St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-25
INGERSOLL WILL STICK
IF the Programme of His Friends
Can Be Carried
Out.
But CopeIand's Cohorts Are Hot
In the Collar About
1t.

The contest for the position Of presi
dent of the board of aldermen is likely
to be decided without much troublG, and
if the Scheme work Aid. Ingersoll will
retain the Office until the beginning of
1894 The amendments to the city char
ter in 1891 included one which reads as
follows:
At the first meeting in each year of each
body of the common council each of said
bodies shall proceed to elect by ballot from
its own body president and vice president
Some weeks ago President Ingersoll,
who, by virtue of his office. is the acting
mayor in the absence OF the mayor, an
nounced that he was not candidate
for reelection. The friends of Aid.
Copeland, who are pushing that gentle
man for the place, said at the time the
announcement was made it was only a
bluff, and that while Ingersoll had
fooled them last year he could not play
the same game this time. From the
statement made by friend of Aid. In
gersOll yesterday the Seventh ward stall
Wart has figured out scheme by which
he will not only fool those opposing him,
but will stick to his Office until next
January. The plan is outlined in the
quotation from the charter given
above. The friends of Ingersoll claim
that under the law there is to be
no election for presiding officer
until the first meeting of the
board in January next. Aid. Copeland
is out of the city, but Aid. Franklin,
who is looking after his interests dur
ing his absence, laughed at the claim
made by IngersolPs friends. 70
strengthen their position the lngersoll
adherents point to the action taken by
the conference committee at the last
meeting of that body. The law under
which the conference committee is Or
ganized makes the election OF a presi-
dent take place at the first meeting in
each year, the same as in the board of
aldermen election provision. When the
subject was brought up at the confer
ence meeting Mayor Wright, who is
chairman, and the president of the park
board both lnstantaneously decided that
! the election under the law would have
| to be held in January next. LII the face
of decisions from such welt-known legal
| lights it seems like sure thing that the
/ courts would hold the same views.
| Prior to 1887 the aldermen we're
elected annually, or rather, half of the
number were. This made practically a
new council each year, and at the first
meeting in June of each year the off,
GERS of the body were chosen. In 1887
| the terms of the aldermen were ex-
! tended for two years, but the provision
in the law regarding the election of the
officers was not changed, and the elec-
tion for president and vice president
was held on the first meeting in June OF
each year. III 1891 the dual council was
organized, but the law, which had not
been changed. was construed to mean
that the election of presiding officer
was to be held at the first meeting of
the council year. rather than the fist
meeting of the fiscal year. The Cope
/ land followers claim that the rule should
be followed this year, and are not at all
backward in expressing their opinion as
to the scheme by which President lnger-
| soil intends to hold on to the presidency
OF the board.