The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-08
Consideration of Dale's Ordinance
Abolishing the Office.
IT SEEMS TO HAVE FRIENDS
NO INTERIOR MOTIVE BEHIND
THE MOVEMENT.
Failed to Pass Under Suspension of
the Rules-The Holmes Franchise
For a Messenger service-Rou-
tine Business Disposed Of.

BY extreme effort the city council
last evening su % aeded in considering
large volume of important business,
much of which was unintaresting rou-
tine, beside the Warm Springs lease
subject, which is referred to at length
in another column of this issue. The
main subject under the regular order
of business was the preliminary con-
sideration Of Dale's draft for an ordi-
nance abolishing the office of chief of
police after Jan. l. 1898. An attempt
to suspend the rules and pass the ordi-
nance failed, and it was laid over until
next meeting for final action The
vote on the disposition of the ordinance
Indicated that it has many supporters.
The inSinUatiOn that it was aimed
against Arthur Pratt, who is reputed
to be ready to assume his old position
as chief upon the legal death of the
board of police and fire commissioners,
was Indignantly repealed with the as
sertion that the measure is merely in
tended to provide for an omission OF
lawful authority as to the personnel or
the fire department until the new ad-
ministration assumes the reins of city
government on Monday noon, Jan g.
The city attorneys opinion on the sub,
ject has not yet been formally presented
to the council, but it is understood to
be favorable to the passage of the pro-
posed ordinance.
THE TERMS STATED.
The ordinance provides as follows:
That on and after the first day Of
January, 1898, the office of chief of po-
lice Of Salt Lake City is hereby abol-
ished, and upon said date the police and
fire departments of said city shall con-
sist of the number of officers, men and
employees now upon the rolls of said
departments respectively with the eX-
ception Of said chief of police; and on
and after said first day of January.
1898, said officers and men shall have
and exercise all the powers and au-
thority now conferred by law and or
dinance upon constables and police
officers in Salt Lake City
This ordinance shall take effect at
midnight on the 31st day of December,
1897.
THE DEBATE
O'Meara wanted the ordinance re-
ferred to the committee on police and
fire, which could hitch on an amend
ment providing for contingencies in the
fire department, but his proposition
found little support
Buckle declared that the deposed
chief was walking the streets doing
nothing, and that the city would prob
ably have to pay his salary as long as
the Office remained for him to attach
color of title to.
Callister questioned the legality of
the ordinance.
Mulvey said it was kind of legisla-
ton to which he was opposed.
Romney thought a scheme was be-
ing COncOcted. He was SURPRISED a f
the effort to force it through.
Dale declared there was no Interior
nor unworthy motive behind the meas
ure. 1t meant what it said and said
what it meant. 1t was not intended,
he said, to handicap the incoming ad.
ministration.
O'Meara asserted that Mayor-elect
Clark did not need the assistance of the
present council to help his administra-
ton to be q success He wanted the
new council to be permitted to take
care of itself without help from the
outgoing officials
The motion to suspend the rules and
pass the ordinance and also the one to
refer failed to carry by nearly the
same array of votes. The affirmative
votes were announced by Callister,
Hayward, Mulvey, O'NGeara and Rom
ney, and the negative by Allen, Buckle,
Dale, Lloyd, Morris, Stewart, Wiscomb
and Newell.
third reading and final action at the
next meeting.
MESSENGER FRANCHISE.
The joint committee on municipal