Show 1A I A RD HOT DSCUSSIN Meeting Yesterdayin Regard to the Fire Chief I I THE COUNCILMEN PRESENT XO SPECIAL SESSION OF THE BODY CALLED Addresses Itlade JY Supporters of Both Staaton and Dcvlne and the Situation Was Talked Over Freely Xo Acton TakenAnother Meeting Meet-ing Notwithstanding the strong petition which was drafted at a meeting of the local underwriters and general business busi-ness men held on Saturday afternoon and signed by many prominent citi zens both Acting Mayor McOornick and Acting President Young of the city council refused to convene the council in extraordinary session yesterday yester-day afternoon in order that the signers might be given an opportunity of expressing ex-pressing to the members of the council coun-cil their personal views on the proposed pro-posed changes in the fire department Out of courtesy lower several members of the council including Messrs Daly Lynn Cheeseman OMeara Morris and Remington attended at-tended the meeting which was held an the council chamber and which af te camber ter those present had exhausted two hours in firey discussion adjourned without action Devine and his followers fol-lowers were out in force and when it came to a vote the sympathisers with the mayors nominee adjourned the meeting and prevented the naming of a committee to present a protest against the confirmation of Devine That protest will be filed however and the fight will be continued at the meeting of the city council tonight when the entire matter will be again opened Stantons friends say they have not given up the ship by any manner of means The attendance at the meeting was not as large as had been confidently expected but among those present were some of this citys most staunch business men The insurance agents were out in force and in direct contradiction contra-diction of the statement of the Tribune of Sunday morning which was t the effect that Captain Donnell had stated that in case of a change in the head of theft re department there would be no increase in rates > the captain stated stat-ed that any change would bring about an increase for the reason that the insurance companies decline to educate edu-cate another fire chief I was 330 oclock when Captain Donnell called the meeting to order and stated that the call was issued for the purpose of securing a gathering of representative citizens councilman and insurance men In order that the matter of the proposed changes in the fire department de-partment might be discussed He saw present a goodly representation of ooth business men and insurance I agents but very few members of the council Inasmuch as the acting mayor and acting president of the city council had refused to call a special session of the council the captain did not see the advisability of holding a meeting for general discussion but advocated ad-vocated the naming of a committee to Wait upon the council and protest against Stantons removal Upon the suggestion of Mr Coates Henry W Lawrence was selected chairman In accepting the chair that I gentleman stated that he was not prepared I pre-pared to give an opinion upon the proposed I pro-posed change but he was satisfied with the efficiency of the fire department I He favored a full investigation of any charges which might have been made against either the present chief or his wouldbe successor Mr Rogers was selected as secretary Mr Smedleydid not consider that the object of the meeting was to protest against the confirmation of Mr Devine Captain Donnell stated that he was not making a personal fight against Mr Devine I would be the same had any other person been named by the mayor What he wanted was to seethe see-the department uninterferred with J J Thomas wanted to know whether wheth-er or not the mayor would retain Major Ma-jor Stanton an the fire department should the council refuse to confirm Devines nomination His agency had refused to endorse any other man than Stanton but the members did not wish Devine to be taken as protesting against No one seemed able to vouch for the mayors future actions Both Mr Rogers and Captain Donnell however exhorted those present t place themselves them-selves on record against changes which must of necessity impair the service of the department Mr Coates I lent his voice and influence in Stan tons cause and protested against a change Wendell Benson had attended the former meeting and likewise attended this a a business man and an insurance insur-ance payer and as such protested against any change in the head of the fire department He did not desire to be forced to help pay for the education of another fire chief when the city already al-ready had a most competent one There could be no fault found with Stantons record as a fire fighter and the citizens senerally were satisfied with present conditions In the department R K Thomas having supported the Citizens movement did not feel that he could do anything which would In any manner tie the hands of either the mayor or the city council The nominee of the mayor would meet with his hearty support That Is the very thing we are prb testing against said Mr Rogers We want the fire department taken out of politics and demand that Stanton be retained An efficient man is especially espe-cially needed at this particular caly partcular time when the city is likely to have some heavy fires Continuing the gentleman gentle-man cited the rule and regulations governing the fire departments of all large cities where the chiefs ctes are regained re-gained for life Stanton he said has made a brilliant record as a fire fighter He has had some large fires and always extinguished them in remarkably short time and with comparatively com-paratively little damage The insurance insur-ance men protest against a change Mr Thomas again obtained the recognition recog-nition of the chair and asserted that as the citizens movement was nonpartisan non-partisan therefore the nominations were not in politics The gentleman then branched off and called attention to the present atenton made by the city for salaries and cited the annual cost of the fire department depart-ment which he placed at 60000 Any man with even a small amount of in elligence could build up and run afire a-fire department if he was provided with enough funds said he George E Blair Wpuld the coSt of the department be any less under Devine I dont know answered Mr Thomas probably I should not have broached the subject in this connection connec-tion What I will say however is that I shall be satisfied with James Devine as chief of the fire department should he be confirmed a I would like wise have been satisfied with Stanton had the mayor elected to retain him Bam Kenyan ws s an ardent Devine man and brought politics Into the meeting meet-ing with a vengence witji the assertion that the people had called for a change in every city department and that change would be made as sure as the gentlemen present occupied their seats He called the movement