The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-13
faweett Removes Civil Service
Commissioners.
SUMMARY ACTION AT TACOMA.
He stops Their Proceedings nv send
ing Policemen 20 Notify Ihrn of
Their Removai-They seek Legal
Advice. hnr Jadsoas is Too BUSY
Pisiniy-A Legal Fixht Likely.

s5,escszl Dispatch 10 the Post-Iuts lflgencsr.
TACOMA. Aug. I1-MAyo- Fswcett has
oszstss3 Sae csytl service commission ar
r@tee- these z4enners Of Il Who are under
suspicion of wrong doing. TIE cus.irg
process tock place today coming as a
tEarderbolt 20 fae officials ard clerks IN
TIE cay hail. as well as every person III
TIE city wao takes aay Interest ir T1saTici-
SA Affairs. The mayor Is alone /. tha
mater. acting wttEeat TIE advice Of ne
city attorney or tte knowledge Of any Of
Hcer n the hall. He simply prepared a
message which he placed IN tae hands o.
police officers with inssrucsions 10 v1si; the
e2Til service commission roorn. present the
ORDER and clear The room. wiiA gas sxce,s-
iion Of Ssenograp phsr Seloy. This notice
Was as follows:
Mayors Office. Cigy Of Tacoma. August
L. Iss1.
''Fred sahm. Civil Service Commissioner.
GGSnor reats. Civil Service Commission
er. i J. Ie1li1soa, SscrsaaTy Cly.l Ssg-
/ vice Commission
GentsesTen. loa are hereby removed
tron yo4- respective offices pending the
{2ms for investigating charges already
fTsiertsd asaAnss certain ne.npSfs OK yo4r
5 "A Y. FAwCETT. Mayer"
/ Detective Sullivan and Pauolman
woods, the men depuSized 20 present the
message. welt at once 10 ihs, coEnuais-
pscners rooms, where Secretary Tczas!E-
Don and SteEographer SeIby were busy
arranging the clerks examination papers
p he secretary. or Ichabod as he i more
1amiiiariy called. greeted the officers
rotiTieously, and asked what he could DO
Tor them.
Read that" said Detective Sullivan
and TornllESoa read. look OF intense sur
prise coming over his features He did
not lose his seif-eontroi al the sudden
tGrn IN affairs. turning the communica-
tion over 10 Selby 10 make copy of il.
You evidently don't take much stock
IN 4 mayors order" remarked Sullivan,
sarcastically.
10 tell you the truth said TomIinson.
II don't understand it, and what's more.
! don't know exactly what authority the
mayor has In the matter"
mo moro than l." laconically an
swered Sullivan, but I do know one
thing, and that is. that / do not question
the mayors authority"
This remark caused Torniinson 10 think
ii over. He asked Selhy TO step into City
Attorney Judsoss's Office and request that
official TO step in SeIby did as request
ed. and while ne was gone Tomlinson
cslatted about the order with the officers
Seiby soon returned without Judson, stat
ing that that Official was too busy 10 at
tend 10 Mr.. Tomiinson.
my business Wait here minute. gen
tiemen: / will get him"
Carefully adjusting his coat and hat ne
sailed out of the door and down the cor
ridor to the attorneys Office. Mr. Jud-
son was up TO his eyebrows in work when
tie secretary appeared. and consequently
did not give him as friendly greeting as
xas desired.
Mr.. Judson'' said Tomlinson. what
are we 10 do with this order Of the may
or Do you think that Is lawful sir?''
Locking Up from among his stack Of
papers the city attorney said In a DELHI
crate tone: II suppose you viii have TO
go 10 the courts, Mr.. Tomlinson as you
appear 10 be out and the mayor In charge
know nothing OF the case and ii is my
intention 10 keep my hands OF. / really
can't see that am called upon just .row
10 give any advice 10 the city"
This answer from the chief legal adviser
Of the city seemed TO knock the wind OUT
OF ToTniinsons 5 sails, for he had 10 state
ment 20 make of the matter TO newspaper
men further than 70 say that he was sur
prised ar the bold move OF the mayer.
Commissioners Teats. who seems To be the
legal adviser of the board. Is out al his
ranch near Olalla. consequently his opinion
Of the mayors action ccaid not be secured.
Teats loves a fight. though. and il Is gen
orally believed that be viii combat the
mayors actions. Commissioner Sahnzs had
nothing 10 say. beyond the statement thar
h was surprised at Mayor Fawcett for
taking such a step. especially as he sp-
pointed the commission when he first took
oftlca.
L was rninored about the hall during
the afternoon that an injunction would
probably b. obtained. or some such pro-
ceediug taken, bat this IS premature. rs
the ieposei ones have not had time 70
.g-.gs.
well known attorneys ara 10 the effect that
the remedy CT the commissioners. < there
h any Tes in sorie sort % IL junction pro-
caedsugs providing the mayer has exceeded
his authority In sun4rnariiy putting an eTa
- ghsi< deithesations- i Is rot a question
of stopping the mayor from acting. He
has already acted TIE Office IS virtually
n his possession, ard ne has fh@ power Of
the police department - enforce his or
dera,
Navor Faycett had the following 10
say i'll exElanaffon of cis action: Il drew
up the order and placed 3, in effect with
cut tsa advice cf anyone, and In doing
such believe / performed ny duty. Ny
rae sors for making the order are these,
There are now charges pruding against
T0r1'fnson. S1huls and Teats- You have
heard fhe statement that ore cf the men
who t0ak this animation fo- clerks
raid IA for HIS chance 4 getting thTougS.
Under these circumstances. / ant not 20
inE % Jet them go ahead and fEtsa fhis
rating uarll the charges are settled. 4
can ha}p e. I simply am goirg 20 stop
work on these papers x ] can. Why. N
TIE army. when charges we're preferred
scsinsr an of7cer ,ls sword vas taken
a.xay ard ~ was Sducsd untl hts Eu;i.
had been proven That IS good common
sense and j. applies n this czse knew
the meeting was scheduled fcr This f1o--n-
tr< arE the Only way / could see -
stop tha worS WIS 10 DO as Gs3. -
wrote out he crfn rsanie6rfsE ard taie-
rhonea fa- tva officers frofn tEe station"