The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-13
Were Expecting Ii.

donovan was really at the pOtLoiH VI
all the trouble.
Were Expecting Ii.
The charges were received very cool
ly by both those suspended. Each had
been expecting the blow to fall tor
some time. Donovan did not care to
talk about the charges. He said he
would meet all the issues on the trial
and would make as good defense as
possible. He did not seem particularly
worried over the matter.
Captain Sullivan also said he would
meet the issue on the hearing.
He said at the time of the
trouble at house No. he was
off on leave of absence, with broken
collar bone and did not have charge.
..In the Interest of HARMONY
Chief Devine, when seen yesterday,
said that the move. was made IN the
interest of harmony. He said that ne
must have men under him in command
whom he could implicitly trust. He
could not afford to have those who
were disloyal to him. The department
is now to be run on a business basis.
This suspension is in that direction
and there is no politics or revenge IN
it.
The removal from the department of
the two men is asked because it is felt
by the chief that a simple reduction to
the ranks of the two would only in
crease the lack of harmony, by adding
another element. He believes that il
he could have two good officers
brought in from outside the depart
ment, who would be loyal TO him and
work properly with the men to get the
best service from them. peace would
again spread its white wings over the
department and the man would do
their best to pull together.
Captain Bywater.
The first move of the chief after the
suspension was not calculated to allay
the feeling of hostility which the sus
pension produced. Captain Bywater,
about whom there was so much
trouble on account of alleged faVorlt-
ism, was Immediately sent to take
charge of No. > He did SO, relieving
the assistant chief and Captain Sulli-
van. who surrendered their keys and
other city property in their possession
10 Clerk Chalmers. Captain ByWater
will have full charge of the smaller
house until the trouble Is over and the
board decides to remove or not 10 re-
move. Another man Will be sent down
to help him. but he will be virtually
assistant chief. Mr. Devine says that
Bywater is q good, reliable man ana
is perhaps the best man in the depart
ment to take such an important posi-
ton under the present circumstances
AT the two departments the feeling
generally among the men is against
the action of the chief After the sec
Ond blow had been struck and Captain
Sullivan suspended there was great
deal of wonderment as to whether any
more heads would fall during the day.
However the intelligence soon spread
that it was the intention of the chief
to make his fight on the two officers
and get suitable successors in Office be-
fore he made any more onslaughts on
the men themselves. However, there is
a general feeling of Uneasiness among
those who signed the charges. They
do not know just how long they will
be allowed to retain their Offices.5
Tt is thought that strong test case
will be made of this. If the commission
and the courts hold that men may be
removed for the good of the service.
then all those that oppose the head of
the department might as we'll go at
once. for that charge is very elastic
and if the board is with the chief any
objectionable man may be put out in
short order. 1t is known that this is
the point on which the chief most re-
lies. He simply put in the other
charges to fall back upon in case
there should be a disposition to rule
this charge out of the hearing.
Feeling Against the Chief.
1t will be noticed that the charges
are very loosely drawn, almost with
out specifications, and an interesting
time is expected at the trial. Judge
Powers openly charged on the Devine
hearing that the board had one rule
of evidence for the men and another
for the chief. At the last hearing
there is no doubt that great deal OF
good evidence was ruled out on tech
nicalities, because there were no spec
ifications made. There will be an at
tempt at the coming hearing to bring
in a great many specifications under
the general head that the removal Of
the officers would be beneficial to the
department. What will be done there
is not known.
Devine Laughed At.
It would be a good thing for the
commission to take trip among the
business men of the city with view
of ascertaining the feeling on the mat
ter of the control of the fire depart
ment. The members can ascertain very
soon who has the confidence and es-
TEEN of the public, the chief or the as
sistant chief. To think that James De
vine, in the face of all that was brought
out on the recent investigation should
prefer charges of Incompetence
against a man like Donovan. who has
been entrusted with the control of the
department time and time again and
never made mistake, is simply a
sumner. The members of the commits
sion can gather a whole lot of useful
information by travelling over. the city
and talking with those who are in a
position to know and to teach
If the members of the commission
viii take the time and viii ascertain
the opinions of the people on this topic
they will learn that the general i'm
preston is that the whole matter of
the trouble in the fire department
should be shifted to the bottom. That
all men in both the fire and police de-
partments should be compelled TO tell
all the truth and those who are wiling
promised safety from the heads of
those departments, If they viii state
what they know.
The commissioners may not realize
it, but it is a fact just the same, that
the community generally believes the
late trial of the chief was a good deal
OF farce.
Is Still a Politician.
Those who know Devine best realize
that he is nothing more or less than a
politician. That he has always been a
politician and always will be so aong
as opportunity presents itself. 1t is the |
general belief that he desires to re-
model the department with men who
viii be subservient TO him in political
matters and is taking this means of &C
the end.
1t is a fact that he does not com
mand the respect of the men who are |