The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-04
A THORN IN THE FLESH
THAT RESOLUTION REDUCING THE
PAY OF CITY FIREMEN.
The "Laddies" Remember that City
Controller johnson Approved the
Cut-A Lawyers Opinion.

That little resolution of the Board of Safe
~ by which it managed last spring to cut
off $11 900 from the pay roll of the city fire.
men is now giving the same board a great
deal of trouble. 1t is the great thorn that
is now ranking in the flesh The firemen
have vote in the coming election, and it
has been whispered around that these same
firemen are going to exercise the right Of
American citizens when they enter the little
private booths and cast their votes against
E. M. Johnson, the man who approved
and recommended this cut in the firemen' 3
salaries. Mr.. Johnson not only approved the
cut, but he absolutely refused to recommend
to the Council an additional appropriation
to enable the Board of Safety to pay the
men all that is due them. Mr.. johnson
thought he could pacify more men with
$1l,O handed out in sums of s. to SIS on
street repair and park pay rolls than he
would lose among the fremen, but the tale
is yet to be told.
An attorney who has given this matter
considerable attention, and has looked up
the law on the subject, yesterday gave the
Journal the benefit of his research. This at
torney also called attention to the fact that
the Board of Safety is either acting on it's
own responsibility in the matter, or if it has
opinion was contrary to the wishes of the
board and has been suppressed. There is
no opinion on the subject on file with other
opinions of the city attorney which the
board has requested since it has been in ex-
istence. All others are ON file, but this, if
ever given, is missing
1.-THE Board Of Safety" said this attorney
'has no more right to say that the dremen
shall not have pay for seven days in the
week than it has to say that it's clerk
shall receive only $500 a year instead
of $1,000. The City Council alone has
the right to regulate the salaries of the fire
men, and this it has done by saying that
they shall receive pay ''at the rate of 1922
a day, or $S2125 a year. This gives the men
1925 a day for S65 days in the year. When
the Council fixes these salaries the board
has no power too change them in any way,
and this t1imsy effort to do it under the guise
of loss of time is too fiimsy to pass legal
review. Jan. IS, 1894, the Council fixed the
salaries of the members of the fire depart
ment and at that time there was in force
an order Of the Board Of Safety granting all
firemen one day Of twenty-four hours each
week. The board undoubtedly has right
to rescind that order and say the men shall
be on duty seven days in the week, day
and night Ca thing too preposterous to con-
template), but it has no right to say the men
of enforced idleness, for the Council has
provided that the members shall be paid for
every day in the year"
The city ordinance regulating the firemen's
salaries is found on Page 552 of the Laws
and Ordinances of the City of Indianapolis,
and is known as Part of Section 177l, being
as follows:
FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
"rhe chief of the fire force shall receive
salary at the rate of 5000 per annum.
1.-The assistant chief of the fire department
shall receive a salary at the rate of 81 200
per annum.
1.-THE superintendent of telegraph shall re-
ceive salary at the rate of 1920 per an
num-
Each captain and engineer shall receive
salary at the rate of $500 per annum.
Each stoker, driver hoseman, truckman,
tillerman, lineman and towerman shall re-
ceive a salary at the rate of 1925 per day,
or $S21.25 per annum.
zach Waterman and telephone man shall
receive salary at the rate of 81 per day,
or $3.50 per annum.
This ordinance was passed pursuant to
authority granted the Council by the State
Legislature IN what is known as the city
charter. The first part Of Section 50 Of the
laws and ordinances is the state law re-
'ferred to. 1t is as follows:
Said commissioners (of safety shall ap-
point a superintendent of police chief Of fire
force ana all other OfncefS, members ana
employees OF said fire and police forces. 80
The annual pay of such appointees shall be
liked by ordinance of the Common Coun-
To dispose OF and actually annul all this
city and state law, the Board of Public
Safety adopted and entered on Its minutes
of May q, 1898, the following: Beginning
with June / and continuing thereafter until
further notice each employee of the fire de-
partment will be given one day on from
duty each week without pay, instead OF a
day off with pay, as has been the rule here
tofore."
The statute (Section $50, quoted above,
Classics all but the chief as employees of
the fire department, and so he would not
come under this order of the board; but it
would seem that all others must. The pay
rolls show that the chief, the two assistants
and the superintendent Of telegraph now
receive the same pay they did before June
!. When asked about this yesterday Clerk
Davis, of the Board of Safety, said it was
because the salary of those four men Is
stated by the year in the ordinance. Refer-
ence to the ordinance shows that under the
fourth subdivision the salaries for the cap
tains and engineers are provided for In ex-
actly the same words, except as to names
and amount, as are used In the preceding
portions of the ordinance. 1t is plain, then,
that, accepting the boards own eXplana-
ton of the matter, 1t has no right TO make
any deductions from the salaries OF the cap
tainS and engineers. Its clerk and mouth
piece acknowledges that the board did not
make the rule apply to those in high places
because it had no authority to do So Mr.:
Barrett chief, recommended this method of
saving $1l 800, but there are Few who Will
believe that he made the RECOMMENDATION
include Il cut of One-seVenth In mis- own
salary. He gets $1,000 and the other three
men whom the cut does not affect get $1,000
EACH Thus the cut of one-seventh would
have amounted to $2S5.71 in year for the
chief and $l71.42 to each of the other three
men. In the case of a captain or engineer
it amounts to $12S57 and TO firemen SIT a
year.
TIE v w r q CONVENTION