New-York tribune., 1919-11-14
Jersey City Commissioner,
Starting Shake.Up to Nip
Bolshevism, Is to Trans.
fer Ha of Force
81 Are Already Moved
Secret Unionizasion, Lack of
Discipline, Sinking and
Insubordination Charged

To the growing roster of 100 per
gent American officials. headed by
Governor Calvin Coolidge, of Massa-
chusetts and Ole Hansen, of Seattle,
there was added yesterday the name
of Charles F. X. O'Brien. Commissioner
Of Public Safety in Jersey Cit.
Confronted with radical unionism in
tle Fire Department, of which is is
.T head, Commissioner O'Brien yes
tNIa. set in motion the first drastic
measure t. nip Bolshevik tendencies
smong city employed
81 am only starting he said, as he
signed an order shifting two fire cap
tains and siXty-five men--the greatest
shakeup the department ever has
known.
"To-morrow three men will he
turned out Of the department for in
subordination. he continued "Ther
places Will be taken by cX-service men.
Within the next three days I intend to
shift at least 200 more members of the
Fire Depar .mcnt to other stations
will not stop this fight until I have
purged the department and restored
discipline in it's ranks"
SnHke-up AueCtS half OF Force
There are thirty Companies. with a
total OF $50 men, in the Fire Depart
ment of Jerse City. Commi sioner
o'Bricns shake-up, when completed.
will affect more than so per cent Of the
department. AS measuye OF his de-
termination. he yesterday transmitted
the following order to Fire Chief
Boyle:
"All members of this department
on their day off, except the chief and
deputy chief. shall report to the
armory to Major Norton for drill at
$3.50 a. m. 1t is disgracefu to go
through the public streets and see
the manner in which the members Of
the department carry themselves,
some of them going so far as to
salute with their lett hands and 9TH
ers not salutng q: all. When / say
$3.50, mean that hour, and these
men shall remain at the armory until
o'clock.
at is Your duty to be present, or in
your stead the deputy chief or some
one designated by either of you, and
you shall check up and keep account
OF every man who reports. Any man
late for drill. shall have charges pre-
ferred against him Immediately. ANY
man absent shall a.so have charges
preferred against him. No doctors
certificate OF tNCuSc OF any klnu VIII
be accepted. This order means drill,
and drill they must
II am determined that the mem
oers o. the department shall be
taught how to deport themselves"
The captains SHIFTED by tnc Commits
mioner's oruer yesterday arc Richard
Green, OF Engine Company No. ~, and
John Segaie, OF Engine Company No. 2.
Under the order they exchanged sta
lions.
"The transfer of Captain Green is
punishment" said Commissioner
O'Brien. He has talked insubordna-
tion to his men, has tod them they
took right stand when they were not
doing right. The transfer of Captain
Segale was not punishment but Was
Tor the good of the service
Commissioner n'Brien's action yes
terday followed a personal investiga-
fion of the department after he mad
received inside IN. ormation os the Sc
cret unionization efforts. Since last
Saturday he had visited each OF the
thirty nre companies in the city. il
was learned yesterday THAI the secret
meetings had been IN progress for the
last three months in Il hall in an ob
scure part Of Jersey City.
Ex-Service Men to Fill Gaps
During the war" the Commissioner
said, Jersey City had greater per-
centage of young men in the service
than any other city in the country. |
am sure that from the ranks of these
young men | can build up the depart
ment, if the present members do not
live up to the traditions and morale of
the fret fighting service of the city.
"Our fircmon are as we'll treated and
paid as any i'll the country. We have
the two platoon system and the men
II
full pay while ILL.,
"There has been too much insub-
ordination among the men recently
and it has been difficult to get them
to live up strictly to the rules of the
department. There are many loyal
men in the department and they have
been talked to by number of trouble
makers. who have tried for some time
to organize the entire personnel into
some sort of an organization. the OBJ
lect of which is not absolutely known.
BOlshevik Movement
THAT. however. has been their real
intention, and do not intend to stand
Yor any organizing of the Fire Depart
ment any more than did in the
Police Department.
I'VE have shown every considerati ion
20 the men, even to making their living
conditions at their respective fire
nouStS tne pest IN the country. This
attempt at Organization of the men Is
mercy one to make the department
Bolshevik. and has been done by sey-
crai agitators who should have been
kicked out long ago
VIII get rid of every one of the
agitators If have to clean out the en-
tire department and create a new one
Fortunately, there are enough loval
men IN the department to have a nu-
cieus Tor the new department, and the
city would not suffer by the dismissal
% these {isgruntled trouble makers
beheve the people will stand behind
me IN my fight TO purge the depart
ment Of the Bo'sheviki and mrkc u
real, efficient. law-ahiding department.
Shirkers Must Go
Besides the in ubordination that has
cropped out, many of the men have
performed their duties in careless
and unsatisfactory manner. Appa-
rently many of them are Interested
only in receiving their pay
"A demoralized fire department is a
serious menace to any city. and l do
.Nt ,rto 1ot