Show A DEMOCRATIC PARTISAN PLEA The Herald asks who Is Insulted when It Is maintained that none but Democrats are fit to be at the head of the fire and police departments We should think that the statement of tho question Is the complete answer When It Is urged that there are no Republicans In tho oily fit to be In charge of city affairs It is also an Insult to the people who voted that the Republicans should have charge of them The Idea l that it I t is partISan parti-san with a department to deny the partisan application of a Democrat to have charge of It is of so perverse a character that one wonders won-ders at the frail of the suggestion but it has always been a favorite claim here that the only I way to show nonpartisanship non-partisanship was to give the ofllccs to Democrats That Impudence Is now being worked again as It Is always worked when there is anything In sight that it Is desirable to capture Republicans Repub-licans are quite as capable of giving good public service In a nonpartisan way as Denioqrals can possibly be and as a practical proposition are a good deal more likely to do so Bccausa the people elected Mayor Thompson > docs It follow that they want the lire department converted Into an annex of the Thompson machine ma-chine whose only test of service is ability to corrdl votes aoks the Herald Begging the question again ch 7Who said anything about the only test of service being ability to corral votes That Is only another form of the Insulting proposition that Republicans cannot do I1t public service ser-vice It Is the usual partisan trick to assume this But If that Is the Idea In the mind of tho Democrats why Is It not quite as competent to say that the Democrats want to convert the fire department Into a Democratic machine whose only test of service is ability corral voles If that sort of argumqnt is good for anything why lsnt lLus rgood for one side aa the othelr Nay why Jsnt It I the more to pertinent Against the Dcmocrats who V t I f have Indicated 8uchasa prapcr partisan parti-san > 11lnel If the jire service is o beprostituted P Jiow does it CO 1 c happen that the Republicans alone would prostitute It andwhy Is It that the Democrats have outlined this prostitution pros-titution as a partisan desideratum at the very time that they are endeavoring endeavor-ing to obtain control of tho Department Depart-ment Is It not a fact that this Dem acratlc defense and plea are virtually a throwing off of the mask an exhibition exhibi-tion of their partisan eagerness as well as of their scheme |