The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-09
Tampering with the Ttre Department.
A Dangerous Experim emit.

The Chamber Of Commerce, at special
meeting held on Tuesday last, adopted q
resolution requesting the City Council ssto
defer any action for the present" on "a
bill to declare certain colored Are oompa- :
MES part Of the Fire D apartment, and to
establish q Board Of Colored Firemasters in
the City Of Charleston" This resolution
was oonourred in by the Board Of Trade at
meeting held ON tho same day, so that
Council, at its next meeting, had before it Q
clear and emphatic expression of the opin- :
ions 81 the principal taxpayers in the
city. The letters OF the Presidents of the
Chamber Of Commerce and Board Of Trade,
announcing the adoption Of the resolutions,
were read before Council, and received as
information upon motion Of Alderman T.
J Mackey, who at the same time said that
he intended to bring up the bill in modi-
fed shape at q subsequent meeting. This
was well enough as far as it went, but AL
dermsn Mackey, who is the putative faith or
Of the bill, said besides that he did not in :
tend to have it go modified as to prevent
the colored companies from enjoying all
the rights of ofineorporated companies. The
bill then, though sleeping, is not yet dead,
and, in view Of its Importance and mis-
chievous tendency, it is to be regretted that
the Chamber Of Commerce and Board Of
Trade did not ask at onoe for an indefinite
postponement Of all action upon it. So
long as the bill is in q condition to be
brought up at any moment by any dema-
gogue who may wish to obtain little poll
tical popularity at the expense Of the city,
we have no assurance that we shall be able
to retain an efficient Fire Department or
to insure at reasonable rates any portioa
Of our property. The bill should be killed,
and this will be done ct the next meeting
Of Council If there are in that body as many
honest and unselash men as would have
saved the Cities Ct the Plain from dsstruc-
tion.,
4 1t is useless, perhaps, to urge that the
immediate effect Of the passage Of the pro-
posed bill will be . large increase in the
cost Of the Fire Department.. Setting down
the expenditures Of the year at the esti-
mates Of the Clark administration, it is
doubtful wAether the. city will be able TO
meet oil its engagements. But the esti-
mates wiih wo believe, in more shan one
instance, fall far short Of the actual out
lay, and now it is desired to clap ON $18,-
600 or $50. 600 more for the benefit OF col.
ored FIRE companies. No increase in tho
strength OF the department is necessary.
We have now more men aud more engines
than are required for o city Of the size or
Charleston. The on!y savaassgs Of the
additional number Of oompsniss will be the
additional expense, and an Increased pro-
babiiity that the city will be unable to pay
the Oosober interest upon the city debt
without large and long loan from some
capitalist who has confidence in the solven
cy Of the oisyi and the honesty Of His Houor
the Mayer li
But Alderman Maokey and his frisnds
probably care but, little. what becomes OF
tho citysdebs. nor are they likely to reject
that two quasi independent Fire Depart.
msnts---the one white end the othef black
- dannot peacefully ooexist In GAarleston.
fhe astemptto, make the negro fireman the
equsl OF the white fireman will, IL perse-
sered 10. cause ill-fsslina. ig NOT aSmsl.
and bloodshed. And Il may lead ID Il praSs,
y tical sl di1sbsnding 1 ~ the whi1e Fire sparss
irnsnt. This isl, q. conaummas ion dsyou.,ys
wished by some Of the Rsdioal craw--the
Nackeys, wsaptesame, are Of The mn saber
\ -as 9 quick way ~ giving the ncsrs4s ,uil