Evening star., 1919-09-02
POLICEMEN TOLD
LABOR AFF|L|AT|0N
MEANS DISMISSAL
Commissioners Declare Any
With Union Connections
Must Sever Them.
ASSERT Department
MUST BE INDEPENDENT
Prepared for Emergency, They Say,
in Announcing New Rules and
Regulations.

from joining an organization Oh po-
Iicemen which shall be affiliated. di-
1ectly or indirectly. with any othef
labor organization.
The regulations also prohibit any
member retaining membership in an
organization SO affiliated.
Expressing friendship for organized
labor which. they say, they nave
shown in many ways and on many oc-
Casions. the Commissioners justify
their action on the ground that the
police department must preserve an
absolutely independent status.
They say that steps have been taken
10 insure the proper policing of the
city, regardless of what may happen
as result of their ruling.
Question of Auth fity.
Commissioner Brownlow. who exer-
cises immediate supervision over the
police department. said that the ques-
tion was one of whether the capital
is to have a police force that is re-
sponsible only to public authority or
partly responsible to public authority
and partly responsible to an organi-
za:ion of one section of the people.
There can be but one answer. he
declared There will be but one"
IN the rules adopted provision is
tember of what policemen are MEM
berS of a department organIza ton
that is affiliated with an outside labor
organization. Every member of the
department will be required to make
a statement in writing by that date
as to whether he is d member of the
poiicemenS union.
IL is provided that if any member
joins an organization that is associ-
ated with an outside labor body or
ne h N N
sanitation after September Z, or fails
to make the written statement re-
qIired as to his Affiliations, If any, he
shall be deemed as guilty OF willful
noncompliance with the rules of the
department and dismissed from the
service.
MT. Bfownlow's Comment.
In commenting upon the issuance
Of the order, Commissioner Brownlow
said:
The Commissioners informed the
union on August % that they could
not countenance policemen's union
that was affiliated with any other Ia
Dor organization. At the same time
they made it perfectly clear that there
was no objection on the part of the
Commissioners to any organization OF
policemen as such. We asked the COM
Inittee of the union at that time to
withdraw from its outside affiliations
Since that time the Commissioner:
have heard nothing from the commit
tee or any other representatives ol
the organization. They have hearC
quite informally that a meeting was
held at which the Commissioners
policy was discussed, but that no ac-
tion was taken.
1T seems to US that there has been
plenty of time for the union to have
taken action on our suggestion that 1t
withdraw from its affiliations. AS no
such action has been taken, we have
decided to issue the order which for
bids any member OF the police force
10 join or retain membership in any
organization of policemen which is
affiliated with any other labor or
ganization.
The action is taken in pursuance
of the policy announced on August %
Events since that date have tended
greatly to strengthen my own deter
mination that it is absolutely neces-
sary to maintain the complete inde-
pendence of the police department.
For One Allegiance.
Members Of the police department
should have but one allegiance. and
that to constituted authority. They
should have an absolutely neutral at
They should represent only law and
authority. II, as a body, they are
connected with other organizations
neutrality can be preserved only with
difbcu1ty. il at all: and in the minds
of the people generally it would cease
TO exist
II believe that nearly all of the
members of the department, after re-
fection, will see the problem in the
Same light as do the Commissioners
and will withdraw from the organiza-
ton, unless the organization at once
breaks its affIiated ties.
There is plenty of time for the or
zanization to take action. hav,
heard some one say that it's constitu
tion was so phrased that IL woult
take a month or more to get through
the necessary parliamentary proceed
ings. OF course it is silly to say tha
the Com misSioners must wait month
or more to find out whether theil
orders will be obeyed or disobeyed
AS to individual withdrawal from
union membership-it doesn't TAX.
two minutes to write out a resigna
tion.
There is plenty of time and most O.
the men will reject the counsel O.
interested and biased persons who ar,
urging them to disobedience. AS fol
the others. the ordinary disciplinar,
measures will be taken.
Assures Protection.
Tn the meantime steps have beer
taken to assure the protection an,
proper policing of the city, regardless
"f what may happen.
The question now resolves itsel
j1to this and only this: Shall tn,
.Apital city of the nation have a no
ice force that is responsible only I,
public authority. or shall il have on,
that is partly reSpOnSibie tn nr,hIi
authority and partly responsible to a,
"rsanization of one section of tn.
1,eople?
There can be but one answer
There viii be but one.
This action. however. must not b.
iSterpreted as hostile 10 organized la
Tor. The Commissioners friendly at
t.de toward organized labor ha
ten demonstrated in many WAYS
-i"st Of their employees are member
90 unions But the police force is in :
fereht class. IT will remain so"
The new regulations adopted by IN,