Show I MR DALES POSITION Wily He Introduced the Ordinance Regarding Pratts Tenure TO PREVENT A HOLDOVER WANTS THE NEW COUNCIL TOE TO-E FREE So That It May Select Or Reject Pratt As It Pleases He Questions The Inalienable Right of a Certain Cer-tain Man to a Life Tenure of Office To the Herald At tho risk of provoking the opening of another one or two of the vials of wrath of Mr Arthur Pratts personal organ V the Salt Lake Tribune I wish to say a few words concerning the ordinance which I introduced at the last session of the city council My motives in so doing are not i seems to me a matter which should particularly Interest eIther the other members of the council or the public pub-lic and I a willing to take all the consequences con-sequences of the act whether immediate or those to come in the future Personal abuse of me should not be permitted to divert attention from the main cause at issue I became convinced some weeks ago that fearing a test of public opinion by openly offering his name as the next chief of police for nomination by the mayor and confirmation by the incoming council 11 Pratt and some of his political friends had determined upon a plan to have him take charge of the police force on Jan 1 and perform the duties of the office under the assumption that he held over under assumpton the law until his successor should be appointed I ap-pointed unti confirmed and thus avoid the necessity of risking a confirmation by the council counci V That my convictions were well founded has been clearly proven by the ferocity of the personal attack of his organ upon me and the strenuous efforts he and his friends have been putting forth to defeat the ordinance I the full history of all that has been done in this direction by these parties during the past week could partes be written the public would soon locate where political trickery Is being practiced prac-ticed and an attempt made to conceal it by yelling Stop thief at others The ordinance 1 propose simply abolishes abol-ishes the office of chief of police on Jan 1 next and carries over all the other members mem-bers of the fire and police departments until the next administration enacts an ordinance recreating these departments That such a new ordinance by the next council will be necessary all attorneys will agree and I In no way curtail any of agee the powers of either the mayor or council of the incoming administration But it is asked why abolish the office of chief of police and no otherthe chief of the fire department for instance There seemed to me to be reasons sufficient dent for takin gthis step and I am will ing to state them briefly Almost during the whole of the past two years there has been a conflict between the board of police and fire commissioners and the chief of police I do not know the merits I of the contention and cannot say which I party was right but I do know that the general public is disgusted with it all I and would like to see i ended Mr Pratt Is under charges preferred against him I to the board and having been cited to appear ap-pear for trial before them is under suspension sus-pension pending such trial He elected as he had the right to do under the law to be tried by the full board of four members mem-bers but one member of the board refuses re-fuses to sit in the trial and blocks further action Did Mr Pratt or his attorneys have knowledge that this member would so refuse when he was named to fill the vacancy on the board The charges at the time they were made I seemed to me trivial and not sufficient to I warrant Mr Pratts dismissal from the I force and ha has always so claimed but I if this was true why did he not meet I them His answer will probably be that the board had determined upon his dismissal dis-missal and that he was prejudged no I matter what the testimony produced I do not know if this be true but even if it were he should have met the situation asa I as-a man and trusted to the public and the future for vindication if his suspicions had been verified I As to the chief of the fire department he is under no charges and no suspension I of which I am aware Charges were preferred I pre-ferred soma time ago but he met them stood his trial before practically the same board and they were not sustained at least so far as dismissal Again it has not been brought to my I notice at least that the chief of the fire department is intriguing to be retained in office without the consent or confirmation of the next council I he is then I am I willing that he should bs included in the ordinance also In conclusion the incoming council Is n coordinate branch of this city government govern-ment with the mayor the members of that council are interested in and will be held responsible for the success or failure of the administration with the mayor and should have the opportunity to pass upon the qualifications and fitness of the next chief of police and heads of other departments Especially is this true of the members of my own political party who are in majority in the council and to aid in securing them that right Is all that I am aiming to do I regret that under the particular existing circumstances i became necessary for me to take this step at this time but no one else appeared ap-peared willing to do i and it seemed to be left to me I in so doing I have as the Tribune says committed political harikari then 1 trust at the place of my interment may be erected a plain stone with the inscription He questioned the inalienable right of a certain man to a life tenure In office hence his fate W H DALE |