The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-05
CRITICISED THEIR
UNION OFFICERS
Warm Time at the 6. 7. A. U. Quarterly
Convention.
DIOCESAN DELEGATES CENSURED
President O'Hara and Messrs. LAWN
and Mackin, Of Wilkes. Barre, Who
We're Chiefly instrumental In Bring.
ing the National Convention to
Scranton Are Assailed for What Is
Termed an Unwarranted and I'm.
authorized Action.

But for the intervention Of peace
maker there would have been a good
sized row at yesterdays quarterly con-
vention of the second district of the c.
Y. A. IT,, held in st. David's hall, North
ain avenue. under the auspices of st.
Leo's battalion.
John J. O'Hara, of Parsons, president
of the diocesan union; Charles 5. Lawn,
and Francis Mackin, of Wilkes-Barre,
We're present. So also We're James r.
Judge. editor of the Diocesan Index,
and NJ. j. O'Toole, city editor of the
Times. The three Luzernites were the
principal factors in securing the 1897
national convention for Scranton.
When they were starting for st. Lows
last August. Mr.. Judge got wind of
their intention of booming Scranton for
the convention and through the col
umns of his paper warned them
against 1t, as Scranton had not author
lied them to use its name and further
more did not want the expensive honor.
The warning was unheeded and the
gentlemen from the Iuzerne end OF the
diocese after a gallant fight succeeded
in gaining the honor for the Electric
City.
Messrs. Judge, O'Toole and others
took 1t that the Luzerne men, and par
tcularly President OHara, We're doing
a very injudicious and unwarranted
thing in foisting the convention on
Scranton, without authority or as much
as by your leSve. and when the op-
portunity presented itself yesterday
they were not slow in expressing their
sentiments on the subject.
At the opening of the meeting
Chairman Timothy Mccoy called
n Vt.x
and Mackin to the platform and each
in turn told how they had succeeded in
having Scranton named for the con-
vention and how they would expect
the Scranton societies to show their
appreciation of the great honor by
awakening to the urgency of making
an early start in the preparations. 1t
was evident that they were aware of
the Judge-OToole sentiment, as each
of the speakers dwelt particularly upon
the fact that Bishop O'Hara had given
his approval to the campaign for the
convention, when it was broached to
him, and Mr.. Mackin, who spoke last,
further attested their consciousness of
the fact that in some quarters their
victory was not received with unbound
ed ardor, by saying, just before he sat
down. that he was there to answer any
questions the delegates may propose
concerning the action Of diocesan dele
gates i'm inviting the national conven-
tion to Scranton" The applause which
followed his remarks would seem to in
dicate that the delegates on the whole
were in hearty accord with the action
of the delegates.
HAD NO AUTHORITY.
But If they imagined for an instant
that the convention was unanimous in
commencing their action they were
doomed to disappointment After some
desultory discussion of the stated ques-
tion of the day, Resolved, That it Is
detrimental to allow a member to Join
more than one society,"" Chairman Nc
Coy suggested that some action he
taken to ratify the delegates work in
securing the convention. A motion was
made by j. c. Gallagher that a ways
and means committee consisting of
one delegate from each society be ap-
pointed to prepare for the convention
ii was then Mr. O'Tooe unlOosed his
CANNES of contention. Now, that the
societies had the convention to care for,
he thought 1T was no more than right
that they should know, If they wer.
not already aware of it, that the ma
tiOnal delegates had brought the con-
Vention to Scranton with absolutely no
authority and against the wishes of pos
sibly the majority of the Scranton so
cieties While he would accept the in
evitable and do what he could to make
the convention success he wanted to
go on record as being opposed to the
unwarranted action which brought the
convention here. Why, he asked, IL the
Wilkes Barre men wanted the Scranton
diocese to have the convention. did they
not take it to their own city?
IL,
much warmth. In his remarks which
We're directed to Mr. Toole, he said it
would be very foolish on the part of
any one man to think that he was COM
PEELED To aid in making reauy for the
convention to think for an instant the
union officers or national delegates
cared a whit for his criticism. He had
no apologies to make for the part he
acted at st. Louis. The national con-
vention owed nothing to Scranton. 1t
| hOnored Scranton In coming here
John Fl. Devine, after giving Mr..
O'TOole credit for being conscientious
In his opposition. gave him gentle
dressing down, first by reminding him
| that his own society, the st, Peters $
of Bellevue, pledged itself enthusiastic
cally for the 1897 convention, and.
secondly by characterizipg his on
slaught on the unions president as un-
timely and discourteous and tending
to do much harm. Mr.. Devine raised a
| laugh by remarking that during his
! own incumbency as president of the
Union he was kept so busy defending
his own personality that he had little
| time for the work of the office
Mr.. LAWN rose to explain that before
| the delegates went to St. Louis they
heard there was some opposition to their
proposed fight for the convention and
to satisfy themselves as to. it's truth
or falsity they canvassed the Scran-
ton Father Mathew men as far as they
could conveniently do so. and out Of the
100 or more members seen not one was
found but who was heartily in favor
of the movement.
MIR. JUDGES REMARKS.
Mr.. Judge next took shot at the Lu-
zernites. He said that possibly they
had consulted a number of Scranton
men before going to the convention,
but they made sure they approached no
one but those they knew were favor
able to their design. He characterized
their action as unauthorized and de-
serving of censure and the convention
as a very costly honor.
No one opposed the motion for the
appointment Of the ways and means
committee and it was declared passed.
During the discussion Chairman Nc
Coy made the statement that at the
last quarterly convention a resolution
was passed urging the delegates to seek
the convention for Scranton. Mr..
OToole questioned this statement and
reference to the minutes of Secretary
Burke failed to show anything even
suggestive of what Chairman Mccoy
had maintained. When Mr.. Gallagher
at this juncture offered vote of thanks
to President OHara and the national
delegates for bringing the convention
to Scranton. Mr.. O'Toole jumped to
his feet with a vigorous protest.
This Is putting it on too thick" he
said. 1--WE gave them coat of paint
when we appointed ways and means
committee to take care of the conven-
ton. There is no need of wnitewash-
ing over that This is too much like