The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-13
There Was NO QUORUM
Although There Was Plenty Of
Material About to Make One.
FERBER NATTER GOES OVER
Captain MOir Makes Another Reform"
Spccch-Milis Was His Inspiration.
bids for Erecting Nay Aug Engine
House Rcceivcd-Other Matters.

Ferber's appointment consequently
goes over until next Thursday night.
There were fifteen members i'm and
about the meeting room at O'Clock
but it was impossible to get eleven Of
them together at any one time. Finally
President Westpfahl became convinced
| that a majority of the members were
not i'm favor of a session and so at S.15
! O'Clock, with only five members in their
seats he ordered the roll call. Messrs.
Roche. Schwenk. Manley. Fellows and
Westpfahl were the only ones who re-
! sponded and when no quorum was de-
clared, adjournment was made until
next Thursday night, when regular
meeting is scheduled.
There was large crowd of spectators
| In attendance to see the expected fun
! but they We're compelled to go away
unsatsfied. 1t was expected that the
( fire department committee would have
a meeting previous to the council meet
| ing. but u quorum of that body also
| failed to materialize. The Mills matter
which was also to have come up last
night went over until next meeting with
the fire department appointments.
BUSY SESSION OF COMMON.
! Captain Nloir took advantage of his
| position as a common councilman last
night to make an attack on Mayor
| Connell. using as the basis of his criti-
| cism the unsupported statement of eX-
| Police Officer Thomas f.. Mills, whom
| the mayor has dismissed because of
charges made against him by two young
| girls. The immediate occasion of the
| captains remarks was he introduction
! of u resolution granting Mills $3.50 sal
| AIRY for the time that he was idle,
1 which was from Nov. u, until March |,
! when notified of the result of the in
/ VeStigation of his case. Who intro
/ duced the resolution is not known and
: although several spoke in favor of 1t
no one would father IT. Clerk Hatton
: claimed that 1t was found on his desk
! and that Chairman Grier told him to
| read 1t, when his attention was called
/ to 1t. 1t read as follows:
Whereas. Police Officer Thomas Mills
! has been suspended from duty since Nov.
! q, 1897, and that during that time the
! investigation has been pending he has
been ready and willing to perform his
+ duty as patrolman as soon as notified
3 of his reinstatement: and
Whereas. The mayor mas now made his
J removal absolute and that he is not to
b he reinstated: therefore be it
1 Resolved. by the common council, ;he
select council concurring, that the fiscal
/ officers OF the city are hereby authorized
| and directed TO issue Il city warrant TO
said Thomas +. Mills IN the sum of. two
/ hundred and fifty dollars, being payment
| in fun for the time suspended to Marcn
| |. 1896
Several councilmen We're on their feet
! in an instant with their "agin' the
| government speeches. one of them.
Captain MOir. made remarks which viii
no doubt be of interest to the public
| because they were made by Captain
! MOir. not because of the personality of
I Captain Moir but because his remarks
| have n connection with political bat
| tie. which attracted widespread atten-
| tion and in which the captain was an
incident. In disconnected sort Of
way the captain went on to say:
WHAT THE CAPTAIN SAID.
"The mayor had no reason to keep
/ this man in suspense so long--or, yes.
yes. he had a reason, you know the
reason. | know the reason, we know
the reason. Mills went around with
tears In his eyes as big as peas asking
| his friends to vote for a certain set
of delegates. There's the reason. Why
didn't he dismiss him before election?
He was footing his horn in the papers
the other day. He has made good
mayor. He's paid for that. But this
thing Is Dicayune politics. If he had
any manhood abou, him he would pay
this claim himself, We don't know
what it Is going to cost. 1t will not be
disposed of until select council takes
I final action. We ought to let the cit
iZens hear these things, etc. etc. etc.
4. When the captain had quite exhaust
ed himself Mr.. Keller very calmly re-
, marked that II was quite Inconsistent
for a body to pass Il set of resolutions
commencing a mayor at one meeting
and at the very next meeting to make
uncalled for and undignfied attacks
on him The matter was referred to
ha nnlitn nnnit tn in inn
with the city solicitor.
The fight for municipal favor be-
tween electricity and gas was an in
teresting feature of the meeting. The
report that the estimates committee
intended to resurrect the resolution dis
pensing with the use of electric lights
i'm city buildings brought from the
Scranton Illuminating, Heat and Pow
err company a letter in which they
called attention to the fact that it was
no fault of theirs that the light bills
are so high. but that it was due to
the reckless and eXtravagant use to
which the lights are put: and further
that in order to lessen the bills by
preventing the waste of electricity the
company is willing to contribute the
services of it's electrician in rewriting
the engine houses 50 that the number
of lamps may be decreased where such
a thing can be done without hardship
to the company Following this there
was read letter from the Hunt &
COnnell company. offering to supply
Wellsbach burners. giving prices and
explaining the merits of this improved
burner, samples of which were in ope-
ration on the side brackets and on
the standards at the chairman's desk.
Both letters were referred to the light
and water committee.
NAY AUG ENGINE HOUSE.
Bids for the construction Of the new
Nay Aug engine house at the corner of
Franklin avenue and Page court. were
i opened and read and much to the de-
light of the friends of the project there
were any number of bids under $4,000
which is the estimated available
amount. The bidders and their figures
follow: T.. S. Williams. $9.26O; f.. Finn
& Sons, 10000: Mulhertn & Judge. 3d.
$50: Edwin c. Hughes. $9S60 electric
wiring $751; additionaD; Frank Shiffer.
50. 800 electric wiring. $ls5): Peter Stipp,
$4,000 electric wiring. $3.50; Conrad
Schroeder So. $500 including electric wir-
ing)
The proposals were referred to the
fire department committee. wish in
structions to award the contract to the
lowest responsible bidder. providing,
however. that the necessary funds are
available. At present there is $500 re-
naming in the fund for the purchase Of
real estate The accrued interest on
the moneys in that fund will possibly
make up the necessary amount. In or
der to have this accrued interest ap-
piled to the fund for the Nay Aug house.
Mr.. Robinson introduced resolution
transferring it from the sinking fund.
This. by the way. was Mr. RObinson's