No. 78.
Mr. Wing to Mr.
Fish
No. 74.]
Legation of the United States, Quito, Ecuador
February 15, 1871. (Received March
16.)
Sir: Referring to my recent dispatch, No. 64, I
desire to lay before the Department certain documents which conclusively
establish the military nature of the “fire organization” described in that
dispatch, and fully bear me out in my action in the premises.
I forward copies (A and B) of the recent correspondence between the
commanding general at Guayaquil and the secretary of war, in this city, (C
and D,) being translations of the same.
It will be perceived that the said “the department” is absolutely under the
control and supervision of the commanding general, and that in the answer to
his communication the minister of war explicitly states that said department
is a bona fide military organization, and its members
liable, in certain contingencies, to be coerced into the regular army of
Ecuador.
I have, &c.,
C.
Republic of Ecuador, General Commandant’s Office of the
District, Guayaquil,
January 28, 1871.
Sir: The penalty that the “fire regulations”
impose upon the firemen for failure of service is only limited to fines
and arrests. As this corps is reputed to be in the condition of national
guard, destined solely for fire service, by the necessity that there is
for them in the city, I inquired of the supreme government, through your
respectable intervention, if the punishment of fines and arrests is to
be extended only until four consecutive absences, of which the national
guard law speaks, or must the same punishment be continued indefinitely,
even when they exceed that number. If such is the case, the national
guard will be in a worse condition than the fire corps.
His Excellency Minister of State, in the Dispatch of War and Navy.
D.
Republic of Eucador, State Office, in the
Dispatch of War and Marine, Quito, February 4,
1871.
Your appreciated communication No. 41, under date of 28th of the past
month, was duly received at this department, explaining that the “fire
regulations” only impose upon the firemen for failure of service the
penalty of fines and arrests, and this corps, being like the national
guard, and destined only for fire service by the necessity there [Page 260] is for them in that city, you
inquire if the punishment of fines and arrests should be extended only
to the four consecutive failures of which the law of national guards
speaks, or has the same penalty to be continued indefinitely the same,
even when they exceeded that number, urging at the same time that the
active national guard, in time, will be in worse condition than the fire
corps. His excellency the President of the republic has resolved that,
considering the fire corps as a national guard, the Ecuadorians enlisted
in it, who fail in attendance to exercise four consecutive times without
a verified just cause, shall be enlisted in the army, it being
understood that these failures are when in case of fire they do not
repair to lend immediate aid.
His Excellency General Commander of the District
of Guayaquil.
