The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-06
SPRING ELECTION
IS NEAR AT HAND
Many CounciImen and School Con.
trollers TO Be Chosen.
BOTH PARTIES WILL BE ACTIVE
Political Complexion in Councils on
Joint Ballot and in the Bonrd of
Control Now Favors the Democrats.
Twenty Councilmen and Eleven
Controllers Are TO he Elected.
Many Aidermanic and ConstabuIary
Terms Expire.

At the coming spring elections ten
select councilmen, ten common coun-
cilmen and eleven school controllers
are to be elected. Aldermen and con-
stables are to be chosen in several
wards. Prospective candidates of both
parties have already begun to canvas
or are mapping out a line of action
with their friends. BY the first Of jan
uary the pot will be boiling with un-
usual vigor.
1t is not difficult to foresee that the
strife will be turbulent, as both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans will have op-
portunity to change the political COM
plexion of the two branches of council
and the board of control. This fact
makes it certain that rivalry Will as
sumo something of a general nature
and extend throughout the city and
not be confined solely to ward fights
At present there is a Democratic
majority of two i'm councils. Out of
twenty-one members of the select
branch eleven are Republican, but
there are twelve Democratic common
ers. New councilmen are to be elect
ed in all the even numbered wards, the
Second, Fourth, Sixth. etc. In the
select branch it is a stand-off as to
which party will have the advantage,
as the ten members whose terms ex-
pire include five Democrats and five
Republicans.
REPUBLICAN OPPORTUNITY.
In the elections Of common council
men, however, the Republicans will
have a decided advantage. OF the ten
members whose terms expire eight are
n. ID
to one of the eight Democratic vacan-
cies the Democratic majority in the
common branch would be reduced to
one vote and the two branches would
be tie on Joint ballot. If two Repub-
lcans can be elected in as many wards
now represented by Democrats there
would be a Republican majority of one
in the lower branch and two on joint
ballot, whereas the joint ballot is at
present in favor Of the Democrats by
two votes.
When councils reorganize after the
election, the only city officers to be
elected by them are a city clerk, who
is clerk Of the select branch, and a
clerk of the common branch. What
ever the political complexion of coun-
ellis may be, City Clerk NJ. II. Lavelle
crat, but councilmen of that faith and
Republicans, too, have, on account Of
his fidelity, competence and non-par-
tisanship, for many years been content
with his administrations and it is prob
able that he will be city clerk until he
retires of his own violition. Common
council Clerk Mahon is satisfactory
to the Democrats of that body and is
9 IL
licans attain a majority.
SCHOOL BOARD.
In the board of control Athe Demo-
Gratis have a majority of votes. OF the
eleven members from the odd-num-
bered wards whose terms expire in the
spring, seven are Republicans and four
Democrats. This will give the latter
the better chance to retain the major
ity.
Following are the councilmen whose
terms expire: Select-Second ward,
Wade NJ. Finn; Fourth, w. j. Thomas
Sixth, NJ. e. Clarke; Eighth. Fred.
Durr; Tenth, Charles +. Wagner:
Twelfth, ]. ]. Manley; Fourteenth, p.
+. Mccain; Sixteenth, Adam Schroe-
der; Eighteenth, NJ. ]. Burns; Twen-
tieth, II. ]. Coyne; common-Second
ward, p, f. Gordon; Fourth, Simon
Thomas; Sixth, John r. Regan; Eighth,
J. j. Flanagan; Tenth, e. r. Wenzel;
Twelfth, NJ. j. Sweeney; Fourteenth,
p. ]. Nealis; Sixteenth, L. p Zeidler;
Eighteenth, ]. f. Noone; Twentieth,
Thomas McGrail. Selectmen are elect
ed for four years and common coun-
cilmen for two years.
Controllers whose terms expire are:
First ward, George II. Shires; Third,
II. j. O'Malley; Fifth George B. Car
son; Seventh, John Devanney; Ninth,
| w. ]. Welsh; Eleventh, C. j. Conrad;
Thirteenth, C. S. Jacobs; Fifteenth,
]. II. Williams; Seventeenth, F. S.
| Barker; Nineteenth, Herman Notz;
| Twenty-first, w. S. Langstaff.