OCR Text |
Show THE.V AM) un. Previous to the seizure of the municipal government of this city by fraudulent election methods, last February, ferocious attacks upon the police by the local anti-"Mor-mon" press were more than commonthey com-monthey wero notorious. If n burglary was committed or a citizen robbed by footpads and the criminals crimi-nals not discovered nnd arrested on short notice-, charges of incom-letene-y and general dullness were hurled at the force. Tho officers, as a rule, however, fooiict or later, found and secured the criminals, and tome peoilo credited them with being about the best police in tho world, as they were not only expert, but generally fearless. Tho times Just now are somewhat perilous to people who have occasion oc-casion to be abroad on the streeU at late hours rf i)n ntr.it r i e en dangerous to bo out in some quarters of the city at comparatively early times in tho evening. Instances In-stances aro frequently occurring of citizens being stopped by highwaymen, highway-men, assaulted and robbed. Cases of arrests of theso lawless characters nro few and far bctuccn. For the first time th!s presumed evidence of official incapacity and lack of vigilance vigi-lance is mildly adverted to by tho IcaJiug paper of the opposition, which used to howl In lead lines against the old police force. It utters a sort of subJued protest against the present officers in the following milk aud water words: "The police of this city should keep in mind that soino of the tongbest griaoatea from Colorado mining camps and from cities further east are in thei city, and tint they need particular par-ticular attention. They .should further , kep In mind that If they are not equal I to attending to this crowd and to presenting pre-senting citizens from being 'held up' by them, they aro not what they pre-tend pre-tend to bs, the guardians of the pesce cf the city." We are unable for the moment to state the exact strength of tho force as npw constituted, but presume it to bo at least double what it was when the cily government was conducted under the auspices of the People's Party as a majority. Hence the present admitted inability in-ability of the force now acting to copo with the law less element brings into strong prominence the constant con-stant Injustice of a rabid and unreasonable un-reasonable press to the old police. We nro making no attack upon the present ofllcers, bee-auto the work of detecting and arresting criminals of tho kind nhoaronuk-lngithazirdous nhoaronuk-lngithazirdous to be out upon the street after dark la necessarily difficult diffi-cult and the men arc mostly new to the business, the experienced cfflrcrihaving been promptly discharged dis-charged to a man, ns a measure of political partizanship. |