The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-09-06
TOO HASTY,

The resolution adopted at a recent
meeting Of the Cheyenne Fire Depart
ment, condemning the proprietor of the
Cheyenne Sun, has caused considerable
discussion in this community, and 1t
behooves US as a contemporary of the
condemned newspaper proprietor to say
q few words in relation to the matter,
having taken some pains to get at the
bottom facts.
The Cheyenne Fire Department is
under the control of the City Govern
ment, which audits the bills incurred
by the officers Of the Department. The
proprietor of the Sun, some time since,
presented to the City Council a bill. for
advertising done by order of Chief
Waldraven. The. Council refused to
pay the bill on the ground that the
Chief had not been authorized to order
the advertising. Mr.. Slack, of course,
had to lose the amount. On Monday
afternoon Mr.. W%aldraven accos.ed Mr..
Slack on the street, telling him he
wanted a notice for a meeting of the
Fire Department inserted in the Sun.
MI. Slack told him, that he would not
do 70 upon his order, as the City Coun-
Gil had refused to pay the bill for similar
work ordered by him. The object of
the meeting, MI. Slack claims, was not
stated to him by the Chief, who de-
clares that he informed the proprietor
of the Sun, that the meeting was to be
called at the request of several mem
bers of the Department for the purpose
Of raising funds for the relief Of their
brethren in the South where the yellow
fever prevailed.
The meeting of the Department Mon
day evening, in consequence of the
want of its publicity, was but poorly
attended. The Chief made his state
ment in regard to Mr.. Slack's refusal
to insert a notice of the meeting, and
n resolution was adopted condemning
the latter. This hasty action, we are
assured, is 10Y regretted by those who
participated in the meeting, and we
anticipate that the second, sober
thought of our gallant firemen will in
duce them to expunge the resolution
referred to from their record at the
next regular meeting.
The only ground for complaint rested
on the supposed refusal of Mr.. Slack to
aid in the collection of funds for the
yellow fever stricken firemen Of the
South. No sane person in this COM
munity believes that the proprietor of
the Sun could be Influenced by such a
motive. The fact, then, that Mr.. Slack
declined to work for no pay, does not
in itself constitute a reasonable basis
for the condemnatory resolution.
Newspaper men are like other people;
they like to see in the near future a
prospect of getting a fair return for
labor performed. Cheyenne newspaper
proprietors in particular have needs to
look after every penny earned, in order
to keep up their establishment during
these hard times. 1t will and cannot
be said that the proprietors of the two
newspapers of the Magic City have
lacked in public spirit and liberality in
the past; for they have in every in
stance worked zealously in every good
cause, expended their earnings in CIV
ing Cheyenne a press second to o n in
the west, and thus given to this city an
enviable reputation for progressiveness
and intelligence. A prominent men,
Der of Postmaster General Koy's party
said the other day, when speaking of
Cheyenne: 81 have frequently had oc-
casion to peruse your two papers, and
although this is my first visit to Chey-
enne, l had formed a pretty fair opin-
ion of your city, which I find to be cor
rect, from reading your newspapers.
You can always safely judge a commu-
nifty from the papers published therein"