The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-08
MAYORS IN AND OUT.
How the Lightning Change
Was Received by People.
Mn. Blacks 10 DAYS m OFFICE.
Msyor-Elsct wood Has Not Yss Quail
ned, but WIN - Soon - He Re-
sixus - Regent OF University.

william D. wood 90 suddenly ana sur
pris.nzIy elected mayor OF the city Of se-
attic was al the city hall yesterday after
neon and was pat through course OF
hsrGsnakinx and CONGRATULATIONS. and
hurried sBispsrings that aid not seem to
phase him In the least degree To the
wfisperiags ne would reply. Well. bus
you see 1 attn not mayor yet, and with a
sigr.hesrt smile got pleasantly away. In
q brie, chat with aim In the mayors ante
room he frankly said when asked why he
had not qualified:
Yes. I am going 70 accept: but I have
my affairs 10 arrange before can prop
eriy qualify. In the first place. | must
resign my position as regent OF the UNI
verssty and wait until that IL accepted by
the governor. Then this mayoralfy comes
with such suidennsxs upon me that II VIII
take me some little time to arrange my
business affairs so as to undertake the
duties OF the Office. The charter allows
ten days after election within which to
qualify, and hope to qualify sooner than
that / shan send In my resignation 70
tbs university tomorrow. probably. No.
thank you. | have nothing to say as 10
what I will 90 when ! am mayor. IL Is
little too soon for that"
Mayor Black sat In the mayors room
He was as frank as usual. but what he
said was Of the same tenor as MS state
ment in yesterday mornings PSst-lnteA-
gencer He admitted 10 one Of his visitors
thar the worries Of his office were over
after he had made his appointments. and
that the appointments he had mace nao
met with popular approval
OF course, his action was variously COM
mented upon, and that Of the council also
Ex-Nayor Phelps said, with laugh;
'Well. there is one thing Mr.. Black has
done that no other oiiiee5clder was ever
allowed to do in this city. and that IS APP
point his OWE successor | !hink. 700, that
Wood In a good man, and VIII make z
clean, decent mayor. He T. a thorough
Republican, and don't believe the party
will iose anything by the change In men.
Notwithstanding this. / am sorry that
Mayor Black resigned. because he wac the
man elected By the people. tie has shown
good sense in his appointments. and had
really gone through the most difficult PEE
rod Of his administration. The people
were well satisfied with him; that is. the
real home-loving, tax-paying citizens
were, and think he made a great mistake
In resgning.
.1ie had many advantages over me in
the position Of mayor, because h. had
good private business and a fortune OF his
own to draw upon. while had nothing;
and he had the advantage Of coming in
after two years of decent administration
and tho public demanding very little more
from him than had already been done in
those two years Stiii cannot blame him
for rcsigning After seventeen or eighteen
years Of public life my conclusion is that
there II nothing In IL 10 be compared with
good business such as Mr.. Black is now
conducting. So far as his personal inter-
ests only are concerned. l believe he did
right In rcsgning."
The comment on the action OF the eoun-
ell came from several Republicans, not one
of whom. however. had anything to say
successor. 1t was held that Il would have
been more digniied TO have treated such
q communication as the resignation of the
mayor with more consideration: that they
should, even although In their minds a
successor had been chosen, have hcld the
matter over for several days, IT only for
the looks of the thing" as one Republican
observed. Others held that the council
had no slghrto have acted upon the resig-
nation and have appointed q successor
without a conference with the Republican
party that elected the mayor, and that
party should have some voice In the Sc
lection OF his successor II was n eriu-
clsm OF proceedings only, and did not seem
TO have behind IL any acrid feelings
The circumstances attending AIR Rlaek's
nomination and election were gone over
very freely. II was recalled that on the
very day OF the nomination he had a let
teE written that he could not accept Il.
haA tutA ne was persuaded BY his friends
10 trar this up. During the cam
paign be was harassod by nervous rnissiv-
inss, and even IN the moment Of victory he
stiN had doubts. He acts4lly proposed 10
resign the ofii.e. and In This way. he said.
give Mayor Phelps the second term he SO
We'll deserved
tut ms appointments were well received
and as eS-Mayor Phelps says. the most
tfytrg phase OF his administration was
over. one leading Republican SAID yester-
day; The resignation was no surprise
70 me, have expected II for several DAYS.
Mayor Black was perfectly frank about his
disNke or his experiences IN the foayoral.v
chAr. but there were very very few who
really uN0gjSlt he could decline such AN
honor.
He leaves for his successor as appoint
ments The chief OF police. The chief Of the
NJ" department. the clerk Of the r,aunirinsi
court. whose term ends next month ana
the unpaid parks advisory board Of ave
commissioners.