Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-10
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Many Washingtonians will remember
Chief Engineer Cronin, who headed
Fir. Cb;.f the Fire Department Of
Crohlh' figured in the news SO
years ago in an interesting manner.
The Star of May 5, 1881, says:
1.-THE District Commissioners, it
seems, require Chief Engineer Cronin
to make ample apology to Commissioner
Morgan because, when at the fire the
other day, Cronin said to him rudely,
Maj Morgan, am in charge of this
fire. AS the Commissioner is un-
doubtedly q superior officer, IL Is right
that Chief Cronin should apologize for
his bruSqueness. That done, it would
be the correct thing for Maj. Morgan
to apologize to Chief Cronin for inter-
fering in the management of the FIRE
department when in active service at
a fire. The President, who Is COM
mander in chief of the Army of the
United States, might as properly inter-
fere with the orders of the general in
immediate command on the field Of
battle.
1.-THE Right Hon. Sir Joseph Porter,
K. C. B., and first lord of the admiralty
and ruler of the Queens Na-vee, was
undoubtedly the boss Of Capt. Corcoran
of her majesty'S ship Pinafore. But 1t
will be remembered things got very
much mixed on that renowned vessel
when Sir Joseph undertook to exercise
that authority and give orders over
the captains head. Too many cooks
spoil the broth; one head is better than
two in command on the battlefield, and
it Is easy to see that If our three Dis
trict Commissioners should appear at a
fire and separately undertake to give
orders on the occasion there would
be-well, great superhuity Of bossing,
to say the least"
said:
"The District Commissioners have
served notice on the chief engineer Of
the fire department that his authority
at fires and elsewhere Is at all times
subordinate to the orders of the Com
missionerS, or either of them This is
much like having three self-appointed
captains in charge of a ship during
storm, with the regularly commissioned
captain subordinated for the time to
posing that the triumvirate should diff
fer on some important point in battling
with a serious conflagration, what
would happen then? But the law
seems to be quite conclusive as to where
the authority rests. Paragraph IL Of
Webb's Digest, under head of Fire De-
partnent,' says: The chief engineer
shall have the sole command of fires
over all other officers and members of
the department, and all other persons
who may be present. This being the
law, it would probably have been a
better course for the Commissioners,
instead of denying the authority of the
chief engineer, to have contented them
selves with censuring him for any rude
ness OF manner in asserting that au-
thority."
The following paragraph printed in
The Star Of May 7, 1881. tells the story
Baked at who puzzled the authori-
Stripes. "H lei SoSor AT when par
ties charged in the Police Court with
offenses against the ordinances of the
District were convicted and they noted
an appeal, they were committed to jail
pending the trial on appeal, in the
absence of bonds. Recently, however,
Judge Smell, finding that the law in
such cases provided for commitment to
jail and not to the jail, came to the
conclusion that in corporation cases
the workhouse was the proper place
for the detention of such persons. A
few days ago he committed a party
charged with vagrancy to the work.
house in default of bail on his appeal.
1t was not long after his arrival there
before he was furnished with and made
| to put on a striped suit and was or
dered out to work. The prisoner at
once demurred to this order and in
| formed the officers that they had no
right to compel him to wear the suit
| or to work, for he was not q convict
and that he should not put on the
garb of hyena and be made to delve
| in the ground He was free white
American citizen, and before the law
was as innocent as a lamb, at least for
! the time being, and that until his APP
peal was tried they had no right to put
the stripes on him or compel him to
work, but only had to keep him safe till
| it was determined whether he was
| guilty or not. If they wanted him 70
put on the stripes and work they would
have to force him, but he would give
them fair warning that as soon as he
was released he would commence suit