New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-03-28
rvrr pEpARTMENT REFORM.

FIRE DEPARTMENT hErOfn' .
The bill transforming our City's Fire Depart
ment into Paid one. having passed the Senate
by very large majority, is now before the AS
senlbly on its third reading. There is said TO
be danger that it will be beaten by bribery.
We do not credit the imputation, though r'm-
ont bribery we are sure it cannot be defeated
And for these reasons:
|. The Insurance Companies are necessarily
and intimately acquainted with fires aud their
extinguishment, and know what methods prove
effective and what are conducive to needless
loss, waste and robbery. And those Compah'cS'
with scarcely an individual dissenter, are pr"! :
ing for the change proposed Their officers a'o
of all parties and of none, but on this question
they are substantially unanimous. They origin
ated the movement for Paid Department.
we are but deferring to their judgment Ill tue
premises.
III. The precedents and analogies are Oil III
favor of the measure A village or small CITY,
in which a fire occurs but seldom, adhc'e'
naturally and properly to the Volunteer system;
but wherever fighting fire becomes business
recurring constant vigilance and the Devotion
of a large share of the fremen's time, IT Is
simply honest and just that they should be COM
pensated. The very worst way OF paying them
is to incite them to pay themselves.
III. Under the present system, five times as
many fremen are enrolled as are actually
needed. They thus secure exemption rom
onerous public duties, and become members Oh
a powerful organization, which controls NOM.
nations and elections, rewards favorites and
takes vengeance on adversarics. The engine
houses are dens of political intrigue, wherein
Primary Meetings are rehearsed and regular
nominations "fxed"-for consideration. IL
is this fact which incites the fierce hostility
which the proposed reform encounters. The
Fremen are the ,janzaries, the Pretonan Guard,
of our ruling politicians. They make our Alder
men and Councilmen-a bad lot, but thsis owing
in good part to the badness Of the raw
material To abolish the Volunteer Fire De-
partment.is to derange the machinery whereby
our City il made to pile up such atrocioua Cop
perhend maiorities We do not suppose this
will make much difference in the long run. yet
the terror and rage Of our governing classes
argue that the placer thus disturbed is n very
rich one. But We want no votes for Fad
Fire Department on any other ground than that
of its intrinsic night.
". The very men who make most ado in
Albany against it are themselves Paid Firemcn
now, and anxious TO remain so. The Engineers
who insist that Firemen should not be paid
take good care to be we'll paid themselves.
The cost of having our fires put out for nothing,
including ground-rcnt, epgine-houses, engines,
trucks, hose, salaries, &c, &C., amounts to
several hundred thousand dollars per annum;
vet we are asked to consider this an unpaid
service.
V. Our firemen now choose their superiors, who
OF course cannot control them. The Chief aud
Assistant Engineers are made 30 by votes cast
in the cngine-houses. This proves fatal to sub
ordination and discipline. II the Chief should
prove stern, he will be superseded at the neat
election Hence lnwlcasnooa and crime, which
are winked at from interested motives.
VI VIGOROUSLY. our Fire Department Is a
nursery Of dissipation and vice. Large num-
bers Of the iiremen sleep or bunk" at their re-
spectiye engine-houses. This cuts them oil
from all home or virtuous female influence
while exposing them To peculiar and urgent
temptations Our City is far more debauched
and corrupt than i, would be but for the deadly
influence which centers in and emanatcs from
our engine-houses.
VII. With Paid Department. we may re-
duce the number Of firemen four-ffths while
the Commissioners, being Independent Of the
fremen, could enforce discipline, punish
rowdyism and expose theft. We shall no longer
squander OH fre.extinguishment five times the
force actually needed therefor. Vicious beys
and rowdies will no longer run with the
machine" on purpose to steal whatever they can
surely hide. We shall save by the change pro-
posed, time money, muscle and morals. And,
while the whole community is signaIly bene'
flied, nobody will be injured, unless it be such
as clearly ought to be.
Legislators at Albany. What valid reason,
not Of the Greenback persuasion, can be given
for hesitating 10 pass this bill