The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-20
Law Enforcement

The report of the grand jury which invesa;l-
gated the rioting at the foundry of the Richmond
Malleable Castings company has received the cal
dorsement of every law-abdng citizen OF Rich
mond.
Indictments were returned against the per-
sons who maliciously destroyed property. The
report to the Judge of the circuit court
the police department for it's failure to check the
rioting in it's incipiency.
What it has to say in regard to the unionizing
of police officers and fremen is distinctly to the
point. Members of the police and fire DEPART
nents are public officers, whose first and only
duty is the protection of life and property. When
ever they make alliances with organizations that
put their claims above the rights of the public as
a whole they become prejudiced public officials.
A police officer must be impartial. He must
have no entangling alliances He must be free to
act without regard to the wishes or claims of any
organization, be it labor, political or religious.
Both the fire and police departments will be
quickly demoralized if their members join an
ganization that may call them from duty at will.
No police officer or fireman has the right to
strike, to forsake his post, to leave the city at
the mercy of thugs and crooks, to expose prop
erty to fire hazard The judgment of the grand
jury on these points is correct and just one.
On the other hand, every we'll disposed citizen
believes police officers and firemen should be
paid adequate salaries for the risk they run and
the danger and inconvenience incidental to their
callings. If the police department of this city
is undermined and underpaid, it is the duty Of
the city administration to appropriate enough
money to pay substantial wages and to obtain
enough men to guarantee police protection.
This question is one of administration. The
solution lies with the city authorities. Public
opinion demands sufficient and capable police
protection. If, as the grand jury finds, there is
lack of organization in the police department. the
city administration should go to the root of the
matter without delay and apply remedial mea-
sures. All this can be brought about without
resortng to anarchistic measures by members
of the department.
The same holds true of the fire department.
Here also the solution can be brought about by
good sound American methods. If the firemen
are underpaid, their wages should be made COM
mensurate with the cost of living and the work
entailed by their calling.
A strike of firemen to obtain redress a
settlement of grievances is decidedly against
public policy and the rights of the public. Public
opinion generally opposes these methods.
The situation in Richmond has been focused
the dismissal of John Coyle captain OF COM
pany No. 3. The board of works has shown that
he given a hearing on charges that were in
inical to the discipline of the department and
that the question of wages did not enter into the
controversy His conduct the board asserts,
was against good discipline and the maintenance
of sound morale.
Consequently, the board holds that his dis
charge is not matter that concerns organized
labor, but is primarily that has to do with
the best efficiency of the department.
No one questions the right of free speech as
it applies to police officers firemen in crit
csing the city administration.
Citizens generally however. uphold the de-
cision of the board in ruling that all agitation
and actions which would undermine the fire de-
partment cannot be tolerated, the public safety
is directly dependent upon the efficiency of the