| Show the firemen and citizens meet TO DISCUSS ITS MERITS an unpleasantly warm discussion cus sion person in dulled in pursuant to call of H J maiben chairman of the council committee on fire department a number of citizens und the majority of the members of the fira department met at the council chamber on wednesday evening at th meting was called to order by councilor maiben chairman f the committee on fire department who stated that the meeting had been called for the purpose of considering the petition of knight Br othera and others and relation to the removal of john A brown chief of the firo department and william hill as assistant chief he also stated that mr I 1 T claris had requested that his nam be stricken from the list of signers of the petition as the caso had been misrepresented to him felix bachman read a communication from F W C hathenbruck citing his reasons for signing the petition as follows chairman and committee on fire department GENTLEMEN I 1 think it an injustice to impose too many duties and requirements upon an officer elected by the and by so doing leave him open to censure from his constituents for neglect with this in view I 1 take liberty in citing my as a taxpayer in signing the petition against having the public officers active members ef the fire department A member of the polica force is engaged and paid by the taxpayers through their properly elected officers of this municipality for the protection of life property and to keep order now I 1 believe the element of will increase for personal gain in proportion to the crowth of our city consequently necessitating an increase of vigilance on the part of our ers and demanding the attention of its members more and more no person can serve two masters at the same time and at fires and riots excitement runs to extremes andani person engaged at a fire must does and will give their whole attention to alie work in hand even to the all other interests either personal or public thai is duty what other cities have done in the past is not under consideration for progressive gres sive people aft are living for the future and combat the pie sent therefore we will profit by their past experience which may have been dearly bought and uba economy at their expense and conduct existing circum stances on the approved plan now fire departments and police work hand in band having a common object to save property but their mode of proceed ure arc separate and distinct the police force during a fire will find that their number is almost insufficient to protect property carried to a point of safety from the fire and also keep in check any tendency to do bodily harm to families or robberies designed by unscrupulous characters taking advantage of the absence of their natural pio rectors tec tors and existing excitement economy is cited as ane cause of existing arrangements range ments what is economy it is to us with frugality the means at your command to cover necessary emergencies now the question a rises what view does the council take of this matter if they conclude that by economizing in the protection of one individuals property at the expense of other interests is economy then this petition ie of na avail I 1 have no recommendations to make who should be chief but would suggest a man of promptness of action executive abilities enthusiasm in liis work for the public benefit and cool judgment yours respectfully F W C hathenbruck A communication was read from J 11 boagard as follows to the honorable mayor and city council of provo city GENTLEMEN inasmuch as your honorable body at your last session requested all the signers to tha petition asking the appointment of another chiae etc for the fire department of this city to meet with you this evening and this being impossible for me to do 1 herewith send my written statement I 1 consider I 1 was entirely misled con curning the situation and position of marshal brown and policeman hill when I 1 signed that petition and having learned the situation more correctly I 1 sincerely irely aak my name to be stricken from that document at once as I 1 consider both of these officers trustworthy and also capable of any position you have conferred boon them respectfully J R the was thrown open for the expression of opinions by citizens and of the fire department heber booth an ex fireman stated petition had been gotten up by cyme of the members of the fire department they desired the removal of mr hill as he waa too haary and of mr brown aa he biad mr hills name to tho council contrary to the wishes of the majority of the fire department etc mayor booth came into the meeting and asked what were the reasons why the firemen desired the discharge of the chief and assistant chial he had understood der stood that there were other reasons than those specified in the petition several of ana firemen spoke but chev did not seam to got at what the mayor wanted and be again arose and stated he did not get an answer to bis question perhaps the boya preferred not stating anything 1 I was considerably surprised he went the n was presented nothing about any complaints sir hill previous to this time the city lias 2 in to considerable expense in pur ceasing an engine and other apparatus and they were not at present prepared x go to a great deal of additional ex pensa the engine i no more good without the men than the men without the engine hardly as much we must either nave you gentlemen or bome one elie to run the engine eliuta certain we dont want any quarrel with alie fire company jarom the