The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-31


have himself placed on the record as con-
sldering Mr. Mcguire a fireman of expert
ence or judgment. At the time OF his APP
polntment he was clerk In the employ
ment OF the savannah, Florida and Wes-
tern railway. During the local campaigns
OF 1898 and 1894 he had been one of the
most active partisans of the faction
known as the Citizens Club
In 1884 the ordinances of the city pre-
scribed that its officials should be elected
by the outgoing board. The faction of
the Citizens Club then having control OF
the legislative delegation caused law TO
be enacted by which the incoming admin
istration elected the city officials, AS a
consequence when the last administration
went into office George Mouro who had
seen more service than any fireman In
Savannah, had been assistant chief since
1852 and was universally regarded as com
petent and experienced was defeated and
John Il. Mcguire was elected assistant
chief In his stead. The evidence discloses
that his elevation to this important posi-
tion was not allowed to interfere with his
political activity. with Mr.. Puder to look
after the fre-hghting the assistant chief
seems to have made no change In his
political labors save that the city vehi-
Gle transported him to an fro upon his
political missions.
After the passage Of the law creating
the fire commissioners Mr.. Mcguire was
promptly elected chief Mr.. Puder turned
down, and Mr. Mouro gwen his former
position of assistant chief From the tes-
timony submitted your committee is
forced to the conclusion that Mr.. Ma
guires election was the reward Of politi-
eel activity and had no reference to his
experience or fitness, and that as a mat
| ter Of fact, he was inexperienced, that Mr.
Puder was retained in the first instance
and Mr.. Mouro reinstated in the second in
| recognition of Mr.. Maeuire's inexper.-
ence In our opinion, the charge that Mr.
Mcguire is inexperienced has been fully
sustainedl that when made assistant chief
| when made chief and now he was. and
is an inexperienced Grcman-Testimonv
of George w Boss0ll. PIP 2 ana A. John j.
Connolly, p. 89 Jeremiah Murphy p. 49
Patrick j. Ccnnors, y. %; George Mouro,
| p. 81 Michael IIanley. p. 125; John c.
Murphy PIP. IL and 49,
Second, UEA ness your committee
realizes that the discussion Of this ques-
/ ton Is necessarily ru'Glul, and Il can but
! regret that II tho testimony upon which It
bases its findings could have been success
fully met, such a course was not pursued
| by Mr.. Mcguire, who was sufficiently
aware of the sessions of the committee to
punish one of the witnesses ana 20 pro-
claim that he would attend to the cases OF
others who were talking about the inves-
| tigation. AS the facts appear IN the rec
ord but one conclusion can be reached
that the unftness of Mr.. Mcguire for the
! position of fire chief is conspicuous. The
| evidence Is Gear that he has svstcr att
cally used the department as n political
machine to subserve the ends Of faction
| and, as the result demonstrated, 2 minor
| ity faction. The effective force Of the
several engine houses were depleted IN or
! derthat firemen might engage In the work
OF corraling negro voters, debauchlng them
/ win drink atlI of,,1 fY,es
them at voting precincts
Inc testimony of old and experienced
| hremen is positive that had fires sprung
| up on these occasions they must have re-
| sponded with crews utterly inadequate to
| successfully cope with conflagrations The
| chief seems to have personally engaged in
! some OF this work. The outrageous char
| acter of these performances Is intensified
| by the fact that where the firemen on re-
| lief were opposed to the chief In politics
| they were called in on the eve of elections
in order that his henchmen might have
freedom to work at the polls and disport
| themselves In the face of the community
decorated with the insignia of the faction
to which the chief belonged. When fore
men declined TO sanction such proceed
| ings they were overruled BY the chief and
one painful instance presents Itself OF a
fireman excused from his duties for polit-
ical work on what appears to be forged
aPPlNoAlpiit hHliuOl EtI ny AlE foreman
but approved by the chief. Others were
ostepsibly suspended, the real object be-
ing to grant them time for politics.
on all of these occasions the taxpayers
OF savannah including the majority fac
tion have been made to pay the wages OF
these men whist engaged in the effort TO
defeat their wishes. The department be-
came utterly demoralized, each man real
izing that unless he could measure up the
partisanship exacted by the chief he was
in constant and imminent danger Of dis
charge. The morale became weakened
experienced men were discharged without
a hearing and without any ascertainab BILE
cause, and their places filled with inexpe-
rlenced men. one OF them, with no rec
ord as a fireman and fresh from the pen
itentiary Of Georgia, was put upon the
force because he had participated with
the chief In a drunken debauch and obtain
ed his promise OF appointment In recogni-
ton of his physical assistance when the
chief, through liquor, had become inca
pacitated for successful individual loco
motion. The wonder is that the depart
ment is ht for any work al all
As demorallzing as this political doml-
nation has beap II Is not the greatest Of
the forces which n weakening the enlcl-
ency OF the department. In the place OF
the regular discipline OF an organized body
has been substituted the arbitrary will Of
bit man dNAilb AiNIl MS fhIiltt ana EAIik-
ing blindly simply TO exercise power The
trihing reasons for the suspension or ex-
pulslon OF some men and the condona-
ton Of the grossest characterization In
others can be explained only on the
grounds OF politics or such moral lncapac-
ity 20 deal with questions OF right and
wrong az your committee hesltates 10 as
cribe 10 anyone. Prominent as a deter
mining cause OF the want Of discipline and
the general ineficlency testified to by the
witnesses must be the intemperance OF the
chief.
From 10 o'clock on the evening Of Sept
% 1896, until o'clock on the morning Of
I Sept. g. he was traced by witnesses IN
the stages Of progressive intoXcatlon I'M
al, from a staggering condition at the
latter hour, he was found al the HUI
IRE few hours after spewing into the ex-
change area. His conduct al that IRE en-
phasized his condition Profane, unroa-
sonable excited. nothing but the practical
characterization Of his men prevented him
from destroying an expensive apparatus
belonging 20 the city. lie was again in
toxicated on the day Of the FIRE In the dis
trlct messenger building, and the fire.
quoncy OF his visits 10 bar rooms was
testified TO by many witnesses. Your COM