Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-07-06
RITCHEY NOT CONFIRMED
City Council Refuses to Confirm the APP
pointment of John c. Ritchey As Chief
of Police Lively Meeting of the City
Fathers.

The city council held its regular
meeting last night and remained in
session uuntil late hour. The chief
of police matter which has been a pro-
life source of discussion for several
weeks came up again, when Mayor
Register presented his order remov-
ing Mcdonald, who was appointed by
Acting Mayor Patterson during the
absence of Mayor Register from the
city. The mayor assigned as his rea-
sons that the officer in question was
not an appointee of the mayor, and
that as the incumbent of the office
should maintain close personal rela-
lions with the head of the city govern
ment, he felt that the relations of this
officer with the mayor would not be
as they should be, considering the
manner of his appointment.
This communication was received
and filed and the mayor then present
ed the appointment of J. c. Ritchey
and asked his confirmation On roll
call, Alderman Smyth voted for his
confirmation and all other aldermen
! voted no.
Later in the evening the Ritchey
matter came up again on the proposed
passage of the ordinance introduced
by Alderman E. G. Patterson, regulat-
ing the appointment of city officers.
The ordinance provides that no official
of the city shall enter upon his duties
until he has been confirmed by the
city council under penalties, and also
that when an appointee of the mayor
is refused confirmation, his name shall
not be presented again for six months.
Alderman Smyth said the ordinance
was in conflict with the statutes
Alderman Tatley thought there was
no doubt but an officer must be con-
firmed before he could enter upon his
duties and he thought the ordinance
was all right. Mayor Register said if
the ordinance was passed he would
veto it, for the reason that it was
obnoxious to the law in several par
ticulars. He felt that Policeman
Ritchey had been removed for per-
sonal reasons, and that the majority
of the members of the council had
been the aggressive body in the mat
ter and he proposed to stand by his
rights and to be the mayor of the city
until April II next. Alderman E. G..
drawn by an attorney of this city and
might be tested in the courts later.
He said he had intended to file affida-
Wits against Ritchey at the meeting
last night, and would file them later.
He had been informed that Ritchey
was intoxicated a couple of weeks ago
and that he had abused him (Patter-
SOM to other persons. He said he
had seen him enter what was claimed
to be a blind pig couple OF days ago
and stay for several hours. He would
ask the council to adjourn until Thurs
day night so that he might file ten or
twelve affidavits in the matter. Mayor
Register stated that if claims of I'M
fitness were made against Ritchey he
would receive the affidavits and give
them the same consideration as If
they were filed at council meeting.
He wanted good man for policeman,
and if unftness were proven against
the present incumbent he would not
propose his appointment. Alderman
A. r. Patterson cited an instance in
which he felt Ritchey had insulted
him on the street without provocation.
After a general discussion of the mat