apolitical a-political job and intinated that the Demojcracy was out In ta Stanton in order to delay action until the bill now pending before the Legislature Legis-lature I shall be passed In his en < n4 < 1 thuiasm for his brother Republicans cause the gentleman made a bitter and sarcastic speech during the course of which he said that the insurance agents and the head of the Pacific Insurance Union do not compose the whole of the citizenship of this city and there are many other people who know a thing or two and have spoken for a change a radical change Devine in his opinion was the one man for the position of chief J E Caine was sure that his companies com-panies did not object to a change In the fire department and he did not fair an increase in insurance rates should that change be made C O Whittemore and several other Devine men declared that Major Stan tons fate had already been sealed and his retention was a thing of the past The man nominated was a brainy well Educated man and one who would prove a credit to the department The former gentleman argued that a protest pro-test would be an insult to the intelli gence of the mayor He was subjected sub-jected to a heavy fire of questioning by a number of the gentlemen present and his answers were somewhat tangled in his efforts to conform with the views of both the mayor and city council in the matter of removals He attorney was addressed as the prospective city Mr Chairman said Mr Benson I strikes me that there must be politics in this Mr Whittemore has just stated that Major Stanton has already al-ready been removed In reply to a question from Mr Benson Ben-son Captain Donnell said the appointment appoint-ment of Mr Devine or any other man as chief of the fire department will not make any difference in insurance rates but the minute any changes are made in the department which would impair its efficiency there will most certainly be an increase and in all probability a good stiff one at that Some time ago a resurvey Was made of this city by the Pacific Insurance Union which governs rates in the west and on account ac-count of the splendid water supply and efficient fire department a decrease of fully 15 per cent was made in insurance insur-ance rates Any changes from the conditions con-ditions which merited that great decrease de-crease would more than likely mean a return to old schedules Julius Thompson a heavy property qwner though not a resident felt surprised sur-prised at many of the statements made by some of the gentlemen who had spoken and expressed the view that to place a man in the position of fire chief regardless of his other qualifications qualifica-tions who has never had any experience exper-ience in a fire department and remove a man whose record is very brilliant asa as-a fire fighter was the same as saying that any man was qualified to act in any public office He considered the present department a credit to the city and objected to any changes where none was necessary protesting that the matter was not a political question but one which touched the business bus-iness interests of every property owner The right of appeal was guaranteed to every American citizen and a protest against any change in the department would not bean be-an insult to either the mayor or the council but simply an exercise of a sacred right That protest should be made Mr Kenyon claimed to have been behind the curtain several times and said the majority of Salt Lakes citizens Sons ttbre pleased at the proposed change and but few had entered protest pro-test against Devine aginst Judge Grant H Smith said there I was one question the most important in the matter that of character which had been dodged by every speaker This insinuation met with considerable condemnation inasmuch as it had been made without explanation Several gentlemen demanded the gentlemans reasons for the remark but none were given C J O Irwin denied the statement made in an affidavit placed before the meeting on Saturday which was to the effect that Devine had said he would sweep all but six men out of the fire department This denial was made upon a personal statement from De vino The mayor he said has declared de-clared that Stanton must go and De vine would make a splendid successor I I hag been asserted said Mr Benson Ben-son that a majority of the people off of-f Salt Lake have asked for or declared in favor of the removal of Stanton I happened to be one of a committee of twelve which presented a protest against any change in the fire department depart-ment to the mayor That petition was signed by 90 per cent of the principal business section property owners I move that a committee of ten of which Mr Thompson shall be chairman be appointed to present to the council a petition asking for the retention of Mr Stanton Mr Vhlt more offered an amendment amend-ment to the effect that a committee of five be appointed to ask for the retention of Chief Stanton and retenton another an-other of a like number to petition for the confirmation of Mr Devine Several gentlemen expressed sympathy sym-pathy with one or the other side of the question and during the sneech matting a motion to adjourn was sprung The motion was ruled out however by the chair for the reason that the other motion and its amendment amend-ment were under consideration and the meeting had been called for the purpose of taking some definite action upon the matter in hand John G Midgeley had voted for the Citizens movement in order to clean out every vestige of the former admin istration which had ruined the city in four short years He wanted a change in the fire department and would take chances of burning up After a short but heated discussion the motion to adjourn was demanded despite the ruling of the chair and the motion was put and carried the affirmative securing twentythree votes and the negative seventeen The meeting then adjourned amidst con siderable confusion Both sides are again at work i Last night anolihieU meeting was I held anda a committee of ten was ap i pointed t present to the city wa council i a protest against counl prtt any change in the fire department Each member of the committee last commite night received a copy of the following letter cpy I Salt Lake City Feb 19 1894 Dear SirAt a meeting of prominent citizens property owners and insur ance men held this evening you were appointed on a committee to be pres ent at the meeting of the city meetng < cty council tomorrow evening to pretest against any action being taken by that body which will result in a change of the chief of the fire department of this cityThe The entire committee of ten is com posed of Julias Thompson chairman Wendel Benson l H Walker R AUf Jacob Merits Henry Dinwoodev Jas Glendenning L L Terry L S Rick etts and Judge Colborn Please attend the meeting if you be lieve that a change in this important spectively partment at this time is unwise Re WENDEL BENSON L B ROGERS Chairman Secretary |