Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-19
CHEF FORDERSLAW ENFORCED
Donahue Commands His Men to Keep
Saloons closed Sundays
REScINDS FIRST tDIcT, IGNORING MAYOR
Dahlmsn's Bold stand for Systematic
Violation of Law il DeHed
by the Chief of
Police.

\, OMAHA, January Is, 1s7-Captains
Ny order of January ~. 1907. transmitting
the order of his honor, the mayor. in re-
gard to the regulation of the saloons, is
diligence in seeing that all laws, especially
the law closing saloons on Sunday, are
enforced.
Csigned) J. ]. DoNAHUB.
Chief OF Police.
Chief Donahue issued the above order
Friday morning without comment. The
chief refused to amplify the order with
any personal statement. but said the order
spoke for itself and meant what it said
The effect Of this last order from the
chief will be that the saloons will be
closed in Omaha next Sunday at least, or
the proprietors be sent to Jail for vioat-
ing the socumb law. Chief Donahue,
evidently, has decided the mayors order
directing the police department to violate
the law by refraining from arresting
violators Of the Slocumb law, will not af-
ford him the protection he at first thought
Last Saturday, when Mayor Dahlman is
sued his order to Chief Donahue. the chief
Immediately instructed his men accord
ingTy, holding that he had received
orders" and had no recourse, but to obey
them.
The chief will have a hearing before the
Board of Fire and Police Commissioners
next Wednesday afternoon on charges
filed by the Civic Federation and based on
the chiefs order Of last Saturday.
Mayor Jim Far, Far Away.
Mayor Dahlman is far far away in Den
yer. attending a meeting Of stockmen, and
was not "chief executive and conservator
of the city" Friday morning when Chief
nOna bma iSStad razciDdfuU Ordar
Acting Mayor johnson said he would keep
his hands off the Sunday closing question,
as he expected the mayor home by Sunday
any way 1t has been facetiously re-
marked that inasmuch the acting mayor
is a Seventh Day Adventist he might for
get himself and carrying out the policy of
Mayor Dahlman. order the saloons to be
open on Saturday; or, in line with his own
policy, order the saloons closed on Satur-
day and open on Sunday. But 1t Is not
likely that Acting Mayor Johnson will
take any hand. one way or the other, on
the question.
What Mayor Jim will do when he returns
home and finds that Chief Donahue has
"usurped" the role Of "conservator of the
peace has only been hinted at by the
knowing ones. Last Tuesday the mayor
declared he would issue orders to the chief
of police and would do so until the su-
preme court ruled on the matter The
mayor avowedly stands on the 'open Sun
day" platform. The police commissioners
hold they have no executive jurisdiction
in this matter, but may hear any charges
! brought against any member of the police
or fire, departments. The Civic Federation
holds tfle commissioners should control the
actions of the police department Charges
filed by the Civic Federation against the
D
ernor's office. And the plot thickens.
Enter w. j. BrOatch. ESQ.
Cometh now Captain w. J. Broatch, one
of the police commissioners, addressed the
saloon men last waek and committed him
self in favor of the "open Sunday" and
said he would do nothing to prevent Sun
day operation of saloons Will he vote to
sustain Chief Donahue? How will he vote
when the Civic Federation charges are
brought up? These were questions asked
Friday morning.
| At a meeting of the commissioners last
Tuesday afternoon it was quite generally
reported that the board would issue such
an order as was issued by the chief Fri
! day morning, but when the commissioners
were pinned down they declared they had
not heard of any such intention.
Commissioner George L. Miller has been
| in Lincoln for several days. He called on
I Governor Sheldon and told the governor he
would resign If that would help to simplify
matters.
/ The matter now resolves itself into one
OF law enforcement on the one hand and
Mayor Dahlman's public-sentiment-in-fa-
or-of-Sunday-opening on the other, with a
dash Of who's who when the laws are to
! be enforced. For the nonce, at least, Chief
/ Donahue has decided to assume the re-
! sponsIbility OF seeing that "alr' the laws
are enforced, especially the Sunday closing
| law.
/ And all this with Mayor Jim out in
| Denver
when the cat is away the mice will
| play"
MahOney Is NOncOmmittRI
In my opinion. Chief Donahue has taken
the only wise and safe course by issuing
his order of Friday morning.-Acting
Mayor L. b. Johnson.
I can not say what action the Civic
Federation will take in the event that the
police authorities decide TO close the sa-
looms on Sundays. but we will have a meet
ing OF the executive committee soon and
take some action.-T. j. Mahoney. for the
/ Civic Federation.
! At the October hearing in the Millard
hotel the Civic Federation representatives
said they would dismiss all charges upon
assurance saloons would be closed on Sun
days.