Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-13
Nebraska
GOVERNOR TAXING ADVICE
Nebraska Executive to Confer with
Attorney General on Omaha Case.
MANY QUESTIONS ASKED CHIEF
Wappich and Hoye, in Testimony,
Declared Boards orders Were
Fully Carried Out BY the
Police.
(lrrom q staff Correspondent.l

LINCOLN. Dec. t2.-Cspeclai )-Governor
shallenberEer mAde no decision in the
Omaha police board case today, but tomor-
row he will confer with the attorney gen
eral and then decide as quickly as pos
sible.
IT vas very evident at the hearing yes
ferday. based on the questions he asked.
hat the governor had serious doubts OF
a case having been made against the
mayor or the police board. In examining
Chief of Police Donahue the governor per-
sisted In his efforts to learn whether there
had been any strings to the boards orders
to the chief TO enforce the liquor laws,
which had been intimated by the plain
tiffs, but the chief was very vigorous In
his statements that the board had given
him orders and there were no strings at
tached. In one Of his statements the gov
ernor said It appeared that the board had
done its duty when Il authorized and COM
manded the chief 70 enforce the s o'clock
closing law. The chief. he said, evidently
had not been as diligent as he might have
been. r.,
Both Mr.. wappich and Mr.. Hoye stood
by the chief and said he had carried out
their orders and Omaha was not the wide
open town Il had been advertised. They
pointed to the fact that the A~ntl-Saloon
league had found only six places in six
months after diligent search, in which the
law had been violated. Considering there
were 240 saloons in Omaha the board men,
bers thought the record was a good one,
MT. PouIsOn's Efforts.
Mr.. Poulson, the president of the Anti
Saloon league Of the state. testified at the
hearing that he had met a police officer
on his beat the night of the Ak-Sar-Ben
parade.
"Can you leave your beat to make an
arrest?" he testified TO having asked the
policeman.
yes. I cam replied the policeman.
Can you so two squaresT' Poulson
asked.
yes" was the answer.
Car you so a half square7"
"Yes.'t answered the policeman,
wen, come with me to Lentz g. Will
liams. They are selling liquor after 5
o'clock" said Poulson.
TN have to call the captain first" said
the officer.
"I went with the policeman to a tele-
phone and he called Captain Mostyn and
told him what / wanted done"
Captain Mostyn said for you to come
to the station and get a warrant ard the
arrests would be made. the policeman
told me. Then I had him repeat the mes
sage and the captain told him the same
thing again. said Pouison.
well. the officer did just right and so
did the captain" said Chief Donahue.
The question the governor desired an
swered was this tTf the Anti satoon
~league could find yiolationsGofB the liquor
laws why could not the none exRerianced
policef' q
Chief Donahus explained that hfs police
were well known to the saloon Keepers
and the owners Of cafes and when one
OF them appeared either An uniform or
plain clothes, the selling Of liquor would
DO stopped 10 It had been In progressl HI
had no authority, he said. to. go to a tabls
and look into the tea cup" Of SOMEONE
there. The persons working for the Anti
Saloon league. he said, were unknown AMI
they could more easily get some saloor
keeper to violate the law and secure the
evidence. The police department had ne
money to pay outside detectives and hat
to do the best IT could protecting thu
city with a limited number of police Of
ficers and a limited amount Of money.