The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-10
CHARGE is A LIBEL
SAYS MAYOR MYERS OF INSURANCE
JOURNALS SHOT AT SAVANNAH.
THE MAYOR TALKS BACK.
ALLEGED TROUBLE IN FIRE DE-
PARTMENT CHARGED TO POLITICS.

Mayor Points with Pride to Record
of Fire Department Under Chief
Mcguire and Declares That Insur-
ance Papers Charge Is Untrue.
Fire Chief Himself Had Something
to Say-Asserts That Savannah Has
Best Record in State and More
Efficient Fire Fighters Than At
lnnta.
1T is a Islander pure and simple.
and those who doubt have but to look
at the records of the work done by
fire departments throughout the coun-
try"
In this manner Mayor Myers yester
day criticised an article that appeared
in The Southeastern Underwater, an
independent insurance magazine. pub
lished in Atlanta.
Under the caption Unions and Pol
itics in Fire Departments" the Under
writer reviews Chief Harris paper on
labor unions in fire departments; the
paper read by the Tampa fire chief, and
former Savannahian. at the recent con-
vention at Atlantic City. Edtorially,
it expressed this opinion: 1T is not
always that the trouble comes from
unions. Sometimes it is politics, as,
for instance, Savannah, Ga, New Or
leans, La, and Chicago" And it is at
this point that Mayor Myers, Fire Chief
Mcguire and other city officials step in
and say SANDER"
The Mayor says that of course such
a libel can do no harm in Savannah,
but that it might give a false i'm
preston to those outside of the city
who are not conversant with the facts,
and who never see the records of fire
losses in cities throughout the country.
Mr.. Myers says that the record of the
fire department under the present chief
is one at which the city may point
with pride.
Mcguire Turns out Roast.
Fire Chief Mcguire first laughed at
the article and it was with difficulty
that he could be induced to treat it
seriously. why 1t is simply absurd;
the veriest tommy-rot; nonsense of the
first water; fiction of the pureSt type.
1t is really funny" said Chief Ma
guire, until we notice the name
Southeastern and see that it is pub
lished in Atlanta. OF course that
clears up the situation 1t is hardly
necessary for me to call attention to
the fact that we have the best record
of any city in the state, and will COM
pare with any place of the size in the
South.
II assert that the Savannah depart
ment is second to none of its size any
where. 1 say that when area, equip
ment and construction are considered
the Savannah department is superior
to that of Atlanta. In other words.
We have more efficient fire fighters
here than Atlanta can show. These
statements are borne out by the off,
cial record of fire losses, and for this
reason no excuse can be offered for
the misstatement that there is any
trouble in the Savannah department.
Politics and Departments,
81 say frankly and freely that if the
injection OF politics into a fire DEPART
ment will build up such a fire fighting
organization as l have the honor to
command, then it is my advice to those
departments that are having trouble
TO get several injections of politics. I
do not say that politics will make a
first-class department but what | do
say is that if my department is a DO
ltical one, then give me politics by all
means, and let my unfortunate brother
chiefs look at our records and each get
a political department.
Il am very happy to say that the
present administration has given me
efficient men, and fire fighters that any
city might be proud to call her own
II is not case of my opinion against
that of the editor of the Southeastern
Underwater, but a case of facts and
figures against fiction. In the article
in question no reference is made to pol
itics and our sister city Augusta. Yet
] am informed that my good friend,
that veteran and capable fire fighter,
Chief Roulette, is about to be relegated
to private life because of politics. 1t
is the same old 'knocking'-like a voice
from the dead"