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Show I J one woe Follows Another. BM The "American" party is on tlic BJ rocks sure enough. One woe is fol- Bl lowing so rapidly on the heels of an- BJ other that the mongrel party is dc- Bm moralized. Its latest affliction is the BE loss of its idle, its pride and joy Ex- BJ Chief of Police Sheets. The party by BM its press organs, the Tribune, Tele- BJ gram and the little Weekly Knocker Bl made "Honest George" the issue by BV which they would stand or fall. BV He and they have fallen. Last week BJ Truth stated and was the first paper BH to state that Mr. Sheets would resign BM his office.- The program was that the BV chief's resignation would be tendered BM; to the city council last Monday even- BM ing, but it was delayed a few days be- BM cause somie of Mr. Sheets' friends BM tried to persuade him not to resign. BJ Their advice', however, was disregard- BM cd and the resignation was filed with BM the city recorder on Wednesday. BM The reason given by the Tribune for BM the resignation of Mr. Sheets, the dif- BM ficulty of maintaining efficient police Bfl service while the chief is the subject BM of prosecutions (formerly it was BM persecutions) for various alleged BM crimes and misdemeanors, is not the BM real reason. It is only put forward BM by the Tribune to deceive and mis- BM lead the public. The real cause for BM the resignation is that a certain por- BM tion of the "American" party has at BM last realized that a large portion of BM the people arc thoroughly convinced BM that Sheets is guilty of the charges MB T which have been filed against him. BM An election is coming on and ai- BM though until very recently he had the BM ardent and practically united support BM of the party, a portion of it wanted BM to get from under and withdrew its BM support. The new "American" cam- BM paign committee led in the demand BM for Sheets' resignation and urged up- BM on him1 that for the good of the party BM it was his duty to step down and out. BM The Tribune also was forced to with- BM draw its championship of the fallen BM chief and to eat very black crow. B & Sheets himself and some of his BJ resigning, but the pressure was too BM great and he yielded. It is pretty Bfl well undeitood, however, that the Bfl ex-chief will be taken care of by Sen BJ ator Kearns and his crowd. George is about master of the situation in so far as they are concerned. He knows the inside of their villainy and if he were to "squeal" it would be very unpleasant for them. The retirement of Mr. Sheets at this time, however, will not do the "American" "Amer-ican" party any good. If he had retired re-tired when the charges were made against him eight or nine months ago and if the Tribune and the "American" "Ameri-can" party leaders had not become the defenders of Mr. Sheets and of thugs, thieves and vagabonds, it would have been different. The Tribune and the "American" party leaders know no more now regarding the merits of the accusations against Mr. Sheets than they knew in September last In fact they were particcps criminis in whatever wrongs have been committed. com-mitted. They only ditched Mr. Sheets when forced to it and their seeming rcpcntencc won't do ihem the party is breaking up. Its recorJ has been so vile that even the dullest of the people have seen through, them and won't stand for themi any more. All things considered, the forcing of Sheets out of office by those who ought to have been his friends and pretended to be his friends is an act of treachery. There is honor among some thieves, but their is little honor among the thieves which form a very large proportion of the "American" party. They all stood in the same ring. Sheets even if guilty of all that has been charged against him is nor one whit worse than a large proportion propor-tion of thosie who are holding positions posi-tions of emolument and trust under the "American" party and the same remark applies with equal force to the would be office holders who form an abnormally large per centagc of the party. The ditching of Sheets is an act of gross ingratitude. He did more for the success of the party than most of them who make a great noise. Like yellow curs they have deserted Sheets and hope to profit by their act of treachery. |