The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-10-05

Continued Fr ON Page one.)

Ing, as made by Pratt and Sullivan,
that Sullivan was only captain of
police filling the vacant position Of
chief, was good, but this contention
admitted serious weakness on the
part of the city administration in
not appointing chief of police for
is months, after the city charter
specifically provides that a chief
shall be appointed.
RESOLUTION INTRODUCED.
Councilman Peter Nelson fur
nished the key that solved the diff
ficulty, by making a motion to go
ahead with the trial of the charges.
There was pause for moment,
for a second, after which Jacob
Schiller offered the second, in or
der to get the matter before the
house. After the question was
threshed out fully, there was but
one opinion-that the council
should go ahead with the case.
Councilman Mohr sounded note
that seemed to meet with the ap-
prevail of his colleagues, to the
effect that Mayor Pratt, who has
in reality been the chief of police,
was the real offender that should
be brought to trial, as whatever
Sullivan has done he did it as a
creature of Pratt, with the latter's
sanction or at least without protest
insofar as the record shows. The
responsibility Of the mayor will be
considered later, should the charges
against the acting chief be sus-
tanned.
LAsoR's RESOLUTIONS.
The resolutions from the Central
Labor council asking the city coun-
ell to disregard legal quibbling and
proceed with a trial of the Sullivan
charges were read twice, first at the
opening Of the meeting and again
at the consideration of the charges.
The resolutions were cYear cut and
effective. as they conveyed the pre-
vailing public impression Of the
proper procedure In the case.
In the consideration of the Sulli-
van charges, first came the reading
of the opinion of the corporation
counsel. After this the opinion OF
Robertson & Miller, attorneys for
the prepayment of the charges, ]. H.
Elliott, was read, holding that the
record showed that Sullivan was
acting chief of police, drawing the
pay of a chief and chief de facto II
not in name.
y Mr.. Mohr-The legal lights are at
variance in this matter, and 1t
seems to me that we are obliged to
follow the advice of the city's attor-
/ ney. He says, in substance, that ii
Is none of our business, and that the
. police commissioners should try the
/ chief.
! mo CHIEF OF POLICE"
& Mr.. Lambert-Mr. Morrill,, has
/: the city council the right to remove
! an acting chief of police?
i. Mr.. Morrill-There is no such po
.sition as acting chief of police
There is no chief of police.
Mr.. Lambert-Isn't 1t the mayors
duty to appoint chief of police?
Mr.. Morrill-Yes, but he hasn't
done it. Suppressed laughter in
the audience.)
r Mr.. Nelson-I don't beliece In
lodging the issue. Sullivan was
raised from captain to chief of pc
lice, and the reason that he was moi
called chief was because he wanted
to preserve his old rank in the
force. I think the council has a
+. right to act and that Sullivan will
be assured fair and impartial trial
Sullivan has been chief in fact for
is months and will continue to hold
= the position as long as he is the
acting chief. regret to differ with
the corporation counsel; he defines
the law, but there are other good
lawyers that hold differently, and
their plea seems reasonable to me.
! move, therefore, that we set DC