The sun., 1908-04-14
IF 40 CAPTAINS WOULD DIE
BINGHAM WOULD THINK 1T FOR
THE GOOD or THE SERVICE.
He Can't Get CID Of Them and They're No
Good. He Tells the city Ciub-AIso
He Tells Of Edward }. McGOldFickS
PrOtege-CiyIlian Detectives Coming.


Good. He Tells the CITY Ciub-Also
He Tells Of Edward J. McGOldFickG
PrOtege-CiIlian Detectives Coming.
Gen Bingham did not eat 'em alive at
the City Club last evening. as some people
had hoped he would do, but made instead
a very modest speech on the occasion OF
the clubs sixteenth anniversary. He didn't
say the naughty word once nor invoke
a god Of battle. But he voiced the wish
that forty captains would die over night IN
the Police Department and he gave reason.
He tictled the diners most when he told
a crisp story Of yesterday, the story OF
lust one OF the 'disinterested friend acts
with which all public officers and all news
paper friends Of press agents and Prima
donnas are familiar.
"A Job like mine would break your heart,
the Police Commissioner said, ii Il were
not for the funny things that happen now
and then. And one Of them happened
to-day that | thought I'd tell you about.
McGoldrick the Assistant Corporation
Counsel who keeps an eye on the interests
of the city up at Albany, sent down letter
which was presented to-day recommend
ing g worthy youth. He was one OF those
truly honest and deserving young men
whom you hear about now and then who
wanted to earn an education. Anything
the Commissioner could do for him would
be an act Of goodness deserving OF appre-
citation.
well, all the good young man wanted
was a letter from the Police Commissioner
which he could show to all the captains in
the station houses on a mission TO solicit
from them subscriptions TO the Ladies
Home Journal. TThe merry ha! hal which
interrupted the General at this point was
almost too robust for the genteel traditions
Of the house. The General really had TO
pause and let the City Club laugh.l
when the young man was told that to
give such a letter was against the rules OF
the department,' he continued, -he said
that any old letter with the Commissioners
name on it would do. Why, what good
would such a letter do your he was asked.
And he answered most simply and directly'
WHY. II have a letter with his name on II
then they'll know I'm friend Of the Com
missioner and all the policemen will sub
scribe. And all the gamblers and liquor
/ saloons will come In, too IReneWed
hilarity.l don't know what a police cap
tain should want with the Ladies Home
Journal but evidently that young man is in
the way to get an education
Gen. Bingham said that he recalled with
Measure that New York was always inter-
ested In its police. why | don't know,
said he fervently, but it's 30, A big corpo-
ration would have a police force organized
on the hire and fire principle. That, under
our form OF government, can't be done, but
Il was necessary 10 give the head OF the
force more arbitrary power OF you might az
we'll have abolished the office Of Commis-
sioner.
when tho bill giving the Commissioners
more power was up distinguished citizen
said here in this place that 1t couldn't be
passed that the inspectors would beat 1t,
would beat you think that that won
| the fiaht. To tell the citizens Of New York
publicly that the inspectors could defeat
their will was a little too much. The law
passed. Seven or eight inspectors heads
went at once-all 10 the good. Laughter, J
There il a better state Of discipline in
the force to-day than there was a year
ago, 1 think / am justified in saying. al
though, Of course, there is plenty Of room
for lmproy ement yet.
Il don't hesitate to say to you that !
wlsh ehrrt fc-ty police Oaptains would die
over night. Not that wish them any harm,
but they're no good. don't know how To
use them. And neither could you. con-
siderable number Of them are In position
70 retire and I've done all could to induce
them to do 90, but they won't do 10. They
| don't know how to take charge OF a pre-
cinct.
sThey can't command men. They are
afraid Of their own men. They've got the
straddle on you gentlemen, on your city.
You can't have perfectly disciplined force
under our form OF government. There Is
a story or Lesson in the behavior Of some
OF them when made acting captains. When
they are acting captains they do well. but
they are no good as soon as the Commis-
sioner can't reduce them summarily. Some
Of them are utterly unified to be more than
serReants and some Of them ought never
TO have been promoted even to that place.
THE whole result you get for the expon-
siye police department can be put on post
card 80 many convictions more than the
year before. In that respect the record "a
very satisfactory. had meeting with the
Finance Committee Of the Board Of Alder
men this afternoon-T. Sullivan, chairman.
And II was q very satisfactory talk. You
know that after the Union Square bomb
throwing l asked again for an appropna-
ton for a secret police service.
THAT Is only development Of the old
idea Of a civilian detective force. II We
get this the first step will be 10 find the
best civilian detective We can get In the
United States or Europe for the money Ia
work where the regular force are known
| .nd thsrofora ran rnakA M hAadWaYs