The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-20
No Combinations at Spe-
 cial Meeting. SOME HEATED REMARKS Committee Will Investigate Chief Gerald's List. By Special Instructions, However, the Men Depossd Are Not to
 Have Chance to Air
 Their Grievances.

The patrolmen recently appointed by Police Chief A. s. Gerald are still on the rack.
 When the Montgomery City Council. at . special meeting last night adopted an amendment of Alderman Strauss to . motion of Alderman Sullivan to the ef- feet that a special committee, appointed to investigate the qualifications of the appointees of Chief Gerald. should not in- vestlgate why certain members of the old force were left off the list, all re- maining hopes of the nine deposed police men were shattered
 This amendment was adopted after a very lengthy debate, in which several Al dermen grew warm and relieved the mototpny of the usual sessions of the City Council.
 The sympathy of the entire Council seemed to be with the deposed policemen, but the opinion of a majority of the mem- bere was that the Council should not act except under the provisions of the city charter which they believed expressly set cut that the Chief of Police had the authority to appoint his force and the Council had no authority to ask why ce-- tain men were not appointed to wear the shields of the guardians of the peace of Greater Montgomery.
 Sullivan Made a fight.
 
 fought for the men who were not on the list of appointments. He held out until all hope was gone that the Council should thoroughly investigate the causes why the men were left of, and if these causes were not satisfactory, the Council should go to the Chief to find out why they were not satisfactory.
 The feature of the meeting came. how ever. when Alderman Gunter averred mIfhnarWh fhnrn nothing 0tff~ spoken. he recognized an undercurrent in the Council indicative that the deposed officers and patrolmen had been left off by the Chief solely on account of politi- cal or other mercenary reasons. Mr. Gunter urged that if any member of the Council knew anything of the kind to speak out. and If their knowledge amounted to anything that the City Att torneY be instructed to institute impeach- ment proceedings against Chief Gerald. No response was made to the suggestion of Mir. Gunter.
 The police matter was taken up imme- diately after President Mcintyre had called the meeting to order. with every member present and the call had been read for. the special meeting.
 Kohn Called It Up.
 Alderman Kohn. without preliminaries, moved that the list of the Chiefs ap-
  drmed or rejected one by one
 Alderman Sullivan moved to amend that q special committee of five members be appointed to investigate the qualifications Of the appolntees and to investigate the reasons why the deposed officers and pat rolmen had been left off the list.
 Tn support of his amenment Alderman Sullivan said that for some time 1t had been freely aired that the old men. men of experience and of long and honorable service to the city had been left of by Chief Gerald without sufficient cause. Whether this was so or not he was not prepared to say but he thought that ann pie opportunity should be given the de- posed officers to show that they had been treated in an unjust manner if they could so prove.
 Mir. Sullivan was interrupted by Alder man Gunter who asked if man was noa left on the list by what law could the Council order the Chief to put him there
 "I contend.". said the Alderman from Ward G. that if the deposed patrolmen went to the Chief for an explanation of why he had been left of and the Chief had been unable to gfvo him a reasonably satisfactory explanation, that there should be somebody to which the man. who per haps had been faithful servant of the city. could appeal, and I take 1t that the City Council should be such a body. The deposed officers have indicated that they are not satisfied with the reasons why the Chief had left them of the list and if that is so. investigation Is due" Teague and Ruth Agree.
 Alderman Teague said that he was in favor of tte Sullivan resolution or some thing of the kind. He contended that the Council should know who the appointees are and what Is the extent of their com potency and fitness. Relative to the Council going into why the deposed off, cerE and men were left on the list he did not see how an investigation could be pro- ductive of any good as the charter ex- pressly gives to the Council the power to confirm and reject the appointees of the chief without giving the Aldermen the power to dictate the appointments.
 Alderman Ruth agreed with the Alder man at large. He had heard that some of the new men were notorious for failing to pay their just and honest debts. Such men should not be on the police force.
 Alderman Kohn entered into a lengthy argument as to the provisions of the city charter In reference to the Council inves- tigating the reasons of the Chief to re- fuse to appoint certain members of the old force. He held that the charter ex- pressly refrained from imposing any such power in the Council He saw no use for special committee. Every member of the Council had explicit confidence in the ability of the Police Committee. He de- clared that under present conditions the police department was next to usel ss. The men the Chief had appointed knew not which way to turn; the men