Putnam patriot., 1920-02-27
THE OBSERVERS CORRECTION"
CORRECTED

| seen Mt 70 correct Inc fdLfiOL IOI
what il terms "a wrong implication"
in an editorial on the fire departing IT
| printed last week, in which The Pa
triot stated that Fire Chief Alphonse
Boursier was elected two years ago
| by a Democratic council.
The writer Of the correction"
goes back two years to show that Fire
Chief Arnold was also elected by a
Democratic council, for he sets forth
that both in 1916 and 1913 the coun-
Gil was Democratic, in that there were
| five Democratic and four Republican
members. The balance Of power was
| in the hands Of the Democrats for two
'erms-four years, and therefore the
council that elected Alphonse Bour-
sier was Democratic council as stat
ed by The Patriot.
As it happens the e4itor Of our con-
| temporary is a member of the com
mon council Of the city and is the e
fore in position to know what trans
oire1 while the council was in exeeu-
tive session for the election of office =.
j GLIDING chief q the fire depart
ment. He says that the facts of the
case are a matter Of public record.
The only fact that the record will
show is that Boursier was elected and
the number CT votes for and against.
1t will net disclose who voted and how
they voted or of what politictl faith
they were.
While we are not in position to
state, as does our contemporary, that
the action was entirely divorced
from politics." the fact itself shows
that the vote was not along strict par
ty lines else a Republican fire chief
could not have been elected by com
mon council wherein the balance of
power was in the hands of the Demo-
Gratis
Not only was Mr. Rourcier elected
by council wherein the balance of
power was in the Democratic party
but without majority of Democrat
ic votes he would not have been elect
ed. For the first time through a mem
Der Of the council the writer of the
correction" comes the information
that Mr.. Boursier was elected by
three votes of the opposition party,
the Democrats, and only received two
votes within his own party, Republi-
can. Therefore not only was Mr..
Bonrser elected by a Democratic
council, as The Patriot stated but il
was due to a majority Of Democratic
aide men supporting him that he
wed his election
Two Democrats opposed the cleo
in Of Mr. Beursier. Saws our con
temporary, and he, the writer, was one
IT the opposition This is another
fact that comes from behind the
closed doors Of the executive session
Il the council. aud IS net matter
spread upon the records of the city.
In relation TO the second statement,
eKar5ing the mayor and Republican
members beias dissatisfied with the
atatus Of the department, this IS borne
1ut by ore Of the first acts of the new
Republican eouaeil being te reorgan-
re the fire department by electing a
eW chief and assistants. We assume
hat the writer of the correction"
wishes Us to 60 further and to say
that not only was the mayor and some
f the Republican members dissatis-
iel with the status of the department
but to include some Of the Democratic
members also.
The whole correction" as il ap-
oeais tc The Patriot is to bring out
he fact that the writer. Democrat.
opposed Mr. Boursier and would also
like to be numbered among those who
have not been satisfied with the status
the fire department We assume
his from the tone cf the "correc-
ton" but as it is only an assumption
# what is in the mind Of the writer
here is a chance here for real
correction"
The writer of the Correction
heeefully admits that while he is a
Democrat he is not much of a parf-
san and in this -he does not stand
nloae in the ranks Of his party affha-
| ion at the percent time The Patriot
gzees with him in one statement
hat politics should MT e7te~ into TIE
administration of local affairs, but the
faet that it should not unfortunate
| y. does not mean that it does not