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Show FOLICE CHIEF ASKED FOR II EXPLANATION 1 Requested to Tell Commission Commis-sion About Attitude as to Commercial Street. To explain why Commercial street is being again operated as a restricted vice district, J. Parley White, chief of police, is to appear this morning before the city commission. Summons of Chief White before the commission resulted from a protracted discussion of the Commercial street question ques-tion in a meeting of the commission as a committee of the wholo yesterday morning immediately following the regular session. The discussion was precipitated by Commissioner W. II. Shearman, who asked pertinent questions of Mayor Ferry as to the policy of the public safety department with regard to the operation of the disorderly houses known j to have been opened on the street with- : in the past tew weeKs. Mayor Ferry denied that the opening of the street" had been with tho encouragement en-couragement of thef department of public safety or that the operators and inmates of the houses had received any assurance of police protection. Ho said that they were where they were at their own risk. The discussion was extended, though no heated argument occurred, aud the commissioners were disposed after adjournment ad-journment to say but little of what transpired in the mayor's office. That the commission was being criticized from some sources because of the return to the old conditions on Commercial street was remarked by Commissioner Ileber M. Wells. Commissioner Karl A. Schcid asked Mayor Ferry, if it would not have been fairer to the other commissioners had ho notified them of the adoption of a policy allowing ot the reopening 01 the street before putting it into effect and thereby committing the commission to tho policy, so far as appearances go, without thMr having had opportunity to voto against it-Mayor it-Mayor Ferry retorted that he was willing will-ing to turn the problem over to the com- i mission for the adoption of a policy with regard to the handling of the vice ques- ! tion. This tli"e other commissioners said they were not asking, but rather the right to approve or disapprove of any policy determined upon by the head of the department of public safety before it was put into effect. The upshot of the discussion was that it was determined to have Chief White before the commission to explain what attitude the police department is assuming assum-ing toward the reopening of the street and what is to be the stand of the department de-partment in the future. |