The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-05-07

to Atlantic city to act.
lie acted all right" charges Niles
Hart but not for the movies. It
was little love scene Of his own
win Peggy Brady And It was In n
hotel aud rot on tho shore"
tho Issue. Wnat ho needed and his
tlCk"t needed was 'front.' CouZ.
ems had boon q member OF the street
railway commission, and, even then.
was moro or less popular, because he
once had threatened to dump a days
production Of flivvers on the streets
10 furnish transportation, IT the car
company increased the fare. SO
Marx seized Cou2cns, and put him
IN before election. Marx was re-
elected, ana Couzcns stayed. Things
began to happen.
The story of tho clcan-up OF De-
trolt should interest Kansas city. for
there Is Il parallel with Kansas Cify's
situation OF II fow years ago which
can be found only In Detroit
tou2cus put the red lights out.
broke up gambling dcns and
smashed away Rt criminal haunts
with a ruthlcssnesa and a dispatch
that would have shocked the con-
stltutional lawyers OF Kansas City.
Also political pull" was kicked into
the discard.
But this was not all. lie didn't do
thlngs half way. The police force
was reorganlzed, grafters were weed
ed out and the foundation OF a real
department laid. Parking and traf-
nc law Violators came In for their
share or police attention. Couzens ar
rested almost everybody, even some
aldermen. Politicians squawked
loudly and cried for blood. They
drew their knives and started whit
Ting at his character.
And when the fire was getting
hottest the worst crime wave OF the
war period arrived. That swelled
the anti-Cou2cns chorus But he
stuck 1t out, broke the crime wave
with new motor patrol aystem and
shoot 10 kin" orders. and still was
IN the ring when the next election
approached.
thousands who had been offended
ny the police-in many cases by in
dividual policemen 49, blamed Couz-
ems. Many of these had been caught
violating traffic regulations. To APP
preciate the hostility OF these petty
oIicnder9 ono must know how dras-
Tic Couzens had been. When N mo-
tor car was found wrongly parked
the police hooked onto It and drag
ged II To the police pound" II re-
quircd 50 TO get It out. There was
no trial no argument, no fronting"
that could prevent this Imagine
what such system would cause In
Kansas CITY, II you can.
"Jim" Coufcns for Mayor.
ANA then Jim" CouZens ran for
mayor Tho politicians were CLEO
ful They said he had Committed
political suicide every minute of
every day he had been police COM
missioner ana. note for comparison
purposes, even In Detroit the history
or police missiOncrs had been
that they died, politically. when they
lett the department, II was a thank
less Job@thcre. too.
The betting odds were four to one
he'd run Inst in a field of five cam
ildates one OF his opponents was
william Connolly, Democratic ma
iional committeeman from Michi-
gan and another was John Gillespie,
ne Republican boss, and fc.mer po-
lice commissioner. IL was the first
nonpartlsan election In the city.
rhero wasn't a party label in the
campaign.
But the absence OF the party Ia
bel while removing the usual par
'isan bitterness, did not split the op-
position to Couzcns, nor did II soft
pedal the attacks on him. The un-
ierworld and the political machines
't hoth parties got into the scrap as
4 single combined force TO thrash
he hated Couzens. II was a nasty
Tight. as Michigan fights go.
p, The big issue was traction.
COUPONS made Il ana refused to get
pr II, lie brushed aside attempts TO
iiaw IN his police administration. !
ma, as n result, the police didn't |
lEure much, But
Here was a very, very rich man:
hey called him a dictator" king |
lanes" and other names. lie |
we'd I'm swell house" out among |
no milIionalrcs. On the floors OF |
MS house were many fine oriental /
Jugs, and in his basement were iuy.
lrlous motors, In addition to this /
ne wasn't native born. In Kansas
.ity he'd have been called a Lon |
lon Bobby but that wouldn't have |
lecn so popular so close TO Canada .
Becauso of his enemies among The .
'Ich and his Oppressive" tactics os
lollce commissioner the politicians
lgured he'd he easy to beat. But
hey didn't count on that street car
ma mat conductor with a wicked
oe that morning out on Woodward
venue, before the cameras OF
movie and newspaper men.
That was the trick that turned the
lde II, indeed, II had to be turned
II all lie was promising munlcipaI
'Whership of the car lines II elected.
to had rcputation-had earned
for being a hardboiled, courag-
'ouS, stift-baCked and stuhhnrn
lighter, somehow, Il tust went
lome to tho voters that here was
man who'd do what others had \
'romised, but failed 10 do.
The morning Mr.. Couzens got on