The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-01
POLITICS SHOULD BE EXCLUDED.

/ The Herald is not interested in the
investigation which has taken up the
time of the Board of Police and Fire
Commissioners for several days, except
I as it relates to public affairs. 1t mat
/ ters not to US whether the Chief, who
has been accused of several offences
against the law and the rules of his
department, is a Democrat, a Republic
can, or Populist. That does not mat
ter. The question to be determined is
whether he is an efficient officer, fit
for his position, and whether he has
violated the law and committed the
| lmproprieties which are alleged against
| him.
In saying that the investigation
should be complete and that inquiries
into the political party activity of the
accused should not be shut off by lit
tie technicalities, we have in view the
provision of the law relative to This
matter, and the general understanding
that party politics should not enter
into the conduct of the Police Depart
ment or the Fire Department.
The spirit of the times is in favor of
taking municipal affairs out of the
hands of the politicians The fittest
men to conduct the public business
should be selected for that purpose
irrespective of what political party
they may choose TO affiliate with.
When the selection of the present city
authorities was made, this was to
pvfa hal -,
was an effort by both parties to see
that each had its proportion of repre-
sentation in the various departments
of the public service. We hope the
time will come when this party spirit
viii be entirely expunged from our
municipal affairs
AS TO the investigation now being
held, we have expressed the opinion
that questions which would have
brought out the facts in relation to
the Fire Chiefs partisan political ac-
uvity were improperly excluded. We
stu hold to that opinion Without at
tempting to say anything having the
appearance of bias for or against the
accused, we think that no petty tech
nicality should stand IN the way to
a full disclosure of the course. of the
Chief in connection with his political
influence in his department. We think
that the greatest reasonable latitude
IN that direction would be much more
satisfactory than a narrow and re-
stricted course. Here is the section of
the law prohibiting political influence
in the Police and Fire Departments.
Sec. p. No member of said board
OF either department shall, during his
term OF office, be member of any
party convention, the purpose of which
is to nominate candidates for DOliti-
cal office, nor shall the officers. mem
berS or employees of said fire depart
ments or police departments take any
part Whatever in any partisan conven-
ton held for the purpose of a political
party, nor shall any member of the
said board, directly or indirectly at
tempt TO control or influence the ac-
lions of any member of said police or
hre departments or of any employee
thereof, in any primary, caucus or
general election. No member of the
police or the fire departments shall
levy, collect or pay any amount Of
money as an assessment or cOntribu- /
ton for political purposes, or for the /
purpose of making any present to /,
any officer of any said departments. /
Any violations of the provisions of this /
section shall be sufficient cause for I
suspension or dismissal"
The Herald is of the opinion that
this section should be allowed to have
its full force in this investigation, ac-
cording to the spirit and general mean
ing thereof, and that witnesses should |
not be tied down to an extreme re-
but that the aim should be
to get at the bottom facts and the gen
eral department of the head of a de-
Dartment in which there should be no
politics, and where, for the public
good, the utmost harmony should pre-
vail and the most complete efficiency
should be demanded.