Show FIRE AND POLICE LEG legislation the recommendation of the mayor to unite the police and fire departments under ono one head Is one of tho the weak suggest lons ions in n CL a strong messa message gix the du ties tact of I 1 thi he two positions petitions are absolutely separate it Is a clear case that an emergency might arise they would decidedly conflict conn lct and winder tinder tho the an P position that men inert think of 0 their business tho the idea of 0 the two departments under ono one commander seems almost grotesque when tt it ore fire breaks out it Is supposed the chief will give all his attention to it and often it requires talent of at the highest kind and jU attention chich can not be b diverted tor for any purpose in that event too in ease of a great conflagration the chief of 0 polito ought to be quite an much engaged in an entirely different line and it if both were to do their duty neither elther ri mould have a bine alne cure in his separate department the idea ot of uniting the two departments has within it more of an unspoken animosity rosity against one or the other ot of the present chiefs than anything else contained in the message in this connection we notice that a petition has been circulated that the fire and police commission be dispensed with willi or that the law lavir creating that commission be repealed and one of the reasons paeans given Is that the chief in either cither department under the amendment proposed would have the perfect right to dismiss an employee we believe moil men ni who lie would sign a petition ot of that kind would do it without thought we do not think any business man would go into business in this place or any other it there was a law staring him in ili the face that thai it if he had bad employees he should not have lave the power to dismiss them either cither for cowardice or drunkenness or general cussedness or tor for any other reason what man man would GO into a mino mine as foreman and bo be responsible tor for the working of the mine if he had no control over the men under hirn him the city Is helmed now with suits and with judgments obtained by employees in the two departments who he under the old law were suspended or dismissed the claim being that under that liw law the chiefs had bad no authority to dispense with till them granted that the chief might bo be wrone that ile he might through spite or constitutional meanness or an unworthy prejudice dismiss if a man the remedy Is not to take aw away it y that power pomer from him as long ion as ho he ll Is held responsible tor for the men and the department but it Is by the proper method to dispose of 0 the chief himself in these two departments the elie need of this power Is mole urgent than in any other take tor for instance an unscrupulous man in tho the ajro department who does doe not like a chief be can at a are by nn apparent accident just by a turn ot of the hose kill a chief it Is just as bad in the police department a 0 disgruntled rolice man can prepare an en emergency cy tor for the solo cole purpose of havens his chief killed and still carry on his face a look of innocence and be ready t to be one of the chief mourners at the chiefs funeral the law ought to stand in its main features tea tures oa as it isi 13 v ith the amend ments proposed in the legislature to give to those two ali absolute solute control of their departments as long loner as they are worthy find and when they establish that they are arc not worthy they should go cc replaced by more efficient men |