The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-04
ISSUES HIS EXCUSE.
Mayor DOran Explains His Fire
Board Appointments


Board Appointments.
The three new members Of the board
OF fire commissioners, Messrs. Arosin.
Vanish and Walther, qualified yester-
day and took the oath of office. Pre-
vious to being sworn as a member of
the fire board, Mr.. Arosin filed with
the city clerk his resignation as a
member Of the assembly. Mr.. Arosin
said there would be no meeting of the
board until the evening of JAN 10. AS
to the matter of changes in the de-
partment he was not prepared to say,
neither did he care to discuss the cues
ton.
While the three new appointees re-
fuse to talk about the orders they have
| received as to their course in the future
the chief executive Of the city who ap-
pointed them is quite verbose, and in
an interview yesterday had the fol-
lowing to say about his appointments
and the management Of the fire depart,
ment:
In making the appointments to the
fire board, it was my intention to give
just what the opposition seems to be
ciamor1ng fora nOn-partiSan depart
ment. The criticism leveled at myself
does not take into consideration the
fact that the present chief Of the fire
department is one of the most vicious
In substantiatfon Of this, 1 can pro-
duce affidavits to prove that such is
the case. While the critics are crying
for n-partisanship they should take
this matter into consideration, and
also digest some of their own medicine,
in the fact that the department is very
partisan In it's membership. There can
be no doubt Of this and if any person
desires to substantiate it let him con-
"a ya1-Iy tn1~ir1 faIxy d hi
cans who are members of the depart
ment.
LAS matter of fact, If the manage
ment Of the fire department had con-
coded to the Republicans one-third of
the members of the different companies
I would have been satisfied But they
have not done this. Instead, they
choose to build up Democratic
stronghold and have tolerated a chief
who has openly espoused a partisan
course in the past during election cam
paigns. For the members Of the new
board have no apologies to make, be-
lieVing that they will demonstrate tina,
they are alive and active in the man
agement Of the department. 1 am sat-
isf1ed that the board as it is now con-
stituted will carry out the wishes of
the great majority Of the voters who
elected this administration. This is
something that should be considered.
So far as I am concerned they will be
able to act without interference Of any
kind. Whatever action is taken will
be upon their own judgment of right
and I have faith to believe that their
action, whatever 1t is, will meet with
popular approval. They are represen-
tative business men, having the inter-
est Of the city at heart, and no mat
ter what is said they will, without
doubt, act in whatever manner they
believe to be to the best interests of
ST. Paul.
''In proof Of the assertion that I do
not intend to make the fire depart
ment a partisan machine 1 point to the
fact that a large number of the MEM
bers of the police department are now
Democrats. 1t is my purpose to pc
tolerant towards really non-partisan
efforts, but I do not believe in ma
jority of the employees of any depart
ment being active partisan Democrats,
or in a policy that allows nine-tenths
Of the offices to be filled by them. AS
has been the case with the police de-
partment. do not believe that Demo-
Gratis who are competent and faithful
and not active In opposition to the
administration will have cause to COM
plain of the policy of the board. II
cannot be expected that Republ1can
administration will retain In its en-
ploy men who are so violently partisan
on the other side that 1t would be
natural for them to be unfalthful at
the critical moment"