The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-07
ST. LOUIS NEWS.
THE LATE WAR I'm EAST ST. LOUISA
DUAL CITY GOVERNMENT.
new ct. Louis Celebrates the Fourth Of
.guIy-FalIure OF the scheme TO Re-
duce the salaries Of City officials.

III WllGn TWO UlbAl WtLb hiAiph 'phu S9FDaet
badly wounded East st. Louis is remarka-
BILE for the number and character OF the fights
which occur openly upon her streets. Every
few days the St. Louis papers are filled with
accounts OF some new shooting or stabblng
ARRAY In East st. Louis, in which one OF more
persons were either killed outright or dan
gerously wounded And what Ia most singu-
lar about them. they all have one and the
same origin, and few If any arrests are ever
made by the municipal authorities. The city,
although numbering not more than 10000
or $4,000 inhabitants, has
DUAL GOVERNMENT
throughout two mayors, two city councils.
two police forces and two sets of officers and
departments generally. Almost the entire
incubation of the city Is divided into two
forces hostile to each other. One Of the forces
is headed by MIR. Bowman, the regularly
elected mayor of the city, and the other force
Is under Mr.. Wider, druggist. The two
forces are about equally divided, and are
called respectively
THE BowMANITEs AND THE wIDER1TEs
Both Of the leaders are Germans, although
Mayor Bowman has anglicised his name lit
was formerly Baumann). The beginning OF
the municipal troubles in East st. Louis dates
eight or ten years back, when Mr.. Bowman
was elected mayor of the city for the first
time. He has been reelected two or three
times since then. For eight years and more
the people of East st. Louis have known no
politics other than Bowmanlsm and Wider
ism. Every election there Is personal fight
between the two leaders. The governing
power of the city is divided between the
mayor and the city council Last year the
Wderites had a majority In the council to
counteract the power of Mayor Bowman
Themayor didn't like the old city charter for
some reason or other and as small cities in
Illinois may be governed by the
general laws OF the State instead of
their municipal charters, he proposed the
change for East st. Louis A petition. signed
by nearly half the voters of the city, was pre-
scented to the council, asking that the ques-
ton be submitted to the people, but the cuun-
ell took no notice of 1t at all. Other petitions
were presented, but were treated in the same
way. Then the mayor took 1t upon himself
to call an election to decide the question The
election was held, and, OF course the Bow
NANTES carried the day, for the Wlderltes
took no part in the election. They did not
recognize the authority OF the mayor to call
the election. Under the general laws OF the
State, under which the mayor now claimed
that the city was governed, an election for %
full council must be held April 1G of the
present year. Under the old charter an cleo
tion for half the council, four members, must
be held April 2. Both parties took an active
part in the first election so active In fact,
that they had several bloody encounters at
each of the four polling places before the cleo
ton was over.
THE POLICE FORCE OF THE CITY,
governed on the metropolitan system sided
with the Widerites and to Offset their power
and influence at the polls, the mayor had APP
u, 4, halls
as large as the regular police department and
provided them with stars, pistols and clubs.
The election resulted in the success OF the
Bowmanite party in each OF the four wards OF
the city. Even Wider, who was candidate
for reelection in one OF the wards, was de-
feated. He and one of his colleagues, how
ever would not give up the fight so easily.
They claimed that their opponents we're eject .T,
Bowmanite candidates were given the certlt1-
Gates of election, and with one BOwmanlte In
the old council, would make majority Tor
the Bowmanite party. The mayor claimed
that the four new men were now members OF
the new council and entitled to pass upon the
election contests Of Wider and his colleague
Wider, OF course, disputed any such right,
claiming that the old councilmen were
still members of the council, and
must take hand in deciding all election con-
tests. Several meetings OF the council were
called, and every one ended IN nght. PlS'
tolls were drawn by nearly all OF the council
men, the mayor was thumped about at a
lively rate. and dozen or more of the Wider.
lite police and the Bowmanite force OF deputy
marshals were dubbed and thrown out OF the
room. After several meetings and fights Of
this kind,
TWO DISTINCT COUNCILS WERE ORGANIZED
The Bowmanites continued to meet in the
MAYORS office in the maTket-h0uSe, ana tht
Widerites held their meetings in building
almost opposite and used Tor an engine-houS'
and police station. The Widerite counci
elected one of their number mayor pro TEN
of the city. The Bowmanite council Wenl
out of existence voluntarily on the sixteenth
of April, the day set for new election OF a ful
council under the general laws OF the State
The Widerites took no part in this election
and so all the Bowmanite candidates were O
course elected. The city has been governed
or rather badly miSgOverned ever since Dy
this double set of executive officers, council
men and police. Their struggle for the funds
of the city finally sent the dispute to thu
courts. Two cases involving the legality o
the election called by the mayor without thu
sanction of the council were decided in tht
Circuit Court against the claims of the Bow
NANTES, but of course they took an appeal II
each case and no decision IN the mater 6i ma a.
been rendered as yet by the Supreme Court
The BOwmanites have been trying to get pos
session of the engine-house occupied by
THE wIDERITE POLICE
for several weeks, but every attempt mao
by them so far has been a bloody failure. In
last attack on the place was. the one mad
last Sunday Most of the policemen had gOn
to picnic they never think of patrOling tn
city,, and all but three of the rest were a
dinner when the attack was made. The at
lacking party consisted OF score or more Q
deputy marshals headed by Mayor Bowman
and all armed with police clubs and som
with pistols. Officer Stock, one of the met 70
politans, sprang outside of the building befor
fhey reached it, and kept them away until tn
two officers inside had closed and bolte
the doors. He was shot at two or three time
but escaped with a scalp wound: While try
ing to batter in the doors two OF the deput
marshals were shot dead in their tracks b
the Officers in the building, and two other
were wounded. The killing OF the two me
routed the assailants, and 10 further al al
tempt was made to take the building; IN
session of the city with posse, comltG tai:
The two Widerites who did the KILN
and the whole force Of Bowmanites, lnclu,