The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-02
FIRE AND POLICE MATTERS.

i he GIe anu DOAASG Jill Winch PSAN'~NN-
both houses of the legislature, the
senate unanimously and the house with
but one opposing vote, is meeting with
some opposition in the third house.
Chief Pratt, who sees his life tenure
Of Office imperiled; Mayor Clark, who
entered office entangled with Pratt al
liances. which he carefully concealed
until after the election, and other gem
tlemen prominently identified with the
masked movement which reinstated
the suspended chieftain, have been dill
gently lobbying with two objects in
view:
l. To protect the chiefs of the fire and
police departments in their life tenure
of Office.
2. Failing in that, to insist upon an
immediate reorganization Of the police
department, so Clark may reappoint
Pratt, and Pratt may again discharge
the men he once discharged illegally,
and whom the supreme court COM
PEELED him to take back. to reinstate
his friends in their places.
The bill, which passed both houses
SO unanimously, and which is probably
in the hands of the governor by this
time, leaves undistuTbed the present
fire and police departments, but pro-
vides for the change at noon on the
first Monday in January OF next year.
after another city election, and con-
temporaneous with the change in the
municipal administration.
This is the only material difference
1. III, "a
one originally presented. 1t is TO this
feature Of the measure, to the section
which fixes the time for reorganization
after the term of the present mayor
and council expires that the chief of
police ard his hackers are opposed.
The reason is obvious. An immediate
change viii enable the chief to over
ride the decision of the supreme court,
TO Discharge again the policemen he
so reluctantly took back, and to re-
store his relatives and personal at
taches to the payroll of the city for an
other year, at least.
Other objections are raised TO the
measure. but they are unimportant,
because they are not warranted by the
facts. For instance, the Deseret News
says:
/. This city viii be continued in its
present unfortunate condition, with a
prospect Of further expensive litiga-
ti0n.
.. That the city win be left without
a fire or police department at the be-
ginning OF next year
3. That the original bill was entirely
satisfactory.
The news is right when it says that
the trouble and expense which have
arisen under the present system are
sufficient to condemn it, and there
should be no unnecessary delay in put
ting an end to it." But when it con-
tends that further litigation viii fol-
low the enactment Of the law which
awaits the governors approval, it dis
putes the third proposition it lays
down; for the provision in the original
bill governing this matter is practically
the same as that in the bill which
passed both houses. There is no more
chance for litigation under the last
bin than there would have been under
the first. 4 comparison of the two
bills viii show this.
SO far as the city being left without
an organization for fifteen days is con-
cerned, that is a trivial objection In
discussing the original bin, its friends
and the chief Of police said that No
inconvenience would result from TAX
ing thirty to organize, If necessary. AS
a matter Of fact, every effort win be
made to prevent this bill. which passed
both houses, unopposed, save by one
vote. from becoming o law.
That another contemporary, which
has called the present legislature ar
aggregation CT idiots. and has claimed
that they lack the intelligence to make
laws Of any kind, and that they have
barely sense enough to shake dice for g
senator. is violently opposed 10 the fire
and police measure occasions no sur.
Erise.
The fact that, in an assembly o.
sixty-three members, only one vote /.
recorded against it, insures the antag.
onism Of that paper were there M
Other considerations.
1t win be triumph for salt Lake
City. regardless Of party organizations
when the bill Becomes a law.