Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-26
UnCovering of Facts in His Rec
ord Will Be OF No
Effect.
BLUNDERS OF SEARS FIRE.
They Helped as Much as the Red
man and Kopp Fires to Put
Insurance Men on Guard.
Whatever the Facts and However Ex.
pensiVe Vail Proves the Persuader
Ring Demands Ills Retention.

For the past week business men who
pay Insurance rates have been able to
get an illuminating insight into the way
OF Chief VANS fire fighting, and the Inn
preston his record has made upon
those with power TO mako high or low
rates according to their faith in the salt
Lake fire department
In some quarters a slight suspicion
has arisen that since the develop
ments showed that the BUSINESS men
were the people asked TO pay for an
official rs incomPetency, they might with
proprety ask for the reorganization OF
the file department. To such peuple IL
may DO explained that no fight can he
made upon Chief Vail which will sue
coed After adj tho information is pub
lished. In which the public has a right
full interest, they will merely have the
privilege of knowing that with all these
facts known, Chief Vail is still the best
that they can hope for, and the only
chief thar there is likely 10 be in salt
Lake for a long time.
MAYOR rs PowERLEss.
The reason for this fact ls merely that
the only power in salt Lake that could
| move Vail from his position. will not
do 1t. Mayor John s. Bransford Is as
tl1w'erSsss as Amy other citizen not
| holding actual power of government
To remove the fire chief. and reorgan-
ige the department in the interests ot
the efficiency that has long since ceased
to be one of fits qualities. That Mayor
Bransford is willing TO remove tho chief
has been known for n long time, Just
as has been the fact that other outhor-
| ity higher up is positively dotacr1iu 4
| upon retaining him. and this authority
| is not one recognized in amy of t,,e
| statute books or created by any ordin-
| ance, or built 80 that any Judge or
jury may pass Judgment on II, or elm
| mate 1t If II should cease. as 1t has IN
this case, TO work for the people. in
stead OF against both them, and the
party in which the power was created,
VAIL WILL REMAIN.
City Councilman L. D. Martin. head
OF the city council committee on fire
| matters, Is enthusiastically for Vail.
! and so Is David c. Dunbar, who shares
| with the other potentials. ability 10
| have their desires carried out regard
| less of opposing opinion among such
men as Mayor 2ransford. These men
| are the assurance that Vail Will be
| retained. so IL Is a. mistake 10 assume
| that any uncoverinE OF his record
| any showing that he is expensive Cor
| the people 10 pay for, is leading up
| 10 a readjustment of matters in his
| department.
A THIRD FIRE BLuNDER.
From Karl a. Scheld. manager oe
| the board of fire underwriters, the
| view of this board has been secured,
and Il was clearly n view without
| political color for n mere purpose of
! putting on record the fact that lnsur-
| ance rates must necessarily be high
| where fire departments efficiency is
| low. Mr. Scheid based his opinion of
| the reports made 10 him by the insur-
| ance writer's engaged IN tho Redman
loss.
Since then El II, Peirce. an insur-
ance writer Eas Joined IN giving his
experiences with paying a loss On the
hopp property where Vail made a
serious blunder Tho statement Of
Mr. peincc was merely putting on rec
ord "a fact which had "A value to al
business mon who have 20 paw fire in-
suranco. let, refusing TO mold the
argument 90 this fact, the persuader
organ, seeking not the good Of the
city or the "Alnericdn' party, but OF
the persuaders launches into n ma
licious and cruelty venomous attack
on Mr. PIERCE, II having previously
shown that only fear held II back
from similar attacks upon Mr. Red
man, and the FIRE insurance companies
that had previously let thcir position
he known.
THE FORGOTTEN NOZZLE.
II is now possible to show that 9TH
or Ares than ether 1 these two were
factors In breaking the departments
reputation ana destroying its prestige.
A very few days after the RedmRn fire.
n fire broke out in the Sears residences
on the northeast bench. No defender az
chief VAN dare 10 Justify the HOPELESS
ness displayed on that occasion. rha
department was called TO the FIRE.
and a supply OF noLzles was not
brought with H. Stories We're given
out that those which We're taken there
broke, hut the fact was that while tho
iiremen We're snding back "a headquar-
ters for noZzlas. the most necessary
or all their equipment the fire burned
merrily on while helpless hremeu had
Ia stand by and see the damage done.
SOLICITING AFFIDAYITs.
could CHR Vnn go TO aged women
and housewives near the Sears resi-
dsnce and secure from them aftidavits
such as he solicited after the Rcdman
IRE?
The opinion OF Insurance men who
looked over the Sears fire for their
own purposes Of determining how much
they could depend on Vail 10 prevent
hTo3 from spreading. was Identical with
the opinion OF other insurance men
who looked over the Rcdman IRE. and
sim others who Inspected the Nopp
premises The raising 0f the rates ON
risks was the only possible result. and
n is a candltlan 6s certain as the fact
that YAH VIII be retained regardless
of his record
MORE HELPLESS CITIZENS.
John S liiausford mayor Is not the
only helpless citizen, who wants IN
see IRE Insurance rates in salt Lake
what they would De Nc the increase in x
Tho w1ltor supply had not been offset
t,,. q, lacraags ian fine fire denaftnanfsu