Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-12-13
.BAILIFFS' REORGANIZATION
PLAN FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
VOTED DOWN
At village Meeting Last Evening Vote lis
tos9- Some Interesting Discussion Minor
Amendments for Better Discipline Of the De-
partmen, Adopted But the Great Need for
Permanent Paid Department Not Met Yet,


aPermanent Paid Department Not Met Yet,
The special village meeting last even
ing voted down the bailiffs' plan of
reorganization for the fire department,
but under the second article of the
warrant made several changes with re
gard to its government. mainly in the
line asked by the bailitfs and Chief
Engineer Sanders, giving the chief
power to Summarily suspend. and with
the approval of the bailitfs to dismiss
any member of the department when
he deems il necessary for its dlsci-
pline. and making all officers of the
Department subject to the approval Of
the bailitfs and engineer in Joint ses-
sion. The second change, as finally
made, is not very serious, and as the
Reformer pointed out last week. can
sometimes be beneficially exercised but
in the long run would oftener do more
harm than good, especially if all the
engineers had not been included. The
first change was the result, il was
stated 10 the meeting, of the opinion
Of Judge Waterman. obtained yester
dav, that nowhere was there power 10
remove q refractory or useless member
Of the department. when once he has
rot In. Better lawyers than Judge
Waterman are scarce. but the best are
sometimes mistaken. and to the lay
mind at least il seems as if the first
paragraph Of the Rules and Regula-
lions giving the engineer power to
from time to time issue such orders
for the government Of members Of the
departmenu as he may deem necessary.
J. .y+fr.lr- slrfffy.iarr AN
il he that he mas power to issue
orders without a particle Of power IL
anv way to enforce them except by
knock down: The assumption is alto
gether too much like that Of Buchanan
on the secession question that II was
all wrong. and in clear violation Of
law. but there was no way OF entorc-
ing the law.
But. however this may all be. if
there was no such power Of removal, 1t
certainly ought to be given, and as
long a. doubt was expressed the vii
lage Of course did right to vote grant
Of power
The only thing to te regretted about
the meeting was the failure to take
action looking towards a permanent
paid departments something that in
evitably must be done before long, as
several OF the speakers said, and the
doing of which can in all likelihood
be made to mean a saving of 5000 to
citizens in insurance in return for a
81. 600 increase in expenses.
Immediately on the opening of the
meeting Bailitf +. c. Bacon read the
bailiffs' plan for reorganization. Gen.
J. J. Estey, promising that 1t was
step in the right direction, only going
farther in the way of efficiency than the
plan adopted in 1856, moved its adop-
ton to go into effect January /. Col.
G. W. Hooker heartily concurred, told
how fortunate the village was in hav-
ing such a department, complimented
Chief Sanders highly, said that when
he was on the board it was always the
rule 10 do whatever the chief asked,
the matter had been given careful con-
sideration by chief and bailitfs, and in
seconding Gen. Estey he hoped there
would not be a single vote against the
motion.
D. T. Tasker took issue with them
and he struck the true keynote when
he declared that if we are going 10 re
organize we should do it on perma-
nent plan. As it is, We have none too
many men in the department: at every
serious fire now outsiders have 10 take
hold and help; he had seen it at the
three last ones and so had every cltl-
zen me p' -. L, ~ ,,,,,,,i+
paHlts Wa nA5G {,I ~ - ;,a,,,bar in 50
zee VI " l,il-1 .a-at,,l -, ar5 WRITING IN
- - :r ~ oThar rown. for information.
Tbe o1Iv Way IN add to its efficiency
,la,,, l.. - ,,roTida for horses and men
~ ~ +i,,ia at tho engine house. IF
a. II Jao5wnod as rbara i. men
iiI';r. inGte -, r.,',ata 1,sr+s NJ The vilIaoa.
!, ~ >. ,t-,,i IA .,,oI,crb m ha my Grand
s,.b.r,. Cre+ rid NJ ir-vou have au
!I-;t,. 49,; - Don.t uaal-an tba de-
NM ,lIt,,,s,,+ w. 40 II :,
F''r - $3.50 u-bara he found the
-1'.L1-;-r.,, ~ +ba r,,Ia. ard T. r
,,a1.i,- Ia af a r,s, rrbara a former
CIusl' ~, ta.4 +riaa - ,,s+ ia of a man
eL5 - 49, -''' ,IrahIe md nnoted Judoe
" r,<;r;or H. said -ba
g.. 10, ,Ir,;roar sboI,1d u.orL, To-
U"lt'19 HL5' - .L,,1,I5 h., moro
s-|tLnIt. IaFr15
C'eaI'' VII
After GonslueTaoIe ueIaE o'el C"t's
for a ballot ana a pointing oI1
Lawyer nus Iua' oue M9S ."iNett I.I1tt
would nave TO De bE AuelIa IaLa IL odI'o'
and with the cneGh ilsI' IA /! tila Ia u
Blodgett ORDERED me Aouse Gl1 ". III ~
and appointed I. a. harris ana W. u
Brackett counters me IesulI "as
the defeat OF Zen Este! Aho'IoH u!
a vote of llo 10 W