The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-08-03
A BETTER REMEDY

Mayor Duvall is endeavoring to put what he calls
Civil service" in the police and fire. departments.
Inasmuch as he has just signed a resolution
passed by the city council which was based upon
the direct charge that these departments had been
used illegally and oppressively against street car
strikers, it may not be at all too early to take some
steps to change the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
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The mayors proposal is not much of a change
from the present system and really offers very little
relief.
Instead of having members of The board OF
safety appoint and promote or denote and discharge
members of the police and fire departments, he will
name another committee to hold examinations and
ecommen to these boards all appointments and
promotions. t'
The matter of penalizing and discharging the
unfit will still be- left to the old boards.
It really amounts to little more than a v5te of
lack of confidence in his own boards to pick fit men.
For If he really desired to take these depart
ments entirely out of politics he could put men on
the safety board who refused to play politics and
who have no interests to be served except the well
fare of the whole city.
The truth is that the people are awakening to
the fact that it costs real money to- permit these two
department to be used as vote getting machines. a
The fact that it costs in cash to let the menswho
can round up the most lodge brothers on election
udyr y Il perhaps get LHSi IuOoU ISpedCSIS Ill SOHlS VI
the precincts, is getting a more general understand
ing.
And when, very shortly, the insurance rates in
this city are increased because of this very fact. the
mayor may need an even greater alibi and broader
pledge to pacify the property owners who are al
ready too greatly overburdened with taxes.
The politics in the police department comes, of
course, from the throne or the man behind the
throne.
The fact that men exposed by Prosecutor Remy
for protecting bootleggers and other violators of the
law are still upon the force and given only the slight.
est of rebukes and punishments indicates that poll
tics there is in the loftier levels.
There is one sure way of getting these depart.
ments and the other departments out of partisan
politics.
For that is the real object of civil service-they
permit men to retain their jobs in safety who will
fulfill their jobs, take pride in them, try to be Of
real service.
1t is designed to protect the able and conscien-
tious man against removal for refusal to become a
politician. 1t puts his job on an efficiency basis It
is designed to make men more careful of their duty
than of their political opinions.
Back of it all is the purpose to make govern.
ment a matter of business, not of pull and privilege
and panderism.
If the mayor is really sincere and has come to
the conclusion that the people can not afford TO let
their fire and police and other departments be operA
ated on a political basis, he might suggest a change
to the city manager form of government in which
all party lines are obliterated and the people not d.
vided byynational prejudices.
That is the one sure cure for the evils which
he now ~confesses in his own government and which
his own boards seem powerless to remedy.
A city manager, elected on platforms removed
from the national and State politics, would probably
hava NY a11inr tho n,,po II Nth 1t L~i-4-1 49,
to certify to the fitness Of fremen and policemen.
At least he would have no reason or excuse for
using these men for partisan political purposes or
to name them for that reason. -