chiefs report mr hill has been a very faithful corker now we want to effect some kind of a settlement if possible and yat we want to do no man an injustice each aide looks at this matier from different points of view now I 1 can stand off at one aide and look at both aides of the question the mayor then related one of 1 i funny by way of illustration be further stated that he thought every man should bar headd in his own defense and be would like to hear from mr hill mr hill stated that as the mayor had said perhaps there might be some reasons why the members of the department part ment should desire his removal the mayor stated that every man should be heard in hia own defense I 1 would like to ask what am I 1 accused of mayor booth that is what we have been trying to get at mr hill continued thero ia a great deal that might be said on thia subject and for myself I 1 think I 1 thoroughly understand der stand the question As far as being a police officer that has nothing to do with it my resignation ia written out in both cases both as a fireman and as a policeman I 1 dont pretend to be a policeman but I 1 do claim to be a fireman for nine years as a member and an officer I 1 served as a fireman in the the a salt lake fire department dep artmen t in provo I 1 have attended ayery fire with one exception since the en gine arrived and at that time I 1 was in 8 hamsh fork canyon the beginning of abi whole matter was in jealousy if I 1 had been in the place of these bays I 1 would not haye doneas they have dona no I 1 would have acted like a man in a straight stia ight forward manner and not haye acted in an underhanded way councilor liddiard was very much surprised at this meeting to night this was aba first meeting he had ever at j tended where petitioners petition ers were not willing to stand up and defend their petition any company no matter who they are when they are not satisfied with their officers should come out open and above board like men and not act in any underhanded way I 1 had expected when I 1 cam here if any one had anat they would state them like men if the complaint ie because these officers are policemen let us hear it if you have no complaint get up andl state it mr dorious stated that his first grievance against mr hill arose at the booth fire at that time mr booth asked me to throw a stream of water on the hay stack I 1 dia so mr hill came up and asked ano had ordered me to do so I 1 told him the mayor had he ordered mo to stop and I 1 refused when the matter of an assistant chief came up mr brown stated that per haps one would not be necessary if it was decided to appoint an assistant he would consult with the department he presenter tae name of mr hill to tha council without consulting the department knowing that the majority of the members were opposed to the appointment mr cheever stated that he had understood as mr dorious had said that the chief had said at the meeting referred to he did not think an assistant chief was necessary and if it was he would consult with the company in relation to it chief brown explained that to the best of his recollection he had said that perhaps an assistant chief would not be needed and if it was the department could present a petition to the council which would no doubt have some weight mafoi booth stated that lie thought at a fire a sort of a military organization should exist strict obedience to officers was necessary if everything was not could be brought up after the fire ana any man had a perfect right to resign ha was of the opinion that a portion of the hay at hia place could have been saved but he thought mr hill was right in acting as he had done he was in command mr kershaw did not consider that the firemen had acted in any underhanded way theros had been no quarrel at the fire but afterwards they had retired he considered the remarks of mr hill a personal insult mr hill says he has been a firemen for nine years I 1 was a fireman for eighteen years and I 1 defy any man to bring one charge against my record as a fireman mr hill called attention to mr aoah ards communication and wen ton in a rather sarcastic way they sav we retired yes we done it they want the chief and myself removed by the city council they dont wont to give ux a chance to resign the chief is a man who should have the entire confidence edthe city council of every good citizen and of ayery man of the fire department if chev were men in three hours the chief could raise a company of men independent of the old members but ho would not ask abw members to join while such an was in the company I 1 would not lower myself 10 the level of such men as heber booth and johnnie martin mr kershaw call the gentleman to order mr hill 1 I say this as a citizen and I 1 havea right to say it mr heber booth rethink mr hill has that he is not a gentleman he never was a gentleman andt enever will be a gentleman the chair that will do mr booth chairman maiben called attention to tho fact that one reabon for the removal of the officers referred to had been fated in the petition but the true reason of the majority of the firemen had not been stated this seemed to him to ba somewhat underhanded mr glazier referred to the quick temper of mr hill he was a rustler no doubt of it but he was to snappy and was not fit to be assistant chief of a fire department considerable other discussion took place during the meeting but ii was mostly a rehash of what has been given and some of it was decidedly of a very unfriendly and of a personal nature the meeting adjourned sine die |
