The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-10
COMMITTEE WORK
NOT APPRECIATED
Common Council Repudiates Mr.. Sweeney
and His Colleagues.
SAID THEY WERE A BIT TOO FRESH
Had No Right to Go Smelling for Vice
and immortality as a Committee of
Councii--Mr. Sweeney Replies by
Averring That His Opponents Don't
Want the City to BE Nice aud Clean,
Morally Speaking.

Common council sat down hard on its
vice and immortality committee last
night. 1t told Mr.. Sweeney and his col
leagues that they were too officious and
by their r-officiousness had made
the common council the laughing stock
Of the town. A good many other things
were also said and one of the commit
tees critics said in an inslnuating kind
of a tone that there were a good many
things unsaid that could be said.
This is the report submitted by the
committee that caused all the bother:
Scranton, Pa, Sept. 9, 1897.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Common Council:
Gentlemen.-Your committee beg leave
to report the following:
Immediately on our appointment steps
were taken to ascertain the number and
location of gambling shops within the
city limits.
This was no difficult task, as Chicago
in it's palmiest days did not keep open
house with such effrontery as the
Scranton gamblers. After compiling
census of the sablfAhments, notices
were sent to each, in the name of the
committee, and with one exception all
obeyed the mandate to close. The ex-
ception is a man named Seamans, who is
doing business on Lackawanna avenue.
He is located on the second floor of the
building known as 200 Lackawanna ave-
nue., and is open day and night. His in
science is annoying and we can come only
to the conclusion that his rooms are
being visited by those in authority. The
committee does not desire to constitute
itself a public prosecutor, and for that
reason makes this report If, however,
council desires the committee to do work
which should properly come under an
other head your committee stands ready
to assume the responsibility.
AFTER A NEWSPAPER.
There is another matter which we de-
sire to call the attention of councils and
the respective heads of departments, of
which it would come under it's jurisdic-
tion, that is a particular Sunday paper
| that is given away gratis. In our opin-
ion and those we have consulted with,
we believe 1t to be a most corrupt sheet
| No man is safe, no matter what his
standing in public life may be- They
| have attacked our Honorable Mayor and
| our most worthy chief of the police de-
| partment Such vile slandering of honest
| officials would not be tolerated in any
| city but our own
| Your committee does not fear any of
| its criticisms but will do their work
honestly and fearlessly as they find it,
| However, we think it about time that
such unprncipled and blackmailing prac-
| tices of honest citizens should be stopped
| by those who have Jurisdiction over such
matters. Most respectfully yours,
| NJ. j. Sweeney.
| Thomas Norton
| r. j. Sheridan.
Captain Moir, Mr. Keller and Mr.,
| oliver basted the committee right and
left for going out and making itself a
! laughing stock of the community and
bringing the council into disrepute Mr..
Sweeney and Mr.. Gilroy argued for the
report and expressed great surprise
that good Christian gentlemen should
hesitate to help Sweeney ct al. to put
the thumb-screws to viciousness and
immortality.
REPORT NOT ADOPTED.
The vote on the motion to adopt the
report was as follows:
Ayes-Messrs. Reese, Regan, Glroy,
Sweeney, Noone. Sheridan, Farber,
| Neals-S.
Nays-Messrs. Thomas, Walker, Flan-
agan, Moir, Wenzel, Wirth, Jackson,
Oliver, zeidler, Keller--1O.
Among the new measures introduced
was an ordinance increasing perma-
nent firemen's pay to $50 after the first
year; asking for plans for paving San
| derson avenue, between Marion and
Market streets; Capouse avenue, be-
| tween Ash and Green Ridge streets.
and Green Ridge street, between Ca
pouse and Sanderson avenues.
A resolution introduced by Mr.. Wen
Eel, forbdding the use of the swings
and merry -go-rounds at Nay Aug park
on Sunday, was passed by a vote of Il
to s, Messrs. Walker, Regan, Gilroy
Norton and Nealis voting in the mega
tive.
Z. S. Williams was awarded the con-
tract for remodeling the Center street
station house. His bid of $1,975 was
the only one to come within the appro-
priation, $1,000.
Complaints were received from the
board of health concerning various un-
sanitary places about. the city. A COM
munication was received from Samter
Bros asking that the electric light in
front of the Commercial building be
removed to some other corner, as they
want to put in a circular curb at that
point. Both these matters were re.
ferred.
The resolution ordering the police
committee to investigate the Bellevue
riot was tabled on motion of Mr.. Noone