The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-20
BURNS HAS BEEN
TURNED DOWN FLAT
tie Can Do No More Work for the City
OF Scranton.
HIS HONOR HAS ISSUED ORDERS
Mr.. Burns Is Select Councilman from
the Eighteenth Ward and lie Has
Been TOO Independent to Suit the
City Hall Gang-- lie Does Not Pro-
pose to Submit Quietly--Is Now En-
gagged in Making Some Investiga-
tions.

Persons about city hall yesterday
might have noticed, had they been OBJ
servant, a short-sized, dark-visaged
determined looking man, with a pen
Gil and pad and an expression of coun-
tenance that would cause those hap
penng to observe him to involuntarily
edge away trfle. He is taking notes
and between each take he could be
heard to mutter dire, dread mutters.
He was Select Councilman NJ. J.
Burns, of the Eighteenth ward.
For the last thirty years Mr. Burns
has worked at the trade of bricklayer
and mason. For the last eight or ten
years Mr.. Burns has been official br,ck-
layer for the city. AS may be believed
he is good all around workman and
as viii be apparent to anyone he must
be expert in the particular line of work
that the city usually requires of ma
son.
His peculiar adaptablity is for sewer
basins, manholes and such like super
ordinary work that the average mason
cannot do as well, or at least as deftly
as one who has had lengthy exper-
ience in it, In fact Street Commas
sioner Dunning says of him that he
can do as much as two ordinary men,
and does do it, in constructing sewer
basins such other work as aforemen-
toned.
But Mr.. Burns is no longer Official,
bT.cElayer for the city.
TOO INDEPENDENT.
Ever since his advent to councils he
has maintained a very commendob!e
independence. He represents a Demo
cratic ward, but, as he has openly and
Eoturiously declared all along, even
| In the time of elections, he Is not a
hide bound party man. Out of respect
for the political complexion Of tine
ward he represents he voted as a rule
with the Democrats, but partisanship
never swerved him from whet he
judged was his line Of duty.
This spirit of independence caused
him to run counter of the city hall
| gang on some several occasions of late
and he was called in. He laughed AT
the men who tried to dictate to him
and this so ranked in the breast of
the ring that they decided to re rove
the intractable Mr.. Burns. Being a
poor man they judged Alright that his
bread and butter was his Vulnerable
point and here they struck. Street
Commissioner Dunning was givea or.
ders by Mayor Bailey to clean ou- the
official bricklayer. Tell him that II
is illegal for a councilman to do WORT
for the city, if he asks any questions
were Mr.. Dunnings' instructions.
HIS IRE AROUSED.
This latter mayors message is wha
raised Mr.. Burns ire and caused him t
wear a indicative look and haun: tn,
city hall with pencil and pad. II cam
work down in a ditch for the city bu
some of them can rake off big profit!
from supplies and contracts" SAID Mr.
Burns yesterday afternoon. "Wel
We'll see about that. If it's law the!
want I'll give them a full share of il
1t was all right to take my job ava.
from me, but to have the nerve to d.
it on such a pretext as that Is NOR
than I can stand. I'll let the public IL
on some of the bills that go befor
every auditing committee meeting
They brought it on themselves. lie
them stand from under"
And Mr. Burns went on rummagini
through the accounts for supplies a
city hall and police stations and en-
gine houses.