Norwich bulletin., 1920-05-08
cspeesss to The Rull.tin., ,


 Now London. May 7.-while the may E may bo the captain of the New Lon dcn ship Mare Liberum, the first mate, or senior alderman. seems to be in com m1nd and even when the mayor is within hearing distance In the apparently mi nor matter of promoting a member of the poiice force to become a street sergeant, police force of which be is the chief by virtue of bis office, he is outdistanced by me senior alderman whom the mayor ap- pointed as chairman of the police com mittee- This same alderman on former oecasinns appealed 10 the members of the council Co stand by the acts of the com mlrtees; in this instance pleaded to the contrary. The gentleman did not agree E1th his associates of the committee in promoting John J. Cavanaugh. So he tDld of how much more he knew of po- l1eo work than did his associates on the committee, and nominated Patrick J. Anrpny In opposition to Cavanaugh and won out Should the alderman ever sEan appeal to the aldermen to stand by the majority report of committees some other may hit him with a spitball. en the deadly parallel line, and put him in bad
 IL Is very plain that aldermanic cour- nesy is on the wane, and that committee
 
 tery good cop without much of a record Tor efficiency, being content to perform his duties strictly according to orders no moro and no less Cavanaugh had detective ability and exercised it in addi- uon Co his regular patrol duty. and that aeefns to have got him in bad with the powers that be in the police department. and created jealousy and bad blood with some members of the force. The cops prefer Murphy to Cavanaugh as street serEeant. and that fact may have ln- nuenced council members
 The chairman Of the police committee had Cavanaugh on the carpet on a pet V charge and fought hard and long 10 nave him bounced from the force but the best he could do was to have the officer suspended from duty without pav for a period Of thirty days. CavanauFh took Dis dose and returned to duty. did it well. and without even a smack of surliness or lA VIII He made good and was in line TOT promotion The chairman. however took another whaclz at him and blocked his upward ambition. Even the lapse of year. and with the officer making good. did not lessen the alderman's effort to Keep Cavanaugh down. still the chair man or the police committee cannot be charged with kicking a man when he's
 Es H same meeting he sidetracked Cavanaugh. he advocated successfully the placing back or Charles F. Hammond as ser rcant of the detective branch. a place From which he was denoted for justiha- ole cause. Since his demotion Hammond reformed and has made good. Very properly he was restored to his old job and given chance to retrieve
 Sergeant Hammond Is really a first class police officer. He is of the Jeffers type. fearless. persistent and faithful to tho public and despised by crooks and other offenders of the laws Hammond has acknowledged his weakness and even were prohibition removed he declares he would not fall back 10 the habit tha, resulted In his demotiori and nearly los; hirn place on the police force. There are Eone really worthy citizens who have sincere hope that some time in the not lar distant future. the court of common council will give more attention to mat. ters more weighty than the straightenins out of police troubles that may be more pcrsonal than public in their true nature
 The mayor took a trick at the wheel 1f tho city ship and turned down the health committee action in deciding tc award the contract to restore the par tiaiiy burned clinic building 10 the low est bidder. which happened to be O'Con- nell and Moran. and giving the contract to IT. F- Douglass Attorney for the irst named firm presented to the council z claim for S270 which represented the profit that was figured Tor the job. AL icrman Harrigan of the committee, na- live born Norwicheaa and therefore ad. rocate Of fair play and square deal that