The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1922-01-07
SHERIFF BUCHANAN BECOMES
HEAD OF SUPERIOR'S POLICE
Police Commission Turns Down Mead martin Witness Is
Worse Off Than Before Baxter Talks Turkey to the
Mighty Mason-Quite Scramble for Shrievaly.

American ancestry. He was not even
an Irishman or q Canadian. During
the wire-puiling and the deadlock, Capt.
Mead showed some sturdy traits OF
character and manhood which indicate
that the people lost an ideal chief OF
police when he was beaten out OF pro-
motion, entirely due him by precedent
and a sound policy in all well-regulated
police departments.
Capt. Mead not only is an American
Of way-back ancestry, but he has been
on the Superior police force for II
years. He is 40 years Of age and will
be. eligible to retire on a pension in
five more years. But all this is an
other story.
Martin Witness has made a fine rec
ord and he has many friends. Had some
of his fool friends not butted into the
situation with sentiment instead OF
sound sense, he would have secured his
promotion to the captaincy and, some
day, his turn would have come for the
position of chief.
After the three Scandinavian mem
bers Of the commission refused to ratify
Mead g appointment, he was called be-
fore the Mighty Mason and informed
that he would be given the position if
he would promise to name Witness for
captain.
Capt. Mead said that he would not
stultify his manhood by buying pro-
| motion with promises made in advance.
That was an unusual and unexpected
display of character and manhood and
| it did not set well with the last of the
Konkel appointees.
Rank Of Captain Abolished.
After Mead signified that he would
drop out of the running and after Blu
chanan was brought into the field, the
city commissioners abolished the rank
of captain and established the position
of assistant chief. It Is assumed that
Capt. Mead will become assistant chief
and there will be no captaincy to which
Witness can be appointed. Under the
new order of things, the chief will get
$500 a year and his assistant 81, 400.
There's a quiet intimation in Su-
! perior, also, that Art. Buchanan is not
any too partial to Witness. If that is
! the case and Buchanan really becomes
i chief, Martin Witness will not come out
of the miserable mixup with as much
as he had when the trouble started and
with less than that to which he really
| is entitled.
Wire-pulling and politics bring about
some queer things in many cities like
Superior and even Duluth. y
| The Rip-saw understands that, on the
show-down, at least two balky commits
sioners w)ere held in line with difficulty
to the support Of Buchanan. It is
whispered that certain ministers had
to get behind them, especially in the
| case Of Hanson, to keep them from
backing down on the compromise ap-
pointment. Who inspired those preach
ers to brace up the balky members of
the board has not yet been whispered.
There also was a report that Mason,
Benson and Hanson would resign if the
deadlock continued.
Some people may believe that Mayor
Baxter framed up and put through
things as they came about. That feel
ing naturally will be fostered if James
B. Campbell succeeds Buchanan as
| sheriff.
Baxter Keeps Hands Off.
Those reasonably close to Mayor Bax-
ter declare, however, that his fingers
never touched the wires that have been
pulled as result of the deadlock. He
really and truly wanted Capt. Mead for
chief, as a matter Of policy, justice and
choice. Politically, Campbell's ap-
pointment as sheriff is not best for
Baxter
Many cannot understand why Mayor
Baxter backed down by permitting the
withdrawal of Mead's nomination and
then voting for Buchanan. In the past
three years, at least, the two have not
fbeen particularly close politically OF
personally.