Show I PRATT TURNED DOWN The Chief I eets With His WaterlOO at Last t COUNCIL AGAINST HIM BEFUSED TOI CONFIRM APlOINT TNT OF MAYOR CLARX 4 The Vote Stood Eight to SevenDe vines Name Not Sent InRepub licans and Nonpartisans For the Chief and DemQcrnts Against I mmThe Speech Hade Chief of Police Arthur Pratt met his Waterl o last night By a vote of eight the city COU1JcU ret noes to seven ayes t fused to confirm Mayor Clarks aD pointment of him under the newly t adopted plan of reorganization of the 1 police department It was ally in the council uroceed 11 ngs that a message from the mayor anncunced I hereby appoint Arthur I Pratt head of the department orchief of police Salt Lake City and resect fully submIt said appointment to your you-r confirmation E Both sIdes were ready and the decks I were cleared for action On motion of r Councilman Hoe the rules were suspended sus-pended and the roll was called on the t question of confirming the amoint ment L The seven ReDublican and nonpar F tisau members of the councllBucl Call1ster Diehl Patrick Robertson Romney and Wallace voted to confirm the appointment I The eight trueblue Democratic members mem-bers voted to reject Chief Pratt The eight voting for rejections were Councilmen Coun-cilmen Allen Fernstrom Howe Mar getts Morris Siddoway Veiler and President Barnes ot That the result was a surnrtse tot to-t Mayor Clark and a bitter disa17Joint l ment to Chief Pratt was conceded on all sides The chIef had positively assured i as-sured the mayor and his seven supporters I support-ers that there was no Question of confirmation con-firmation Nevertheless the mayor was i apprehensIve that his protege might nOtE nOt-E be accepted t I DEVINES NAME WITHHELD At the same time the communication 1 reappointing Chief Pratt was filed ant an-t envelope containing the notice of apt ap-t pointment of James Deyine for chief oft of-t the fire department was also in readi tl ness for presentation If Pratt had t been confirmed the message reaI > pointing point-ing Chief Deyine would have also been r submitted for action But the council having rejectEd Pratt the mayor determined + deter-mined he would block the plan to reor i7 ganize the fire department by failing to name a chief as the law and the ordinance ordi-nance contemplate shall be done I Crimsoned with rage Mayor Clark I left the council chamber shortly after t the result of the vote on confirmatIon I of Pratt was announced At about the I same time Sergeant Thomas Hilton of I the police force in response to a telephone tele-phone message hurried down toward t the council chamber This coincidence as soon as it was noised about among the councilmen afforded a basis for the r statement that the mayor intended to h i call a special meeting of the council to act on the appointment of Sergeant Hilton for chief of police Several members of the councIl did i not take kindly to the rumored intend 1 cd appointment of Sergeant Hilton On the contrary preference wa expressed if the next chief of police must come from the ranks for Sergeant John B Burbidge who from long experience faithfUl and efficient discharge of duty r and hIgh character they believed would make an acceptable chief af police I After the council meeting Mayor Clark was seen by a Herald representative t represent-ative The citrs executive was very much at outs with himself and everybody f every-body around him because of the coun cilmanic solar plexus blow to Chief Pratts vaulting ambition to retain the I police chieftaincy for life The mayor said he had not yet considered what he would do relative ti the appointment of some other person if anyone In Pratts stead His honor was of the opinion that there was no necessity of calling a special session of the council to act on another appointment and further fUr-ther than this he declined to make any statement for publication PRATTS FUTURE COURSE Just what course Mr Pratt will pursue pur-sue after April 9 when his term of office expire5 by limitation so plainly stated in the new law is a matter of conjecture CouncilmEn generally believe be-lieve that he will shrink from again appealing ap-pealing to the courts as is his timeworn time-worn custom and In all municipal quarters Quar-ters the opinion was freely expressed last night that the several times re jetted chief would now conclude that the get majority of the people do not want him to continue at the head of i the police department in Sal Lake or all the speeches made the wors I uttered by Councilman Morris impressed impress-ed everyone a the honesty expressed sentiment of a conscientious man and j one who could nat be swerved from f the path of duty Formerly the Democratic Demo-cratic councilman from the Fifth asa as-a supporter of Chief Pratt but last nIght he told haw he had misplaced t confidence in him Councilman Morris was convinced that the public good demanded a change in the head of the police department and as a trustworthy representative of his constituents he acceded to the popular demand by vot lag against Pratt In sharp contrast was the turncoat act of Councilmen Buckle and Robert on both af whom a year ago voted with great vehemence with the seven Democrats who insisted that Arthur I Pratt should then be turned down While confessing that his private opinion opin-ion of Pratts fitness for the police f chieftaincy had not changed the least l bit Buckle made his bow and proceeded proceed-ed to perform a feat likened turning ones self inside out Robertson fol f owed after partaking of influences that f change some mens minds and votes and essayed to do the acrobatic coun I cimanic act so dexterously done by the I gentleman who Is aspiring to the mayoralty nomination from the Repub f Ucans this fan c Councilman Romne also expressed bimself in a manner that would indi eate that were he voting for Romney I and Romneys constituents he would I from the record declare against Pratt a chIef of police THE ROLL CALL I The first vote on the question of confirmation con-firmation was announced by Councilman e man Allen I was an emphatic not no-t jz Then CouncIlman Buckle explaining his vote favoring the mayors appointment appoint-ment of Pratt sad his sentiments as I to the rejected chiefs unfitness for the r t position had undergone no change since twelve or thirteen months ago when the same appointment was rejected r but now there are other considerations atste He opposed Pratt then because be-cause he believed the great majority of the people were tired of his expensive expen-sive inefficient and discordant amln fstraton of the office Digressing for a moment Buckle said he had from selfish motives brought to bear what Influence he had