St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-17


Makes Threats OF Drawing
Others In for Equal Share OF
the BIame-Mayor Wants City
Lighted With Electricity, and
Sends in a Proposal.
A large attendance of interested spec
taJors listened to the proceedings of the
board of aldermen last evening. Among
the number was Secretary Franklin, OF
the fire board. who was accompanied by
his attorney, John l.. Townley. Previ-
Gus TO the board being called to order
President Hickman and Aid. Copeland,
Markham. Zimmerman, Assemblyman
Wolterstortf and Secretary Franklin
held conference, presumably as to the
course of action to be pursued in the
charges made against Franklin, for as
soon as the president raped the mem
berS to order Aid. Markham was on his
feet, t.-t =
The Seventh ward member said be-
fore proceeding to the regular order of
business he desired to call the attention
of the board to matter of much I'M
portance. The GLOBE, he said, had
charged that Harry Franklin, a member
of the board of aldermen. had been
guilty of receiving from the building
inspector and his employees money in
the nature of a bribe. The money, it
was alleged, had been contributed by
the building inspector and the employees
in the office. Franklin had rendered his
resignation at previous meeting of the
! board, and action on this and the
choosing of his successor had been
postponed until this time. His own
opinion of the law was that without-any
action of the board the designations
would take effect, Any member. he
claimed, had the right to resign when
he saw fit, and no action of the board
was necessary. After consultation with
the corporation attorney, that official
| had stated the authorities did not agree
upon this point. Notwithstanding this
question. it was necessary in the in
! terests of Franklin, the building in
! spectOr and the public. that the charges
be investigated. In furtherance of such
action, he desired to introduce the fol-
| lowing resolutions: 1s
| Whereas, The attention of the board
! of aldermen has been directed by the
| public newspapers of this city, and by
other sources of Information. to charges
| that are being circulated in this COM
nudity impugning the official integrity
of former member of this board, VIZ:
Mr.. Harry Franklin, and the official in
! tegrity of the late building inspector,
Mr.. c. f. 4. Morris. and the employees
engaged i'll the office of the building in
spector under the administration of said
Morris; and,
Whereas, This body desires that the
fullest Investigation of said charges
should be made, and if any crime
against the laws of the state has been
committed, that the persons engaged in
| and connected with the preparation
| thereof should be punished; therefore
| be it
Resolved. That committee of five be
| appointed from this body to act with a
committee of like number from the as
sembly, if that body should see fit to
concur in the resolution, to fully inves-
tigate and bring to light the truth in
connection with said charges and report
the same to the common council for its
fourther action. - .5f ) s -v--s
Resolved. further, That the assembly
be invited to concur in this resolution.
and appoint committee of FIVE as
above stated.
! Aid. Copeland at once moved the
| adoption of the resolutions. Before the
president could order the roll call, John
l.. Townley, who had been holding a
whispered conversation with Franklin.
| asked permission to be heard. MIR.
Townley said at thisatime, and. for the
fret tIfno cinoa hoI ie
cussed by the press and public, he de-
sired to say that Franklin had engaged
MIN to fully answer the charges, and he
took great pleasure in accepting the de-
Tense. He had not been able to hear
the resolutions which Aid. Mark
ham had just read, and, in
order that the charges might
be made broad enough. he would ask
that they be read again, in order that if
necessary they could be amended so as
to cover the entire domain of the
charges. To comply with the request
OF the attorney the clerk again read the
resolutions. They seemed to satisfy
Mr.. Townley without any amendment,
for, resuming his stump speech, Mr..
IoWnIey stated that while one man
could steal hen one man could not be
guilty Of bribery. If it was political
stumpage they were after, he was de-
sirouS of having the field large enough
to. take in all they wanted to inquire
into.
The resolutions were then unanimous
ly adopted. The chair appointed as the
investigating committee Aid. Markham,
Conley, Zimmerman, Montgomery and
| Warren.
Half an hour later Aid. Copeland in
terrupted the regular order of business
to move that the resignation of AID.
Franklin be accepted and the council
proceed to the election of his successor.
| President Hickman SAID he was in doubt
as to the propriety of the motion tor ac-
ceptlng the resignation owing 10 the ap-
pointment of committee to investigate
the charges made against Franklin.
City Attorney Chamberlain being
called on by Aid. Markham, said
the best authorities were Ill conflict
as to the matter of a resignation from
such body. The supreme court of
| this state was silent on the point. He
would say that the question was not
important at this time as the council
had the right to investigate charges
made against city officials. Franklin at
the present time was holding a city
office, and it was perfectly proper TO go
on even after the resignation had been
accepted. On the roll call to accept the
resignation and proceed with the elec-
ton of successor, all the members
voted for 1t with the exception of Presi-
dent Hickman. That gentleman voted
against the motion claiming that he had
serious doubts as to the right of the
board OF aldermen to investigate any
one not member of the body.
Aid. Markham then asked that the
vote for successor to Aid. Franklin be
by roll call. and President Hickman d.
rected the clerk to proceed. Aid. Mont
pO,Onrv raicad oniaf Io,rb H.