St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-30
GRAY IS REAL PERT.
He Insinuates That the Fire
Department Investigation
Was Not Thorough.
After Gray Finished the Coun-
Gil Heard a Good Many
Annual Reports.
Minneapolis ElkS Hold Their
Annual Benefit and Rake
in the Dollars.
Andrews Opera Company
People Settle--News From
the Courts.

the council last evening hardly realized
the expectations generally entertained,
although it was not wholly lacking in
the elements of liveliness. and when the
report of the fire committee upon its in
veStigation of the pay rolls came UP
Aid. Gray managed to stir things VI
pretty we'll.
The committee on fire department
submitted two reports, the first in the
case of Snyder, and the other on the
other eases which subsequently turned
no.
The reports are as follows:
To the Honorable City Council-Gentle-
men: Your standing committee on fire de-
partment, to whom was referred the state.
ment of Aid. Gray relative to increase in sal.
airy of Secretary f. NJ Snyder made at the
regular council meeting held Jan. s, 1892 re.
Specttully report that upon investigation
your committee finds that the increase OF
salary of Secretary Snyder and his assistant
was as follows:
Salary of secretary, August to December
five months, at an increase of SO per
lHOulu SlUl
Salary of assistant secretary. March to
december ten months, at an increase
OF $40 per month Observation-Disclosures. 10C
nS SldlSLlcIll u tuG SecT6ldTN, r NJ. shy
der, TO the committee was TO the effect that
he had asked the chief engineer for an in
crease of salary. claiming that on account of
the large number of alarms there being POO
more than during the former YEAR, his work
had Increased to warrant the extra compen-
sation asked for The chief told him it ought
to be done, and that he should have the in
crease. Mr.. Snyder further stated that when
he came TO make out the pay roll for August,
he nut his name on it at the advance
figure; that's, 500 per month, with the chief S
knowledge. Supposing he was entitled to re-
ceive it. and with no thought or intention
on his part TO defraud the city or of securing
more salary than he was entitled to- That
upon his attention being called to the matter
that he was not entitled to the increase. he
made reparation to the city by
paving TO the city treasurer the whole amount
of the increase drawn, amounting to $780, His
testimony was cOrrobOrated by the chief
engineer of the fire department.
In regard to the assistant secretary, the
chief stated that he found it impossible to Sc
cure the services of a competent person for
the position at the salary allowed for assist
ant secretary. and had hired the present as
sistant at an increase OF $40 per month.
The other report related the state
ment made by the chief to the commit
tee as already published, and with the
following recommendations:
III view of the foregoing facts your CON-
4llittSC iScpCSiIuliN DOIlS IL HIS DGGIl
the custom heretofore i'll the department to
appoint men to the different positions and
submit the said appointments
to the council for confirmation. Your COM
mlttee recommends that i'll the future no iu-
crease OF force or salary be made Ill the de-
partment until the matter has been reported
TO the council for ratification and confirma-
ton.
1t is the opinion of your committee that
there was no intention on the part of Secre-
tary Snyder to do anything IN violation of
the law, rs he only followed the instructions
of his superior officers. That in permitting
the increase i'll salaries as mentioned i'll this
report, Chief Engineer a. \. Runge has, un-
exceeded the authority given him
by the strict Interpretation of the terms of
the charter; but in doing so, we believe he did
it for the best interests of the department.
and with no thought of or attempt to violate
the law. He simply did what he supposed
he had right to do as the chief of the de-
partment.
Your committee further states that the
facts and figures herein contained were OBJ
tanned from statement made to your com
mlttee and sworn TO by Chief Engineer A. H.
Runge as being correct to the best of his
knowledge and belief.
Your committee further states that this re-
port is made as full and com plete as possible
with the material and time at the disposal of
the committee. However, if the council
deem it proper to make more thorough in
vestigatlon of the matter, we would recon-
mend that this committee be empowered to
employ an expert accountant to check up the
and accounts of the fire department
for the years 1899 and 1891
Gray on the War Faith.
The report came up in the regular
course of proceedings, and the usual
motion to adopt it was made. Aid. GRAY
at once jumped to his feet and moved as
a substitute that special committee of
five be appointed to further investigate
this matter, supplem enting his motion
with remarks to the effect that the fire
committee was not the proper commit
tee to conduct this Investigation, any
way, and intimating that the work had
not been thoroughly done. This aroused
Aid. McGowan, who arose and indig-
nantly exclaimed that as member of
the committee he must protest against
the passage of any such motion. He
stated that the committee had done
everything that the short time allowed
it and the limited opportunities at It's
command would permit. and he felt
that the appointment of a special com
mittee to Investigate the committee on
fire department would cast an unmer-
tied reflection upon that committee.
Aid. Gray again took the floor, and
with more than even his usual delibera-
ton of manner, said:
Nobody doubts the ability of the
committee OH fire department., and no
body doubts its ability to run the de-
partment, but we all know where that
committee has run the department. to-.
If the head of department can employ
help and raise salaries at his own dis
erection without any higher authority
and then have his course sanctioned bv
this council, where is this going to
stop?
"Chief Runge is no infant either in
body or mind, and for him to get up
here and offer as an explanation that he
did not know any better, is entirely too
thin for some of the members of this
council and great many outsiders to
swallow.
This committee has made no provision
for the return of these amounts which
have been illegally paid out.
Mr.. President.y you know that had you
or been on this committee these things
would not have happened"
Aid. Haynes stated that while he was
not member of the committee and did
not support Runge for the Office of chief,
he felt that he was capable and con-
ScientiOus officer. He expressed himself
as perfectly satisfied with the report of
the committee and with the explanation
furnished to the committee by the chief.
He would certainly not, he said, to sup
port the motion of Aid Gray. as he did
not consider such action fair to the fire
committee.
Aid. Lowell aud Loye also expressed
themselves as satisfied with the report
Of the committee.
Finally President Potter suggested
that the report be adopted and that a
committee of five be then appointed to
investigate further. This proved salts
factory to everybody and a motion to
that effect was carried.
TIE committee named by the chair
was Aid. Lowell, Durham, Bradish. In
genhutt and Haynes.
Chief Runge submitted a complete
list of the appointments made by him
during 1891, aud the same was approved
without being read.
Aid. McGowan introduced resolu-
ton providing that warrants be drawn
as follows: A. q. Schlener, S25: Adam
Hunter, $50 and Frank Sieverkrop, Sl65.
He explained that these amounts had
been stricken from the pay roll of the
fire department by the committee on
claims The amounts ho,uayar x,,oro