Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-07
KEEP TO THE QUESTION.


The police controversy appears to be
rs far from settlement as ever. Pro-
baby the next session Of the city coun'
Ell VIII dispose OF some Of Us features,
and II Is to be hoped that the whole
squabble viii soon come to an end.
The attitude Of the Deseret News has
been taken simply ON the rights OF the
city council and Of each Of lts members
We have taken no personal ground
We have conceded the right Of the
Mayor under the law to remove the
head Of department without bringing
charges against him or stating any 9th
er reasons than "the good Of the SER
vice. But at the same time we have
recognized the rights of the city couh-
eli. under the law, TO approve or dis
approve the Mayors action in this res
pect. We have also repudlated the
attempts to make this partisan or a
religious disagreement 1t IL purely
question for each member Of the council
to decide for himself, with view to the
public welfare and Of justice to all per.
sons Immediately Interested
The efforts TO drag into the conten"
ton the old, bitter, antI-"Momon'
charges and destinations, has been OPP
posed by this paper, and our position
has received the support Of nearly all
our citizens II was foolish PROPOSE
ton from the start There was nothing
in the facts or in the arguments to
Justify IT, Equally silly Is the endeavor
TO make II a party question. The Of
flcer proposed to be removed Is a Re-
publican. II he were a Democrat there
might be some shadow OF reason for
claiming that partisan motives prompt
Cd the opposition to his displacement
But the four gentlemen who are being
so roundly abused mallgned and mis-
represented because OF their action on
this matter are Just as strong Repub-
llcans as are those who favor the de-
capltatlon. The Democrats who join
with the four Republicans certainly
have no party AK TO grind, for they do
not expect one Of their party to be put
into the place. The dispute Is there
fore evidently outside Of either partisan
or religious grounds
The uniformed and dlsgrunted agl-
tators who essay to support the move
ment for the removal Of the Chief and
the retention OF men already removed
from office proclaim the latter to be
"Gentiles," and try to ring in the Nor
mon question in relation to their re-
moval Considering the facts IN their
case their parentage and anteoedents,
the effort Is laughabe to those who are
losted SO Is the conjecture that the
persons who are to be nominated TO
III the vacancies win be "Mormons"
Where ignorance Is bliss Ills folly to
be WISE" Is very old and trIte adage.
It is closely applicable to the mutter-
ings specuIations and groundess as
sertIons Of those who cannot meet the
,acts and the reasonings In the case,
except by irrelevant and inooherent
lmaglnlngs
The idea that on the main question,
members Of the council who belong TO
the same political party as the Mayor,
have no other duty in the premises than
to do what he desires, is 30 irrational as
to approach the idotic Any attempt
to make the police department a mere
political adjunct to a party machine,
will receive the strong dlsapproval Of
the great body Of the people Of this
city The endeavors to blackguard the
dissenting members into subsection, Will
also be resented by the masses Of our
citizens They have right to their
views as to the adysability OF approx
Ing the action Of the Mayor, and the
duty is placed upon them by the law
to use their Judgment instead of being
bounded and clamored into course
which would be opposed to their knowl-
edge Of facts and intentions relating to
the subject II is a pity that extraneous
questions have been dragged into this
controversy and the sooner they are
excluded and stamped out Of sight the
better It win be for all parties con-
cerned.