The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-09
MAYOR DORIAN DIDN'T HAVE A
CHANCE TO CHANGE HIS
MIND.
HAD HE HESITATED AGAIN
HE MIGHT HAVE TREATED THE
EIGHTH WARD MAN AS HE
Old BEFORE.
DELEGATION CAME TO PROTEs'
But 1t Was Too Late, rs the Assem-
bIyman Had His Commission in
His Pocket.

AS suggested by the G o b e Mayor
Doran saved himself deal or annoy
ance yesterday, by getting early to his
office and making the appointment to
the board of public works before office
hours. He did nothing but appoint
Ernest l.. Mabon, the Eighth ward
assemblyman to the position. Hardly
had the ink dried on the commission
when a delegation from the Fifth ward
filed into the office bent on securing
a good Republican from that district
the place. In case this could not be
brought about the delegation was to
insist that under no circumstances was
Mabon to be given the appointment.
The coterie were politely informed by
his honor that the stuff was off, and
Mabon had been appointed. This shut
off a deal of talk. at least in the
mayors office, but it did not prevent
the Fifth ward pushers from going
out in the hall and saying all kinds OF
things about the mayor and the new
appointee among themselves.
The gentlemen from the Fifth ward
were not the only ones disappointed, as
the friends of George H. Watson, while
being named, thought I. der all circum
stances the mayor should select Wat
Son for the place. Last spring When
! the term of Dick German, as mem
Der Of the board, expired, Mayor Doran
promised a delegation from the Sew
enth ward that if by any chance Mabon
| did not get the position, Mr.. watson
would certainly be chosen. Mabon at
! that time was thrown over by the
mayor, who feared that one Of the or
gans of the party would open up on
! the administration. The friends of
| Mr.. Watson relying on the promise of
! the mayor, supposed that as Mabon had
| been skipped, the Seventh ward man
would be named. At the last minute,
| however, Oar Reese and Philip Justus
drifted into the mayors office and
laid down on the old man." The re-
| suit was that JuStus was given the
| position. This time the Seventh ward
people having no promise in writing
from Mayor Doran, thought it best
not to place him in an embarrassing
| position again and trusted to his 1udg-
ment in selecting the proper man for
the place, which in their estimation
was Mr. Watson.
w. r. Johnson, the other Eighth
| ward candidate for the vacancy, is
! feeling rather blue over the result, but
as he has been promised the position
in the assembly, made vacant by the
! promotion OF Mabon, he is not feeling
| so bad as he might had the mayor done
other than appoint Mabon.
Mr., Mabon filed with the city clerk
| his resignation from the assembly and
| Immediately afterWard was duly
| sworn in as a member of the board or
public works. He visited the office of
| the board and informed the other three
members of his appointment and left
q box of cigars as an evidence or his
good faith and citation over the pro-
| motion. The point was made yeSter-
day afternoon that Mayor Doran had
! been too previous in making the ap-
pointment of Mabon, for the reason
that the assemblyman could not &C
| cept the position until after the body
! of which he was a member had ac-
cepted and formally acted on his resig-
nation. Assistant City Attorney Phil
lips, seen yesterday afternoon, said ne
had carefully looked up the point and
found that in the case of an assem-
| blyman his resignation took effect as
| soon as it had been filed with the city
| clerk. He had been asked to look up
the law by some one, just who he did
| not say. He was certain, however.
that Mr. Mabon, having filed his resig-
| nation as a member of the assembly
and having been appointed to the
board of public works and duly sworn
in, need have no fear of being ousted
on any such point as had been raised.
The appointment of Mabon is for the
uneXpired term to which William Ban
| hOlZer was appointed, and will expire
in March, 1898.
| Mayor Doran, seen yesterday after
noon, spoke very highly of Mr.. Ma
bon's ability, and said he had no doubt
| but that the new appOintee would fill
the position acceptably AS the mayor
put it, Mr.. Mabon has deal Of horse
sense"
Mr.. Mabon stated to a reporter for
the G O b that in all probability w.
r. johnson, of the Eighth ward, would
succeed him in the assembly. Mr..
Johnson had been, Mr.. Mabon said,
unanimously chosen by the Republi-
cans of the ward to take the position
made vacant by his resigning, and
so far as he knew Johnson would be
| chosen by the other members of the
| assembly. Several of the members of
! the assembly. who were seen during
yesterday said there was no doubt but
that Johnson would succeed Mabon In
| that body.
With the advent of Mabon into the
board three of the four members will
not only be Republicans, but also per-
sons appointed by Mayor Doran. There
are two clerical positions in the office
| at present which are not held by Re-
| publicans. These are the chief clerk
and stenographer. The first is held
| by w. Fl Erwin, and the other by
| Miss Minnie Schroeder. An attempt
was made when Messrs. Copeland and
Justus took their seats to GUST all those
who had been serving as clerks under
the board. Messrs. Hare and Ban
holzer, however, insisted on a fair
| division and refused to vote for the
removal of either Chief Clerk Erwin
or Miss Schroeder. The Republican
members therefore had to be satisfied
with naming two Of the clerks. It Is
expected that as soon as Mr.. Mabon
takes his seat in the board change
in the chief clerk and stenographer
will be made, and yesterday afternoon
the applicants for the positions COM
menced to call at the Office of the
| board and buttonhole the members.
The salary paid the chief clerk is $1,000
per year and that paid the stenograph-
| er $50 per month.