New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
Ask the heads of the liquor dealers as
sociations and see what they say.

that the Commissioner of Police and his
deputies should be selected from the
force itself II that were so. abuses in
the force would continue 10 grow, and
especially corruption The best influence
on the force is the Commissioner and
his deputies taken from the outside.
Some say the Commissioner should be
permanent. Not e bit Of IT, No more
than the Mayor should be permanent.
No more than any official in this free
government should be permanent We.
DO pretty well in this country with our.
short tenurcs OF office. In fact, do not
we do as well as Is done anywhere in the
world or better?
There are some people who would have
4 permanent President IL they could or
King TO bow down and scrape before.
We are all equals before tho law in this
country. Cut that should not lessen due
reSpcc; for authority. I fear our COM
mon schools are not teaching our boys
snd cirls 20 be polite and respectful TO
authority. They won't get up in car TO
give you u seat.
The police force is doing very well.
They are e splendid lot Of men. OF
course, we arc all anxious 10 weed out
the unworthy ones from their ranks,
especially the impolite and brutal ones.
We have worked on that line quietly all
The time. We are also teaching them TO
understand that they have no right to
put their hands on anybody except by
law.
Why did 7 make so much of the case
OF the Seventeen-year- r-old boy Eagan?
some say. Why, I could not make too
much Of It, How would you feel if YOU
or your boy were arrested in the street
to-day by policeman, locked up over
night in dirty cell and brought before
a magistrate next morning and accused
ny q sworn complaint by the policeman
of having no place to sleep and wander
ing about from place TO place and hav-
ing no visible means OF support, and
therefore that you are q vagrant? That
Is no trife in the case of any one, let
alone in the case of our boys.
We are trying TO mako the police
understand that that sort Of business is
a thing Of the past and should be no
longer INDUCED III. AS matter OF fact,
II was common in the past TO make such
false accusations right and left in order
10 hold arrested persons who were sus-
pectsd OF some other crime.
Powers Of Police Clear.
The law allows policemen to arrest for
felonies without a warrant when they
have reasonable grounds for believing
that the person arrested has committed
= felony. But tho law does not permit
the policeman In making such an arrest
10 go and make a false charge of va
grancy or anything else against the ar
rested person. The law requires him to
take such person before magistrate
forthwith ana state the facts on which
he arrested him, and let the magistrate
Judge whether they give grounds for
reasonable suspicion or probable cause
10 hold the person.
IL Is singular 10 me how some people
want 10 let the policemen arrest right
and left. and even 10 club people. And
during the recent mutiny in the Street
Cleaning Department, and last year in
some strikes good many people wrote
10 me to call out the militia and shoot
them down" and all such talk
OF course, 1 generally wrote back that
this was not q government by the mill
tary power, but by civil officials elected
by the people, and that the military
should not le called upon by the civil
y officers 70 aid them except in the last eX.
- III
ones 10 beware about talking about
shooting people down--that when the
time FOR shooting came in this country
they would be the first victims. We want
10 postpone the time for shooting as
lone as we can in this free country.
What do you consider is the city's
greatest need today" you ask.
That is a hard one TO answer. Good,
intelligent citizens I should think are the
great essential everywhere where the
government is by universal suffrage.
What reforms have you in mind for
he next two years.
] hope you will pass that one also.
intend 10 do what l can from day TO
iay. l do not like 10 speak in advance
IF what l purpose doing. never have
1one so IN my life. Some people are al
WAYS telling what they are going 10 do
such people seldom DO much. Have my
;ieWs IN regard to the way TO run city
goyernment changed since / took office?
40, / do not think SO. I am always will
ne 10 change my mind about anything
)ut my general ideas about government
ire pretty much the same as they We're
.wo years ago. whether national, state
,r local.
Sticks to Transit Views.
DO you anticipate any satisfactory
solution Of The transit problem in the
oear future"
hope II will come out all right.
iave often given my views about what
sc should have done. The city"s credit
very short To build all the subways
1T the city's expense would take many
fears. WAS therefore anxious TO get
al the private capital in that we could
NTH the city's money. Then hue and
.ry WAS started by two or three unscru-
1ulous, sensational newspapers that iC
private capital was put in those who
put II IN would have ownership or con-
Iol Of the subways.
TIE law IS the very contrary. The
statute only permits the subways 10 he
oulI, and owned by the city. It then per-
ults them to be leased out Tor operation.
whether the city puts up all the money