The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-03

Common Council.
Select council last night refused to
confirm Mayor Bailey's appointment of
Messrs. McCann, Scranton and Bedford
as park commissioners.
Mr.. Finn, for the park committee,
submitted a report signed by himself,
Mr.. Robinson and Mr.. Chittenden, rec
ommendng the confirmation of the ap-
pointees. Mr.. Burns protested against
the adoption of the recommendation,
saying he was a member of the COM
mittee, yet had not been notified of any
meeting. He held that 1t was not only
unfair, but illegal, for a committee to
pass upon a matter without twenty
four hours notice from the chairman
to all the members, and in view of the
fact that the meeting from which the
report emanated was a dark corner
session of a minutes duration, he
moved to postpone consideration of the
appointments until the next regular
meeting. Messrs. Clarke and Wagner
were on their feet simultaneously with
like motions.
Mr.. Finn arose and said: "Mr. chair
man, don't see why they should post
pone-" Something or another occurred
to him which caused him to pause and
quit and the roll call on postponement
was proceeded with.
Ayes-Messrs. Kearney, Thomas. Will
Jams, Clarke, Roche, Wagner, Mccain,
Schroeder, Lansing, Burns, Frable, Coyne,
McAndrew-13
Nays-Messrs. Ross, Finn Chittenden,
Robinson, Manley, Fellows, Sanderson-7.
Absent-Mr. Durr.
The motion was declared carried and
the nominations will go over until the
third Thursday of September.
THAT BELLEVUE RIOT.
A great deal of discussion was en-
gendered by Mr.. Clarke's resolution
directing the police committee to take
testimony regarding the recent riot in
Bellevue. He explained that the people
of his ward believed a stigma had been
unjustly cast upon a number Of their
best young men and on the whole local
ity, also that the police officers had
overstepped their authority, and as
they could not get a fair hearing be-
fore Mayor Bailey, they desired coun-
ellis to take the matter in hand and
give them an opportunity to set them
selves Alright before the public.
Messrs. Finn, Lansing and Chitten-
den argued against the resolution on
the grounds that council has no author
ity to conduct such a hearing not hav-
ing the power to summon witnesses or
administer oaths. Mr.. Manley sought
to overcome this difficulty by inserting
an amendment directing the mayor to
act with the committee, but this was
lost on a tie vote Mr.. Thomas sought
to indefinitely postpone action, but this
also was defeated the vote being nine
ayes to eleven nays.
Then Mr.. Clarke moved to adopt the
resolution. In answer to questions by
Mr.. Wagner and other members, Mr..
| Clarke stated that he could not say
| for certain what charges were made
against the officers, but he knew that
| If the officers had passed on about their
| business and not followed the young
| men into the hotel the riot would never
| have occurred. "The officers over on
that beat" continued Mr.. Clarke, have
exceeded their authority before, if they
didn't this time and, further than that,
| they more than any one else are re-
! sponsible for the hard reputation that
the locality has been given, from their
| having made dead-line gang stories out
of every little affair that occurs over
there. There are more sober, indus
trious young men in my ward than any
ward in the city"
The vote on the passage of the reso-
| luton was then taken and it resulted
as follows:
Ayes-Messrs. Kearney Clarke, Roche,
| )n1,t No, Mo-
Burns, Frable, Coyne, McAndrews-l1.
| Nays-Messrs. Ross, Finn, Thomas,
| Williams, Chittenden, Wagner, Fellows
Lansing, Sanderson-9.
MGINLEY WANTS HELP.
! A communication was received from
City Solicitor Mckinley suggesting that
his predecessor, James H. Torrey, be
engaged to assist in the preparation
and argument of the appeal to the
Supreme court of the special assess
ment case of Jermyn and Others
against the city, Mr.. Torrey, as ne ex-
planned, being familiar with the case
he having argued it before the loca,
courts.
Mr.. Chittenden wanted to instruct the
city solicitor to drop the case entirely
but upon a reminder from Mr.. Roche
that the city solicitor had been only
instructed to carry the case up, and
a further reminder from Mr.. Fellow!
that the life of the board of revision
and appeals depended on the final out.
come, Mr.. Chittenden sat down, but
he afterwards registered a solitary vote
against a resolution embodying Mr.
McGinley's suggestion.
Street Commissioner Dunning sent IN
a communication asking for further
appropriation of $500 or 81 900 to finisF
the repairing of West Market stree
and another notifying councils that
owing the appropriation ror repairs O.
sewers being exhausted, he could no
carry out the work of repairing tn,
Garfield avenue sewer as directed
Both letters were referred to commit
tee.
Michael Reap's offer to compromis
for $500 his suit for damages to hi
West Market street property, was re
ported by City Solicitor Mckinley 4
include damages sustained up to tn
time of the verdict. Thereupon coun
Gil referred the matter to committee L
effect a compromise on the verdict AM
also subsequent damages. on recon-
mendation of the judiciary committe
claim for damages of John and Henr.
Weisenfluh, of Luzerne street, was set
tied for $55.
Mr. Roche introduced a resolution di
recting the city engineer to follow tn
present curb line when resetting curb
on Phelps street, between Capouse an
Washington avenues. This was adopt
ed, as was also a resolution directin
| the city engineer 10 aScartain Ubv IN