The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-06-26

4
must prove sautary of attracting public attention
10 the desirabiity, il not absolute necessity OF cap
turing the board of aldermen if the people OF Prov
dence would actually control the police board and
the police department.
1t has been pointed out that the fall election
will be the first opportunity the people have had
since the police commission was created to obtain
voice in the control of the citys police and license
of more than 100000.
Everybody with modicum of political sense
knows the real purpose of the Republican machine
in transferring the control Of the police department
from the governor and senate to the mayor and
board OF aldermen was to place the police depart
ment within the reach and control of the politicians
The machine element, which is responsible for the
original petition to the legislature for relief through
the creation of the police commission declared that
the board of aldermen was unequal to the task Of
administering police affairs because of ward poll
tics, and possibly, also, because the mayor, usually
Democrat, then had powerful voice in police
administration
When the forces OF decency proved too power
ful for governors to resist and some men of cour-
age and capacity were put upon the police commits
sion, despite machine Vaccinations, it was deter
all its ward heeler attachments, but without the
restraining influence OF the mayor that had obtained
five years ago
This was done by Brayton- controlled gen
era assembly, and the machine counted upon
quietly controlling the police department through
the aldermen as it did up to 1901 1t had never
experienced difficulty in electing boards of alder
men with the help of tax assessors who passed
tha Al
as personal property tax payers.
No attention had been paid to the board OF |
aldermen this year, and probably little would have
been attracted to it in the heat of congressional
campaign when United States senator is to be
chosen, had not the police commissioners, all of
whom are Republicans, adopted this new rule
which everybody seems to believe will put the
police force into politics. This at once focused
public attention upon the fact that it is the board
If aldermen that actually controls the police, and
hat if the people really desire police department
hat will be thoroughly up-to-date and beyond ma
hine control they must control the aldermen who |
lect the police commissioners.
However great public disappointment with the |
'erdct in the Matthews conspiracy case may be, |
here was general satisfaction that majority of
he board agreed that the chief wa. guilty and in
hat respect, at least, two members display indie
'endence OF the machine. 1t happens that the
erm OF one OF these members will expire next
anuary, and it is known the machine intends to
end every energy to the election of more
liant his successor
Now that public attention has been attracted
D this situation, it may be difficult for the
lachine to carry out its intention.
If the machines grip on the board OF alder
len and, through the board, on the police de-
artment, is broken, the people will probably have
} thank the police commission for the new rule
which has acted limelight though SO generally