Weekly journal-miner., 1917-10-31
ROBBINS STILL HOLDING HIS
 POSITION
SCRAP BETWEEN MAYOR IND CHIEF OF POLICE WILL AGAIN BE TAKEN UP AT MEETING OF THE COUNCIL TODAY.

The special meeting of the city council which had been called for Monday afternoon to consider the mat ter of the discharge of Chief of Police Robert Robbins, adjourned without having taken any definite action and will convene again this afternoon at l 30 o'clock, at which time it is ex- pected that in all probability Mir. Rob bins will be relieved of his official position # his resignation is not in by the time of the meeting.
 During yesterdays meeting of the councilmen, about two hours was taken up by a discussion of the case, Mir. Robbins having engaged Attor- ney F. w. O'Sullivan to represent him. Mayor Timerhoff opened the meeting and appointed Councilman O. F. Orthel as chairman. The mayor then presented a resolution, declaring the office of chief of police vacant, asking that the measure be adopted. At this point, Mir. O'Sullivan took the floor and cited certain paragraphs of the city charter, which he said cx- presslv prohibited the mayor or the council from summarily dismissing the chief of police without having first preferred specific charges against him and giving him an opportunity of re plying to the same. The attorney told the councilmen that inasmuch as no formal charges had been made against Mir Robbins. the council could not legally dismiss the police officer, and that if they did dismiss him, the officer would be entitled to draw his pay until such time as some real chargcs had been proven against his official conduct.
 Councilman LeRov Anderson took 4,ie h0sr. and stated that in his oDin- ion the mayor had perfect right to discharge the chief at such time as he might desire without going through the formality of bringing charges against him Mir Anderson said that personally he intended to stay bv the mayor in his effort to fire" Mir Rob- bins. as he felt that there couId be no pood come of a situation which per mitted the citv's chief executive and the chief of police to be at swords points.
 "Mavor Timerhoff appointed NIT. Robbins with the sanction of the council" Mir. Anderson said. "and ii onpcare to me that he has the power .o let him % when he feels that he is not ncrfcrmirg his duties to the city's ~l---n'ape r. is the ripht of any em- dover to discharge an incompetent ,rd;,-idral when he SO chooses. and if --e are .o have an efficient city gov, crnr0ent. we must stand back of the rr,avor in his efforts to bring the staff of city emDloves up to the h'ghcst
 tandard If t comes to a vote, l will -uetair the mayor in his attempt to re- iooec Mir Robbins The best solution of this rather embarrassing problem which confronts us would be the vol r-tarv restoration of Mir. Robbins, ord I would ruggest that he do this. v
 MT Robbins was called on by the chairman to give his reason for his refusal to comply with Mayor Timer hoff's request that he resign. He took the floor and told the members that lis primary reason for attempting to bold onto his job. was the fact that Le d;~1il-ed the idea of being dis charged without having some specihc charges lodged against him.
 "I have lived in Prescott long time" said Mir. Robbins, ''and I have always done my duty in my present position as I saw it, and never had any trouble until Mir Timerhoff at 1 tempted to compel me to look after the truant school children. This l | did not feel to be my duty, as there was already a man hired at the rate of | SIPS 2 morth to look after the juven- iles. I object to being dishonorably diecharred from nv position because my friends, in the absence of any real 1 charges, may feel that l have been busted on account of some malfeas- ance I realize that the mayor IS after me merely because of personal feelings. and if I am to be fired let it be a matter of record that some real i charge was placed against me.
 1 It was suggested that NIT. Robbins tender his resignation, with the stipu- lation that he was quitting merely be- cause he and the mayor could not agree on certain matters, but the chief remained obdurate. and stated that he would not consider resignlng under these circumstances.
 Mayor Timerhoff then moved the adoption of the resolution declaring the chiefs office vacant, but notwlth-
 standing the fact that all of the coun-
 cilmen present signihed their lnten'
 ton of backing the mayor Tn his et-
 forts 10 discharge Robbins, no action l az .,l-o,, ,,J tho matter will come I'D this afternoon. City Attorney J. J,
 Sweeney was present and read sec
 lions of the city charter in which il vas shown that the mayor and coun-
 ciImcn would be fully within their
 riqhts in discharging the chief with
 out having preferred any charges
 7oainst him. The councilmen. how
 ever. seemed to feel that the matter should be held in abeyance until this
 afternoon, and the meeting adjourned