St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-09
RUNGE's ASSUMPTION.

He Has Been Discharging Men
Contrary to the City Charters
Provisions.
The high-handed manner in which
Chief Runge, of the fire department,
is diScharging some of its most efficient
members without cause, but purely
through personal spleen, is universally
condemned by the citizens and heaviest
taxpayers of Minneapolis. That Chief
Runge is overStepping MS authority in
thus discharging members of the fire
department will readily be seen by
perusal of section @, chapter Z, of the
City Charter, which reads as follows:
1.-The chief engineer shall nominate
for the approval of the city council all
officers and men connected with such
department, and may at any time, by
and with the consent of the standing
committee on fire department of the city
council. remove or discharge such Of
ficers and men as he may deem it fer the
interest of the city to discharge"
In the present case it is not for the in
terest of the city that Chief RTnge at
tempts to discharge the men, but wholly
because he believes they were working
in the interest of eX-Chief Stetson. As
Stunning that they were, Chief Runge,
nevertheless, could not discharge them,
but could only recommend that they be
discharged, which recommendation
would have to be acted upon
by the standing committee of the
city council. as above set forth.
This Chief Runge has not done, but, by
an assumption of authority repugnant to
republican institutions and the govern
ment of the people by themselves, he
attempts to exercise autOcTatic powers
and to exercise the functions which
properly belong to the city council.
Heretofore pOlitics,has not been.allOWed
to interfere with the appointment or
discharge of members of the fire depart
ment, with the result that Minneapolis
has today one of the most efficient fire
department forces il the Union.
Since the dissolution Of the last city
council there has been no standing
committee; hence the mos that Chief
Runge could do until sucha committee
be appointed would be to suspend any
member or members of the force, for
sufficient cause. and await the appoint
ment and action of such committee on
each individual case. Instead of doing
this, Chief Runge, with supreme AFRO
gance, has written the following TO sew
eral members of the force:
Mr.. -: Your services are no longer
required by the fire department.
CHEF ENGINEER A. II. RUNGE.
All that the suspended tiremen-not
discharged, because, as above set forth,
Chief Runge has no power to discharge
acknowledgement is that Chief Runge
shall formulate any charges that he
may have against them and afford them
an opportunity to be heard, when, they
confidently assert, they can refute them.
Their request should be granted, and if
not, many prominent citizens state that
a public meeting will be held for the
purpose of having justice done to the
suspended fremen, some of whom have
been active members OH the force con-
tinuously for twenty years-in TACT.
long before the formation of the present
PAID fire department. However this
may be. one thing is certain. Chief
Runge will find that the people are
very grateful to the brave fire Iaddies
who frequently risk their lives to save
the property OF others.