The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-03

the charter of the City Of New Haven
so that the same would be certain and
unchanged we should be free from that
constant anxiety of mind which we
have been under TO rthe last two or
three years, during which time our sal
aries have been subjected to numerous
changes. and Furthermore we are con-
fident that being free from this anx-
iety the services rendered by us TO the
city of New Haven would be more val
liable to its citizens
While it has heen said, evidently by
a person who was ignorant of the facts
and had never heard our side of the
case, that our proposition was prepos-
ferrous, 1t did not appear preposterous
to the board of fire commissioners, who
approved our petition to the legislature,
nor to the Committee on Charter
Amendments Of the Common Council,
who reported in favor of 1t to the
Board of Aldermen, nor did 1t appear
preposterous to the Board of Alder
men, who, with but few, if any, dis
senting votes instructed the corpora
ton counsel to advocate it, and 1t only
failed of a like favorable action in the
Board of Councimen on account Of
some parliamentary technicaity.
| We, perhaps in our ignorance, feel
that if the salary Of a mayor, Of corr
poration counsel of director of pub
lie works, and other city officials, who
are the mere agents Of the city and per-
| form no other duties except as they
act for the city, are fixed by charter
enactment, 1t would be good thing
| for us to have ours fixed in the same
manner, especially as our Supreme
court has held that in the performance
| of our duty we are not the agents of
| the city, but are the servants and
| agents of the public at large and are
| performing services not only for the
citizens of New Haven but for the en-
| tire country. 1t seems to us that with
| far more propriety can we ask to have
our pay regulated by charter enact
ment than any Of the city officials who
| now have theirs regulated in that way.
| We are anxious to learn on what
grounds those who favored the fixing
of the salaries of the various public Of
| ficials of the city of New Haven by
charter amendment will oppose the fix
| ing of ours in the same way, and how
they will reconcile the statement that
our petition is preposterous when they
so strongly advocated the fixing of the
salaries of others.
! 1t must not be forgotten that it Is
not a scheme to have the legislature
decide what salaries shall be paid, but
| simply to fix and make permanent
those salaries which the Board of Fire
| Commissioners have already approved
and have themselves fixed
| As we have said before. II will allow
the firemen of the city of New Haven
to be free from that anxiety to which
uncertainty Of compensation always
gives rise, and being 50 free to give
better services to the city.
We are on duty the whole twenty
four hours, no matter where we are.
and must ever be ready to respond to
the call of duty.
We believe that the making perma-
nent of our salaries by the legislature
win do away with all that political in
fuence and wire-pulling which, as hui
man society Is constituted, must ever
be present and that whoever, in the
future, takes q position in the Fire
department will know exactly what he
may expect to- receive in the way of
compensation.
1t has been said that the department
IL demoralized. Our superint sndent
even has been criticised. How he can
be criticised we fail to see, for If ever
man was the choice " the entire de-
partment, Superintendent Rufus r.
Fancher was. and no man has ever
shown more interest in his men than
he has. ,oe
We confess that we have reason to be
demoralized, from the fact that our
salaries, owing to some controversy
between the Board of Finance and the
Fire Commissioners, has been raised
one day and lowered theSnext. so that
the only thing we could be certain of
was uncertainty, not only in pay but
also In preferment
Yet In spite of all we have had to
contend with, we are proud as a de-
partment, of our record. We have ever
been ready, night and day,to respond to
the call Of fire and In the discharge of
our duty have never hesitated to enter
in that path where duty pointed, no
fire record of the city of New, Haven
for the last few years Is an indisput-
able record that we are not demoraliz-
ed as department.
We believe that our thoughtful citi-
zens, taking into consideration what we
have done in the past and are willing
to do for the protection of life and
property within the city limits Of New
Haven. will not object to the legisla-
ture making permanent what the Fire
Commissioners of the city of New Ha-
ven say is a reasonable compensation
for those persons to receive who de- |
vote the whole twenty-four hours of the
day to the duties of their position
A MEMBER OF THE FIRE DEPART
MENT.
LOST BANK OF ENGLAND NOTES. |