The San Francisco call., 1906-06-11
CONRAD's s ACTION
AROUSEs PASTOR
Alameda Chief Criticised
From Pulpit by Rev..
I Macfarlane.
Patrolman Who Arrested
Gambling Chinese
Given Praise.

displeasure at the action of Patrolmen
Theodore Anderson, Charles Moebus
and z A Willing. who raided a gam
bling joint In Chinatown last Tues
day night and arrested six Mongolian
players was discussed tonight by the
Rev. p. c. Macfarlane of the Christian
Church. who stirred police circles four
months ago by charging that there was
either corruption or incompetency in
the department. The three vigilant
policemen were championed by the min
lister tonight, who in the course of
his defense of them said:
The task which l am about to under
take Is by no means a pleasant one.
It IS much more agreeable TO commend
thar 70 criticize, and yer duty must be
case ! have 20 discharge not only
outy TO my own conscience, but a duty
70 the community and a duty to three
men whose only offense in the present
instance is that they, too, have heard
the call of duty and answered it.
The men in question are Police Off
GERS Anderson, Moebus and Willing
We read in our papers a few days ago
that these oflcers had raided gam
bling joint in Chinatown and captured
six players with pie cow layout and
$50 in money, which was on the table,
besides a larger sum found in the pos
session of the prisoners. Good citizens
lopened their eyes and stared for mo-
ment, then congratulated themselves
that the Police Department was at last
taking an interest in this class of law
breaking SO common in Alameda But
the coaEratuEarIon was short-lved, for
the next lines conveyed the astonishing
Information that the Chief of Police
had bluntlg diseredlted the entire pro-
ceeGinS. He had no words of com
nendation for his energetic officers
On the contrary, he was pessimistic
over their enter rprise. He did not order
made the raid. and intimated that three
Of his most seasoned officers whose
record is as high as that OF any in
The department. had been so green as to
disturb the worthy yellow men at a
peaceful game of dominoes. The Chief
not only tnrew cold water on the entire
ana jury-with the declaration that he
did not think they would be able to
secure a conviction. the pie gov outfit
and the $50 in coin as evidence not
MANY STRANGE POLICE DOINGS.
The people of Alameda have become
used to a good many strange things in
the conduct of their Police Department,
bat the spectacle of its constituting
himself an attorney for the defense in
A case which not one but three careful
men have worked up still CRATES harsh
ly on the public nerve
The published statement of the Chief
of Police was an astounding confession
Of indifference on his part and was
calculated TO check the erth usiasm, of
any officer Again and again have
been Informed at second hand that the
duty in such matters was that they
feared official displeasure- Chief Cons
rad has showed me an admirable gen
eral order on tb -ubject. closing with
the words, Let ~ y man do his duty
and there will 40 cause for COM
plant" Here were too apparent con-
Police Department wants his men to
enforce the laws or he does not. His
attitude in the present instance Will
forming a jud gment in the matter.
Imagine yourself police officer for
a moment Suppose in an excess OF zeal
you make an arrest where the evidence
is not altogether convincing, and are
singled out for public disapproval. VIII
you not feel that you have been un-
justly rewarded for your zeal? And
the evidence is good beyond shadow
of doubt, but the possibility of se-
curing g conviction because of the
workings of the jury system in mis-
demeanor cases is small and your Chief
takes advantage of that possibility TO
bring discredit upon you in the most
centive to do your duty in the future?
Is it any wonder that officers are chary
about making arrests?
In the particular case not one man
is concerned. but three, and they have
been reelected upon eI ch in such ,, wa as
that our Police Department is a house
divided against Itself.
And now comes the next develop
ment. The bald statement of Mr.. Con-
rad stood before the public for four
days uncontroverted. On the fifth day
Mr.. Conrad learned that his action was
to be made the subject of public COM
ment here, and he then declared that
the papers had done him an injustice
by printing what he said. lie admits
the substance of 1T, but denies the inn
port.
LATE IN MAKING CORRECTION.
Every one knows that the most ac-
curate reporter may unintentlonally
- III
exact words. and we must grant Mr..
Conrad the right to make such claim.
What we are all wondering about is
three days earlier 1t is ~uncharitf. DlS, \
TO say the least, to permit three fa,th-
full men TO bear the stigma which the
only hasten TO remove it when he finds
that thereby he has placed stigma
upon himself Mr.. Condrad's personal
explanation is that he was so inju-
dicious as to talk to the baneful re-
porters before he made himself thor
oughly conversant with the facts. He
dominoes; he had not yet informed him
self as TO the dice and the money. con-
stituting a complete pie Cow outfit. The
Chief is shrewd waa man g, Wsg bsSa 1ae Pc
realized that the action of his men was
a severe rebuke to his own notorious
inaction in the Chinatown district?
DO the people of Alameda want a
Chief of Police who will do this sort OF
thing? Mr.. Conrad evidently thinks so,
else he would not do it. Time and the
people will decide. In the meantime
one thing is obvious. Ws want police
officers who will do their duty, and
Messrs. Anderson, Moebus and Willing
have done theirs and the people viii
stand by them They will have the
support of all good citizens and of the
Boatd of Trustees, even as the Chief
now tardily admits they will have his.
In the present cases Chief Conrad
says he doubts whether they will Sc
cure a conviction or not So long as
the rclice Department summons the .u-
ries. the case under the present
law, il is possible to make it impossi- Z
BILE to convict, since nothing is easier
than to gather up a venire of citizens
from which Ii is impossible 10 select
twelve men who will decide according
TO the law and the evidence. Here is a
notable defect in the law as ii stands !
at present, as many a good citizen has
FOUND it 10 his sorrow, since IL places I
the entire machinery of the law in the I
hands of the Police Dep-.i tment Jud ge /
and prosecutor are helpless.
Under present conditions, for Chief
Conrad to insist that his men shall I
have orders to convict before a raid is
70 demand that no raids shall be made /
How are they to tell just what the eyi- !
oence Is TO be till the raid has been
consummated2 And how are they TO
know whether the strongest evidence