The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-22
Rebuking Law Enforcement.

Ridgway's devotes this week one of
those potent fourteen carloads Of pa
per to local matters.sI It was, of course,
to be expected that such an amount Of
paper dumped in one spot would have
a crushing effect. Minneapolis is
crushed. Not merely by the paper,
but by the weight Of the thoughts in
delibly Inscribed thereon.
From Ridgwuy's one learns that tho
issue in Minneapolis is not the lid, but
police protection. Having learned this
from Mr.. Haynes, Ridgway's immedi-
ately proceeds to- inform Mr.. Haynes
that he learned it from Ridgway's. No
matter; so long as these two immortal
luminaries Of public thought have
agreed upon the issue let all others
stand aside. If they do not they are
liable to double crushing, from car
load of paper and from Haynes
speech. Either is sufficiently fatal,
but together they must be annihilating.
We did not know that there was any
controversy between Mayor Jones
and would-be Mayor Haynes as to the
necessity Of police protection. Mayor
. Jones has not denied his responsibility
for the police. On the contrary he.
has proclaimed his intention to be
Judged by his police administration,
and he is prepared to compare records
with the last administration in that re-
gard. Mayor Jones, however, takes a
broader view Of police administration
than his critics. He takes the ground
that it is the business of the police to
enforce the laws which the state and
city declare to be within the scope Of
the police. He has enforced the laws.
He has stopped the raid of the Sunday
saloon on the pockets of the laboring
and wage-earning classes to the tune
Of 100000 a year. He has stopped
the raid Of the public gambler upon
the pocket and the honor Of the wage
earning and business classes to nobody
knows what extent, but certainly to as
much as his raid on the Sunday saloon
restored to legitimate trade. Mean.
while he has organized the police force
to take care Of other sorts Of crime.
The total testimony Of business men is
that the city has never had better
police force. They saw it's work dur
ing the Grand Army week when the
immense crowds present in the city
! were handled adequately, and when
petty and major crimes were almost
entirely absent. They saw it in state
fair week when the same excellent con-
i dition prevailed. An attempt has
/ been made since the political cam
police were Inefficient, that criminals
! stalked unmolested thru the city. Some
Of these crimes were real. Many Of
; them were faxed up for the occasion.
The tracing Of these alleged crimes
has resulted in curious number of adj
missions Of put-up stories, or of sud-
I den panic in which an imagined high
wayman became terribly real. The
stampede which had all but gotten I'M
!; der way was, started too early. The
! reaction has come already. The scare
/ cannot be Started over again. =
Meanwhile the people have not lost
sight of the real issue which is the en-
forcement of the laws. They have
4 not been blinded to the fact that
Mayor Jones has done for them what
no mayor ever did before-successful
ly demonstrated that the laws can be
enforced and that nothing is lost there
by in real value to the city, while
money, character, order and morality
greatly gain.
Ridgway's declares that it will
9 eventually present comparison of the
police records of Haynes and Jones
The Journal hopes it will do 50
and do it before the election. A car.
load Of paper devoted to that subject
I, would be good thing. -