The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-31
THE H0BOKEN COUNCIL.
1t Looks as if the "Little Three" Had
Broken Up the "Combine."

The Hoboken Council should have met
last night. but it did not, and thereby
hangs a tale. For the past few weeks,
ever since Chairman Stanton announced
his intention of sailing for Europe, all
sorts of rumors were rife about the City
Hall. The rumors were to the effect that
the Little Three" in the Board were do
ing their utmost to cajole and prevail
upon one of the combine to desert the
combine and join forces with them.
Councilmen Erlenkoetter. Timken and
Kelly, the present minority of the Board,
were working quietly on one of the COM
bine. Rumor had it that if the Little
Three" were successful, there would be
sweeping change. The committees which
had been appointed by Chairman Stanton
at the beginning of the term would be
abolished, and new committees ap-
pointed. This would be a practical reyo :
luton.
The story came to the ears of Chairman
Stanton, but he merely smiled and made
preparations for his European trip. The
chairman had implicit confidence in
Councilman Boncelet, whom the major
! ity of the Board were buttonholing.
| Councilman Boncelet was on the best
| committees and apparentlyhad everything
| TO gain and nothing to lose By making nc
| change.
/ 4JQt IL WA0t ONCaAI GU 4&kSb 10 I'LL y
| criterion-and it certainly Chairman
| Stanton's confidence was sadly mis-
| placed. At twenty minutes past eight
O'Clock, when the chairman raped for
order, there was a very large lobby
present. 1t was the last meeting to be
held before the chairman sailed for
Europe. In the lobby were the agents for
the different fire apparatus anxious to
know which company the Board would
| award the contract tG. But the Board
| did not award any contracts or do any
| thing else, for there was no meeting.
| When the chairman asked the clerk TO
call the roll there We're only four mem
| bers behind the railing. Councilmen
| Erlenkoetter. Timken, Kelly and Bonce-
| let were absent.
| After the clerk had called the roll and
| no quorum was present, Chairman Stan.
ton arose and said:--"The four gentle.
men who are absent tonight are shirkiDg
the duty the taxpayers elected them &c
| perform. 1t has been done through petty
| spite, but l know THEN intentions, and
they will not carry them out. hope
| their constituents will see that better
men are elected hereafter
| Councilman Londrigan then moved
that the minority adjourn until three
| O'Clock today, when O special meeting
will be called. The action of Council,
man Boncelet in going over with The
| minority is the sole topic of conversation
in the City Hall this morning. Why the
| councilman from the First should act sc
cannot be explained by even the wise
| acres who generally know 1t all
Corporation Attorney Minturn when
asked If it was within the power of a tenn
| porary. chairman to revise the committees
| said emphatically that is was not He
said that the chairman of the Council
was an officer of the Council, and the
| charter states that he has the power oi
appointing the committees. A temporary
| chairman did not have that power The
| only way in which new com
mittee could be appointed was to do away
with the chairman, and this could moi
| be done unless charges were preferred
and two-thirds vote of the council sus
| tanned the charges Notwithstanding thi:
| opinion of the Corporation Attorney Coun
| cilmen Erlenkoetter, Kelly and Thinker
| wink softly and say, wait and see.n
| 1t is not at all likely that there will be
| a meeting this afternoon. This morning
Councilman Boncelet went on a fishing
expedition. Chairman Stanton will SAL
for Europe on Saturday 1t was intend.
ed last night to award the contracts tol
| fire apparatus and also to elect tenn.
porary chairman during Chairman Stan
| toms absence.