St. Paul daily globe., 1895-05-22
HE INSULTS ED DARRAGH,
AND THEN THE CORPORATION
ATTORNEY EXPOSES THE
ALDERMAN,S ANIMUS.
GREAT NIGHT FOR SENSATIONS.
Aid. Murphy Cauterizes McCardy
and Champions the Cause of
the Police.

ft remained for the board of aldermen
TO contribute real, live, spicy meet
ing. 1t also remained for Republi-
can member of that board to openly
insult the corporation attorney of
the city of ST Paul, by charging him
with making a corrupt deal with a
Republican member of the last legis-
lature in order to secure the defeat Of
a bill to reduce his-the corporation
attorney ey's-salary. In making this
charge, the Republican alderman nec-
essarily cast an imputauon upon
Republican legislature and a Repub-
Hcan member of that legislature, but
the personal accusation leveled at
Edward j. Darragh was unwarranted
by any measure before the council. 1t
is needless to say that Mr.. Darragh
resented the charge and rebuked his
accuser.
The meeing had progressed with the
customary humdrum uneventfulness
so noticeable of late, When Aid. Mark
ham arose.
The alderman, always a right natty
dresser, looked particularly smooth
last night. He had discarded his
jaunty business-or rather his pro-
fessional suit, for he is a lawyer-in
favor of nicely fitting black coat
and vest and narrow-striped trousers.
A blushing rosebud nestled in the Ia
>pel Of his stylish coat. His graceful
mustache had Enthusiastically received
professional curl not long before.
Moderating his voice With that nice
faculty of adjustment noticeable in
lawyers who, like the willy Bill Err
win, would hypnotic jury, Aid.
Markham began, in insinuating tones.
to apologize for a resolution he was
about to introduce. The resolution,
stripped of all formal verbiage, simply
Topped off $500 a year from the
$1,000 salaries of the city attorney, city
clerk, city engineer and city treasurer,
and did not disturb the city comp
troller's salary Of $500. -
After regaling the council with
history. of the action of the legislature,
which, in spite of it's hay-seed sena-
tors, would not pass bill to reduce the
salaries of present incumbents, Aid.
Markham singled out, without appar-
ent cause, the city attorney of st. Paul,
and delivered
TRADE AGAINST HIM.
'It is a well-known fact" said Aid.
Markham, with his hands clasped in
front of him, that the corporation at
torney of our city promised a member
of the Legislature that he would make
his, the legislators, brother one of his
assistants, on condition that the legis-
lator succe eded in securing the defeat
of the bill to reduce city officers sal
aries. That the corporation attorney
violated this agreement is no more
creditable than the agreement itself"
Then, after declaring that his resolu-
tion would save the city $4,000, Aid.
Markham reverted once more to the
city attorney, and added the gratui-
tous slur that he would have provided
in his resolution for the reduction of
the $500 salary of the first assistant
city attorney, Mr.. Phillips, were 1t
not that Mr.. Phillips was conducting
practically the entire work of the
department.
This was about enough for Mr.. Dar-
ragh to endure. When the alderman
sat down, Mr.. Darragh arose and ex-
claimed:
'I wish to state candidly and pub
licly, as the corporation attorney of
the city of st. Paul, that never made
any promise to any member of the
legislature regarding my office or the
conduct of it, 1 defy Mr.. Markham or
anybody in this municipality to prove
that did such thing"
Then, after regaining his breath, Mr..
Darragh proceeded, in indignant tones,
to reveal the milk in the cocoanut. He
continued:
Let me inform you, gentlemen, that
there is
A PERSONAL ANIMUS
behind Mr.. Markham's attack. 1 dis
charged his brother from the position
of this assistant city attorney Had
L retained him, this scene would never
have occurred. But L refused to keep
him, though he came to me and plead
ed for reinstatement. I'll admit that
Alderman Markham never approached
me in regard to the matter"
Alderman Markham replied that the
charge he had made against Mr. Dar-
ragh was a matter of common knowl-
edge. and declared that his brother
had never Informed him that he had
asked Darragh to take him back.
but if my brother did apply for
reinstatement" continued Aid. Mark
ham. at doesn't concern me. 1 am not
my brothers keeper" :.
Ry this time the faces of the alder
man from the Seventh ward and the
city attorney were noticeably red, and
when Aid Markham intimated that his
brother belonged to the same party as
Mr.. Darragh, Aid. Ehrmanntraut put
a stop to the controversy by inquir1ng
whether Aid Markham meant to i'm
ply that Mr.. Darragh was a Republic
can. or hiS-Markham'S brother-a
Democrat, Aid. Markham answered:
~ certainly have never observed any
SYMPTOMS of Republican about Mr..
Darragh, but / am sorry to confess
that my brother has many OF the traits
commonly ascribed to the Democratic
party" Uaughter)
This ended the trouble and the clerk
read AID. Markham's resolution, which,
the alderman asked, be considered at
a meeting to be held one week from
Friday night. The resolution, besides
reducing the $1,000 officials to $500.
also reduces the salaries of other city
officials 20 the following sums:
Secretary of the water commission,
from $500 to s2,4OO; superintendent or
water department. from $500 to A.SOO;
building Inspector. s1,S0O; chief of fire
department, $3.50; first assistant en-
gineer, s., 500; second assistant engineer,