. AL
though the democrats failed in this the
police board for which tue fusion gov
ernor was responsible inflicted Omaha
with the worst police administration
from which it ever suffered.
The demand for home rule, which
The Bee voiced at that time, was a de-
mand for relief from a reign of law
lessness and yiciousness. In this de-
mand, however, the sincere advocates
of home rule got no aid nor comfort
from the democratic organ, nor from
present eleventh-hour democratic con-
verts. Things went from bad to worse
until, acting upon the theory that home
rule was a right to which every COM
munity is entitled under our constitu-
ton, Mayor Moores appointed police
board to make the issue by test suit
in the courts.
The result of this litigation was a
complete vindication OF the principle OF
home rule. The supreme court of Ne.
braska in a researohful decision held
that the right OF local self-government
was inherent and that any law confer.
ring upon the governor the power &c
appoint city officials was imperative
because conflicting with this right.
Omaha had achieved complete home
rule. but because the mayor, who thus
became the responsible authority, hap
pened to be a republican the demo
Gratis, and chief of them all the loca
democratic organ, refused to be salts
fed Through the mediation Of the
democratic attorney general, c. J
smyth. they prevailed upon Governor
Poynter to disregard the supreme cour
decision and undertake to commission
. another governor appointed police
board for Omaha. And It was not tn,
, fault of the democrats who are nov
shouting for home rule that the su
preme court refused to reopen the cas-
and to accede to their demands
But supreme courts are not immut
} able They have been known unde
SUFFICIENT pressure to change thei
minds. When his aecidency, GOverno
) Savage, was later worked upon through
J his prejudices 20 usurp the poWe
vested in the mayor OF Omaha, his law
5 less action was applauded by the dem
= ocratie mouthpiece, although The Bee
p for protesting against this invasion o
! home rule and calling attention 10 tn
{ decision supposed to have settled tn
& question for all time, had before bee
e cited for contempt and hhed $500 an
r costs. The supreme court. now con
I trolled By a fusion majority, com
y pletely reversed itself. In doing SC
! however, It gave as almost a repetition
! OF the scandal accompanying the pc
D lice board appointment by the first fu
d sion governor. The democratic chic