New-York tribune., 1919-04-26
Would Have Dual Function

But tho bill does moro than this. 1t
confcrs on the members OF the municj-
pal guard tho dual functions Of police
mon and state guardsmen. 1t also
exempts them from jury duty. One
clause in tho bill would permit the
nieipal guardsmen any salaries it saw
TT. And this super police force would
be subject the sole direction of
Special Deputy Police Commissioner
appointed by Commissioner Enright.
When Senator Walker was told that
the belief OF politicians was that the
guard was to form the nucleus of 8 per
sonal political organization, he said;
~ don't know who was behind the
bill or anything else about it except
that it was handed to me by Colonel
Leslie, and from my knowledge of him
] can say that he has no political am
bitions, certainly mono to warrant the
creation of q political body of $4,000.
! understand that he and Inspector
John +. Dwyer drafted it."
Sought to Continue Reserves
When Colonel Leslie, lawyer with
extensive business interests, was asked
to throw light on the bill he declared
that the measure was drafted by him
alone. He admitted that he had con-
suited Inspector Dwyer about it. In
spActor Dwyer is his immediate su-
perior in the Police Reserves, of which
Rodman Wanamaker, special deputy
Police Commissioner, is in charge.
My sole reason in drafting the BILL"
said Colonel Leslie, was to enable
the police reserves TO be continued
as the efficient organization it has
proved to be. The police reserves,
their services furnished free to tho
municipality, here performed noble
,Orlr ~
partment. The law of 1917, which
brought the police reserves into exist
ence, provided for their continuance
merely during the war emergency
Colonel Leslie insisted that there
wss no intention, so far as he knew, to
increase the strength of the proposed
Municipal Guard beyond the present
strength OF the Police Reserves-ap-
proxlmately 1000 In this ne is in
error, for paragraph Of the proposed
law reads:
Three Brigades of Three Regiments
The said guard shall consist Of not
less than three brigades of three reei
ments each, and ali officers and boards
Of officers Of said guard shall be ap-
pointed and commissioned by the
deputy police commissioner command
ing. ~
Under the provisions Of this para
graph, strlctly INTERPRETED, q single
division of the proposed Municipal
Guard could not consist Of less than
lO,8OO, as a regiment consists of about
l,20c men, and each brigade is com
posec Of three regiments. The bill
provides for q divisional strength of
three brigades, or nine regiments. And
these divisions could be as numerous
as' physically possible.
Would Take Armories
Paragraph 8 also starts out jnocn-
ousiy by saying that the Arrnory Board
or 'otner authority" shall have the
power to provide hoadouarters for tho
Municipal Guard in the various arro-
Fiss but in the next breath the Mn
nakcs II compulsory upon tho Arnlory
BOARD or "other authority" to turn
over the armories TO tho rnunicioai
guard. This provision has reused Ad.
!utant General Berry to proteat nrni1a,
the measure.
The guard. by tho succeedin1 uoro.
zrapn, IL TO Dc equipped By the ri,y
and u alao proviG4s thst tdo of,ret.
anu snsistsd men shall be en.ii.od ;,
oa aas benefits nd privileges of Sectler
\ @SV 0i ths military inv. Thia aect,or
yttI2V4aeS Tor gratuity and penelon ~
khe next of Kin of a guardsman n
no ~ injured or kilfcd On duty 1L,
"hpenSe IL TO DO borne by tho civ.