Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-07
BIGGER A CANDIDATE.
Allegheny Reformers Will Run Him
for City Controller.
A LIVELY POLITICAL OUTLOOK.
McKirdy to Challenge Murphy for the
Iatter'S Fat Office.
BREMEN HAS no HOPE FOR HARMONY

Politics in Allegheny are looming up
again with the forecast of as hard fight
next April as the year previous when the
city entered the second class. The officers
to be elected are Controller, Treasurer and
City Solicitor. The reformers expect to be
rewarded for the good work they have been
doing. and in quiet way they have been
putting up candidates. No one has been
announced, but it can be stated authorita-
lively that the greatest effort of the reform
element will be to have Auditor Bigger
succeed Controller Brown.
Mr.. Bigger will not state that he is can
didate on account of the fact that he does
not want the present investigation to be
given political aspect. He will not make
an active canvass, but the reform members
of Councils will do the work for him, and
on the vote they expect to see what the feel
ing is with regard to the audit. Controller
Brown is held partly responsible for his
failure to hold city officials in line, and ON
this issue will be waged the opposition
against him. He has claimed that he did
not have enough clerks to audit the ACCOUNTS
of all the officials and that, therefore, the
fault was with Councils. No one accuses
him with dishonesty, but the claim will be
made that on account Of alleged catelessness
he should be superseded.
Bigger's Fitness for the Place.
Mr.. Bigger was not well known in ALLIE
gheny until he was engaged by the Audit
ing Committee. His business is that of an
expert accountant. One argument in favor
of his election will be that he is familiar
with the city's books and could step into
Office and be right at home. The election of
a controller will be made by the present
Councils, and both ref form and anti-reform
people are hard at work to get strength.
City Clerk Dilworth will also be candi-
date for the place.. 1t will be hard
struggle on both si'des, with about equal
chances for each.
City Solicitor Elphinstone's position will
probably be contested tor bv G. H. Dahl
niger, Q. d. Thompson and A. Alston, with
a probability OF some new man entering the
field The reforf fmers have not decided to
support any particular one. If Mr.. Elphin-
stone goes after{ Wyman, Pearson and Muir
ply with enough vigor they may not put
any person uE against him, but in case he
allows thingf to lag they threaten to
bring out al man who has snot been
mentioned. NJ Dahlinger is strong with the
conservative members of Councils, but there
is question: whether he is eligible on ac-
count OF being member of Councils. His
friends claih he is. Mr.. Aston has been
candidate for the Office twice and hopes to
have the flum fall on his side of the fence
this time. Mr.. Thompson WAS to have been
Assistant iCitv Solicitor but the ak of the
reforme5rs cut him off the salary rolls. He
is popular and will get good following.
Iyne contest will probably narrow down to
two, however, with the reformers on one
side and the Hunter W yman faction on the
other.
Macferran Expected to Win Easily.
Treasurer Macfarran will probably be re-
elected without contest. He is so popular
that it would be almost impossible to form
a combination that would defeat him. His
books have been examined and found to
have only one mistake, and that difference
of S. in the city's favor.
The present Council members are also be-
ing buttonholed by candidates to become
heads of the departments. The election
will take place next January. When the
present charter was adopted it was intended
by the city officials to have the chiefs hold
office four years, as is done in Pittsburg,
but that plan, as well as many others, was
knocked in the head by the Committee of
Fifty and the term limited to two years.
The amendment was made the night
salaries were slashed last spring,
and was written on one of the
celebrated slips carried by seven members of
Select Council. The reformers at that time
realized they could not defeat Chief Muir
ply, so they cut down his term with the in
tention of knocking him out in two years.
The man they have selected to do it is John
MeKirdy, one of the expert accountants en-
gagged by the auditors. Mckirdy and Muir
phy represent the two extreme factions in
Allegheny, both are hard fighters and from
now on each one will lay all the wires
within reach to get votes.
An effort is being made to have e1-Coun-
Gilman McAfee come out for Chief of the
Department of Public Works. Chief Ehlers |
will be candidate for reelection. 1t is
hardly probable that any one will oppose
Chief Grubbs of the Department of Chari- |
ties.