The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-01
SIDE SHOW TO A MAGAZINE.
League of American Municipalities
on Rock That May Wreck 1t.

Oh IL MOCK Instt-Nuay wreck
COLUMBUS, O., Sept. .3O.-By it's ac-
ton this afternoon in the election Of
a permanent executive officer the con-
ference of mayors astrdtk the rock
which, in opinion of many of it's most
conservative and far-seeing men,
bers, seriously threat enss it's possibili-
ties for usefulness and may wreck it
absolutely at the start B. F. Gilki-
son, publisher of City Government, was
the recipient of the homer, and in the
presentation of his name by Mayor
Green, of Binghampton, N. Y, it was
declared that if his candidacy should
provoke any considerable opposition,
he would not permit himself to destroy
the unity and harmony of the new or
ganization at the outset. Up to mid.
night, however, Gi1kison had not re-.
signed the office.
There is no objection to Gilkison as
to character or ability, but those OPP
posed to him feel that with him as
secretary and executive officer the or
ganization will be hopelessly tied UP,
to his publication as its organ, and
thus be charged with the responsibility
for the policy of the magazine and all
it's utteranees.
The fight was a sharp one and in
tensely interesting at times. 1t was
precipitated early in the session when
the constitution was under discussion.
The fourth article provides that all the
officers, except the secretary, shall be
officers of municipality holding men,
bership in the organization. Mayor
quincy, of Boston, moved to strike
out the exception and the fight was
on. He made strong, earnest and
eloquent protest against linking this
league of municipalities with any
mans business or lending it's influence
to the furtherance of his personal in
terests. The secretary, he said, should
be man of dignity. and reputation
and familiar with municipal affairs,
chosen out of theiro own ranks. The
league could not afford, to have it's
affairs conducted in the interests of a
newspaper or a magazine, and he
warned the organization that it would
work its own ruin by s6ch action.
The constitution provides that the
name of the mayors" organization
shall be the League of american Mu-
inequalities" It's objects are the gen
eral Improvement and facilitation of
every branch of municipal administra-
ton by the. following means First,
the perpetuation Of the. organization
as an agency for the c6-operation of
American cities in the practical study
of all questions pertaining to munich
pal administration; second, the holding
of annual conventions for the discus
sion OF contempOraneous municipal af-
fQl rcs. irl H. Il
maintenance of central bureau of in
formation for the collection, compila-
ton and dissemination of statistics.
and reports and all kinds of informal
tlon relative to municipal government
Any municipality in the United
States or Canada may become mem
Der, the national membership fees be-
ing as follows: Cities under 25, 900 pop
uiation, $40; between %, 600 and so. O0C.
$50; between $4,000 and 100, 900, $40: BE-,
tween 100000 and 10000, $50; over 20O.-
o0o, $50. :, Every city holding member
ship shall. be entitled to send it's mayer
and as many members of its general
council and board of aldermen as it
may desire, as delegates to the annual
meeting. The officers consist of a5pres-
ident, vice president, a secretary and
treasurer and three trustees, each OF
whom shall be an official of a city
holding membership, excepting the sec
rotary, and no two of whom shall be
from the same state. This board of
officers shall constitute the executive
committee. The secretary is to con
duct the bureau of Information ami
will receive a salary.
John McVickar, of Des Moines. To-.
was elected president; Mayor Collyer,
of Atlanta, vice president; Mayor
Black, of Columbus, treasurer, and thu
following trustees: Mayor Warner, OF
Peoria, ILL.,; Councilman Walker, of
Trenton, N. j., and Councilman Rand.
of Minneapolis
During the discussion of the consti-
tuition an effort was made to shut out
of the league all cities of less than 5000
population, but after a hot fight for
the small municipalities, led by Mayor
Collyer, of Atlanta, it was agreed to
place no restriction on membership as
to population. Thus the smallest
boom city in Idaho. will have the
same voting power as Greater New
York.
Mayor Johnson, of Fargo N D., pre-
sided at the afternoon session. Detroit
was chosen as the next place of meet
ing, the other candidates being ST
Paul, Niagara Falls, Binghampton n
Y. and Atlantic City, N J.
Mayor Quincy, of Boston, said that
he had hoped that some good might
come out of the organization, but he
could now see no chance of it's success
on the lines I'D out The city of Bos-
ton, he added, could not join an or
ganization of this sort, already weak
ened by an entangling and an embar.
RAISING alliance with a private busl-
ness enterprise, and many other cities
would feel the same way: Other dele
gates tonight predict the failure of the
league if it is to be run as a side show
to monthly publication. There are
some, of course, who are enthusiastic
over the outlook.