, 1861-09-03

Editors Tribune:
Being present at the meeting Of the Com
mon Council On Tuesday night, and consider
ing the course taken BY some Of the Aldermen
on the ordinance providing for the increase Of
pey Of the Fire Department to be i1l;bera1 and
UNJUST Wonld ask the privilege Of being
heard through the medium Of your paper.
Alderman B0tsford opposed the ordinance
on the ground that ne had good and efficient
fire department at the present one dollar day
the pay, for the men not being bound to work
for the prices now paid, they could leave as
soon as they saw 1it, and their places would be
filed with other men at the present prices.
Nov that may be 60. But let us look at the
qualifications necessary to make an efficient
know how to harness horses and hitch them
up quick and right, be expert in coupling and
uncoup.ipg hose, be familiar with the location
Of the fire BY drants, good in climbing ladders
with the hose, gooa knowledge of the con-
st11cticn Of buildings, to enable himto get the
above all so constituted as to be able to stand
the smoke as well as "aay other man, And
these qualities are not to be expected In the
common 1ab0rer. It has been fully demon
stIated, bg actual experiment., that good me-
chanics make the best Of fremen. In fact, it
is trade, requiring rs much skill and ability
| as is required in the sale Of hardware or pro-
| duce-
! Then would it be for the interest Of the
property holders of the city to fill up this de.
Fartment with raw, green men, who know
nothing Of the duties Of the fireman, whom
you could neither coax nor drive into q
| burning building, (as was found to be the fact
| with some raw recruits put on by Mayor
Wentworth, under his glorious dollar day
"Liberty" and " Economy" plan, to fill the
/ places Of eome good men who left when he re
| dIced their pa3I Would it not be better
| IN taxi he
of paying good, tried, t1ae veterans in the
walfare Of fighting fire, at the rate Of forty
dollars per month";
Alderman Hoyt opposed the ordinance on
tie ground that the present pay is sufficient
as corn is but 20 cents, wheat so cents, and
city is not able to pay any higher wages. Nov
in the name Of all that is honorable and Just
DIES the Alderman mean to convey the idea
that his 20 cent corr {the price for " rejected y
a"sound, hot, or partially decayed corn is fit te
make corr bread for the Jaremen, or his 50 cent
or smutty, OF shrupken spring wheat, or il
other wotds, the poorest in The market, 81
Fer Tuesdays pTices) fit to make bread fol
the fremen because he has to work for
dollar 3 day? Tuesdays prices we're IS cents
for the best x Sslte1 Wheat, a$% cents for bes
| at sfho'esa1e prices. So the poor fireman mus
be Kept at such pey as will only allow him tn
rco1est srticles in the market.
4 few words In reference to the organiza
tion and progress Of the paid Fire Depart
men stems to be very appropriate at tn!
time.
The first steam fire engine, the "Lon
john" Was put into service in March, 1856
and, although working under great dissd
yaEtsges and with The combined iafuenc
Of the Volunteer Department to put it down
it proved itself too big 9 squirt to be pat dow
hrT+ +1<I Tr
Council, Angus. I'd, 1858, passed the ordinaac
organizing the paid Fire Department.. as fol
lows: Captains 500, Leutenants 800, Eng
neexs $6o0 per year each drivers, hoseme1
stokets and watehmen $l0o per day eact
sny Of the comran1es.) The reason given 5
E the chairman Of the Committee On Fire an
b. Watef (who reported the ordinance for Il.
ing so low q rate Of pay, was that it WAS .
experiment, and If it proved successful, th
8 Department has proved successful beyond tt
j.. most esngufne hopes Of its projectors, is
fact no one pretends to doubt.
In the spring of 1857, = large number Of Oh
= largest property holders petitioaed the Con
l. mon Council to raise the pay Of the tiremel
- duty bound to respect, and did on the %;
l. Of August, 1859, raise the pay to nine dolla'
j. per week.
q Then in March. 1860, Mayor Wentwor,
| CAME InIo power ana In order 10 help h1m
e gain the name Of running the city for le
h than "any other man." he took II
). "1iberty" Of introducing an ordinance
. reduce the pay Of the hrenaen to one dollar p
day, ard also to take off the captains Of eas
apparatus, which had to BE- passed. Thsreupe
If rome Of the best men left Would 1t not ha,
, looked better for the Mayor to have said, tt
= f1emen are door men, the city is In debt.
,, want to help 1t out Of debt, but let the iii
N mems Pay Aone, the Mayor is rich and vi
tr gite his salary to the city; bnt no such " Eco
r. omy' escapes his lips, his motto was, "a doN
- a day for fremen Is enough" deusn dollars a
+ ten centa day is not too much for ri
IN Mayor.
.ir Las: June, one hundred and thlty-two
~ ticned the Council to raise the pay Of the f
at tor men who have to be On duty the whs
in tHenty-tour hours, Sunday SIS well as 9th
days Their pay should be il proportion to
other employees Of the city.
Let us look at what some Of their duties e,
1heJ have to turn out In the broilIng suu,
H. tne rain or snow storm, the thermomet
"a, faos1pg frcm freezing to so degrees bell
zero, 70 enter the burning buildings, #
IA o1 ahLdlrg, suffocating smoke, with
or. gpmbhng Walls falling around their heal
da 1isking life aud limb, In atresti
ae tie progress Of the destroying element. q
in saving the life and property Of our cItize,
nd willie the tax payer rests securely In t
!, knowledge, that when = fire does occur, It's
:. reer will be OF ehort duration; y and then
a these men when they get the order to 'sta
rs up," {ss I have seen them, J On aome terri
L, ccld night, with not dry thresd On the