to shape the legislative act so that the incoming city administration would have the I i duty to perform of reorganizing the police po-lice department Ambling back to the main poit in hIs speech Buckle sid many who antagonized f an-tagonized Pratt heretofore had changed front and were now supporting him Many Democrats had urged him tvote for Prtts confirmation but he was frnk in explainIng that they were antMcCune Democrat He feigned the belief that if Pratt YClC not confhed thprA would be more litigation and the council would be blamed for it The law contemplated contem-plated a reorganization of the polce for within thirty days after the governor gov-ernor approved the legislative act on March 9 and if te mayor act as he has done heretofore It will be Pratt or I nobody for chief Apparently forgetting forget-ting that the courtS would for ublc policy sake hold to the contrary in the case of defacta officers Buckle expressed ex-pressed the fear that without Pratt for chief this cit ould be without police protection Taking another tack Buckle sad I I were actuated by persona mo fives I might vote differently tonight I have a number of masons but I believe be-lieve those I have stated to be suffi cent and I believe my position is cor r I I ha the prergatIve I would appoint some other man b side Arthur Pratt for chief ofpolice I have been told that if I vote for Pratt I wi be opposed for whatever political preferment prefer-ment I may seek but the future wi have to take care of itself COUNCILMAN MORRIS Before announcing hi vote against the mayors appointment of Pratt for chief Councilman Morris directed attention at-tention to the fact that when this administration ministration cave into power the municipality mu-nicipality was overwhelmed in debt and altogether the cQnditon was mt unwelcome To ease up the burden of I the taxpayers and to make the ex penss come within the ctys revenues it became necessary to reduce salaries Ery official of the city cheerfully c cepte appointment under the decreased de-creased salary schedule except ChIef Pratt Taking advantage of the supreme su-preme courts decision holding that he was a holdover official whose tenure of office was forlfe Chief Pratt in defiance of the city councils ordinance refused to accept the salary fixed for him and has continued to draw 150 h month 25 a month 1n excess of the sum allowed him Again contnuew Councilman Morris when Desk Sergeant Emery lately deceased became too ill to attend at-tend to his work and requested that hIs brother substitute for hIm dividing the salary so that the sick sergeant cud maintain his family while he took a trip to the coast in the hope of benefiting his health the chef flatly refused Rather than extend the had of charity to a worthy officer in distress dIs-tress and at no expense to the city ChIef Pratt insisted that Arthur Pratt jr should substitute for Desk Ser get Emery and later that the chiefs brother should be the substitute Then the chief put on the bicycle policeman All this was in face of the chefs request quest for two extra men on the force which request the council denied believing I be-lieving their services were not necessary neces-sary and the chIef by his act a much as sad they were unnecessary Taking all these tings into consIderation consId-eration and not for a moment con earring in what Councilman Buckle curng cunciman has said and disclaiming any persona feeling in this matter I must vote against the chiefs confirmation I I feel in duty bound to accede to the I wIshes of my constituents in this I matter and shall to not confirm him Only one person has asked me to vote I for Pratt while hundreds have begged me not to support him Let me say I in conclusion i is my opinion that if I the question of retaining Arthur Pratt I at the head of the police department were submitted to a vote of the people fully fourfifths oLthe citizens would say no most emphatically I find the overwhelming sentiment to be that he holds should be removed from the position he ROBERTSON FOR PRATT Robertson related how he had eper ience a Change of heart Formerly le I was opposed to Pratt but now he favored fa-vored him because he believed he made a splendid chief The councilman was rash eobugh to challenge anyone to prove that Pratts adminisitration of the police department had not been successful success-ful and not characterize by turmois discord and costly litigation that was not excusable and ressr To place anyone else at the head of the department depart-ment would be trying a dangerous e periment Answering Councilman Morris invective invec-tive he declared Pratt earned all the salary he got even if it was at a figure 25 a month in excess of the schedule As to the regrettable Emery episode he believed Chief Pratt showed his nag naimity in caring Icr his own kinsfolk I first A man who would not do that was not worth much in Robertsos entima wtma tion tOD Strangers coming here note the city was admirably well governed by Pratt but to replace him by another would be a costly and dangerous experiment Robertson closed by saying he believed I it to be for the beSt interest of the people peo-ple and the taxpayers to retain I Thief Pratt I Romney said what MorrIs stated yith reference to Pratt drawing 25 monthly excess of salary was true and while i was an obnoxious matter to him he saw no way af preventing it Bat it was only following a precedent in the I former administration of four certain councilmen refusing to return 20 percent per-cent of their salaries as they had agreed to do Is that your only objection Mr Romney ased Councilman Fern stam There was no reply Then Fernstrom put this question Is not Pratt thE only officer in this administration who draws mare salary than allowed him That I cannot say was Homneys feeble response To save trouble and more litigation from Chief Pratt Romn y voted for his confirmation Wallace had weighed the mate well and believing it good policy to let well enough alone be would support the I mayors appointee COUNCILMAN WEILER In casting his vote agaThst Chief Pratt Councilman Yeier sid he had nat changed his mind since the rejection rejec-tion of Pratt a year ago He thought Pratt was not the right man for chief and the best interests of the city de made a change I the responsibil tty is with the cOuncil let i rest there Disagreeing with Buckle Weie declared de-clared the sentiment of the masses iE against the present chief and nothing could convince him to the contrary When the result of the vote S for rejection re-jection and 7 for confirmation as noted in detail above was announced the council proceded with the consideration considera-tion of other business |