The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-03

Without reference TO the motive that
may inspire the proceeding the Journal
is pleased to know that suit is TO be
brought against the Board of Public Safe
ty to compel the reinstatement OF the pa
trolmen and firemen recently discharged
without any cause being assigned therefor.
The motive of the proceeding may be
purely personal or even vindictive, or it
may be to test the law. The first would
be OF no public concern, because the pub
lie is not particularly interested In any
person or persons being kept in office ex-
cept in so far as they represent right
principles or good government. Personally,
the men who were discharged are no more
to the public than those who were APP
pointed in their places. But back of this
there is a question I'm which the public is
very much interested, namely, whether the
lie interests have been trifed with and
public office p~rostituted for personal and
partisan ends there is not a particle of
doubt, but the question is whether the
NAAcA 49,
that it's violators can be compelled to right
the wrong they have committed
1t is known TO almost everybody except
Mayor Taggart that one of the main OBJ
jects of the present charter was to divorce
the city government from personal and
party politics, and, as far as possible, to
place every department on a strictly bust
ness basis. To this end it provided for the
introduction of the merit system by re-
quiring that 'rules and regulations shall
be adopted which shall prescribe a COM
mon and systematic method of ascertain
ing the comparative fitness Of applicants
for office. position and promotion. and of
selecting, appointing and promoting those
partment of Public Safety. without regard
to political opinions or service" The rea-
son for exempting the Department of Pub
lie Safety from this general provision of
the charter was that special provision was
made for his department. These provi-
sions are, first, that the Board of Public
Safety "shall adopt rules for the appoint
ment of members to said fire and police
~forces;" second, the board "shall have
power to make and promulgate rules and
regulations for the appointment of men,
bers to such forces;' third. that ''such
forces shall be as nearly as possible
equally divided politically. and no MEM
Der thereof shall be dismissed except for
cause" fourth, every member of the
fire and police force shall hold Office until
be removed for any cause other than po-
litics. and the written reasons for such re-
moval shall be entered upon the records
of the board" These various provisions
construed together show beyond any
doubt that the charter aimed at placing
the police and fire forces on a merit basis,
the members to be appointed under rules
provided to ascertain their fitness and to
be removable only for cause other than
politics, the written reasons for which
must be placed on record. The power of
removal from office is so %stringently
guarded by the charter that after the ex-
piration of thirty days from the time of
taking office the head of a department
can remove clerks or assistants only upon
filing in writing with the city clerk the
reasons for such removal, and the mayor
himself can only remove a member of a
board by notifying him to that effect and
sending a message to the Council stating
in writing his reasons for such removal
All these provisions show that the charter
intended to prohibit removals from office
for any reasons connected with politics
or without the assignment of the reasons
for such removal in writing.
1t is easy for a mayor whose boards
are mere tools in his hands to prostitute
the police and fire departments to personal
and political ends in other ways thar the
one now under discussion, but If the Board
of Public Safety. by his order, has made
wholesale removals of patrolmen for per-
sonal or political reasons. and without as
signing the true cause in writing. as re-
quired by the charter, it has perpetrated a
wrong, and the wrong should be righted
The interest of the public in the case is not
the same as that of the men unjustly dis.
charged, but 1t runs on parallel lines.
A BROOKLYN CASE.