Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-17
RICHT Way TO GET REFORMS
Addresses Delivered Before Mems
Club Of Presbyterian Church,
LOCAL SITUATION ANALYzED
Power of Police Board and of the
various Law omcers-sunday Base
Ball and other A~musements
Taken I'D.

form. With Particular Reference to Omaha
Conditions was the theme discussed by
John l.. Kennedy at a meeting Of the Mems
club of the First Presbyterian church. In
brief. the speaker declared that the right
way is to go to the proper officials in the
premises.
Mr.. Kennedy's address included state
ments that two-thirds OF a vote taken to-
day would be in favor OF Sunday base ball.
the grand juries who have fault TO find can
properly speak only by Indictment and not
by criticizlng officials; that the belief that
the quickest way to get rid OF an unpop-
ular law lie to enforce II is largely a beau
tiful theory which does not work out in
practice.
Beginning with the statement that no
country in the world has as many unwise
statutes on the books as the United States.
Mr.. Kennedy passed to a discussion OF local
conditions. and first made It clear that the
responsibility for enforcement of laws and
ordinances rests with the county and city
prosecutors. The erroneous idea that the
Board OF Fire and Police Commissioner
has this power, he dispelled by reading the
statutes on the point. Later In his ad-
dress he explained how an idea to the con-
trary had grown and why.
ut is because" said he. 1.-THE board has
in the past stretched its powers and done
things It was never intended to do" In
instance he quoted the order to the chief
OF police to seize the slot machines of
the city and throw them In the garbage
pile. When the attorneys for the machine
owners. realizing the situation. sought an
injunction In district court. I appeared with
the assistant city attorney and said: This
man stands here a self-confessed law
breaker. He asks the power Of this court
to aid him In continuing to break the law
knew that no court of equity would ex-
ercise its power for such a purpose"
Sunday Base Ball.
With regard to Sunday base ball, MIR.
Kennedy said: II, myself, would not at
tend a ball game on Sunday nor play golf
that day, but we must remember that the
best organized church In this city sanctions
this and another Of the leading churches
acquiesces at least. We must remember too
that all men are not so fortunate as we
are and are cooped up to a greater extent
through the week. This much I do say,
that no game should be permitted which
disturbs a community or a church.
when a committee Of the Ministerial
union waited on the Fire and Police board
"'N N thSh diiGSl tNe Ddll pIdyeTS
they cited the action of the board with
regard to slot machines. / should think they
might recognize the difference between an
inanimate gambling device and live citi-
zens fully as respectable as ourselves.
IF a vote were taken in Omaha tomorrow
two-thirds would favor Sunday base ball"
Mr.. Kennedy dwelt chiefly upon the stu
alton as IT exists by law with reference to
enforcement by executive officers, the
mayor and the prosecutors. He showed that
the chief function OF the board is in mat
tiers of discipline OF members of the two de-
partments, but he referred to progress of
citizenship in general and declared that a
government will never rise above the
standard of a community and that reforms
must be planned with this in mind. He
was asked IL he favored an appointive CT
elective board and declared that the latter
would be best in the long run although for
a time a more liberal government, a less
strict enforcement of the laws would
ensue."
Following him, Judge Howard Kennedy
discussed enforcement of the law from
the standpoint CT the bench. The addresses
were interspersed with vocal music, Mrs.
Helen Powell, Miss Louise Jansen, Mr.. w
w. Grigo and Mr.. w. Sturgess giving
numbers. All were encored.