The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-05

date and failed to elect city solicitor as
required by law il Is now deemed prac-
ticable by me and a majority Of the said
convention to meet ana elect city soIci-
tor
You are notified that there will be a
meeting of the said joint convention held
in the regular place Of meeting in the
municipal bl Hiding i'm the City of Scranton
on Wednesday, May 5, 1881 at s o'clock
p. m., for the purpose of electing a city
solicitor.
(Seal) James q. Bailey, Mayor.
the mayor seeks to bolster up his
unprecedented and clearly illegal ac-
ticn in calling a Joint convention" of
councils by arguing that the law bear
ing on the election of q city solicitor
is mandatory; it directs that the cleo
tion shall be held OH a certain date or
as soon thereafter as practicable; it is
now shown to the mayor that it is
practical at this time to effect an cleo
tion and as it is the statutory duty of
the mayor to cause the laws and
ordinances to be enforced" he is bound
to summon the councils to proceed to
the election pf a city solicitor.
THEY WILL NOT ATTEND.
OF course the Republicans will not
attend the meeting. They do not rec
ogniZe the authority of the mayor to
call a, "iOint convention of councils
and are positive he can show no au-
thority for so doing. He may call a
Joint meeting of councils to transact
| any particular business or any gen.
| eral business but nowhere in the stat
| utes is he given authority to summon
| a Joint convention.
The Republican leaders after hear
| ing Cf the call got together last even
| ing and decided to pay no heed to it.
| Mr. Torrey was consulted and he said
| that for his part he would not care
| to go into tonight's convention if he
| had an assured victory in sight as he
/ would not consider as legal an election
! obtained at such a notoriOuSly irTegu-
! lar meeting.
| Just why the Democrats are 50 fond
| ly assured that the election is at pres
ent practicable is of course religious
ly guarded. There We're wild rumOrs
afloat during the day that they had
secured the support of three Republi-
cans. Milder reports had it that they
had two Republicans sure. Still milder
but equally preposterous statemea
were to the effect that they had o.
one necessary vote. Various members
were mentioned as the probable desert
ers, but almost in every instance the
report differed But that it would be
highly impolitic to mention rames thu
absurdity Of these reports could be
shown on the face of them.
WANT A LEGAL TANGLE.
The Republicans are OF the opinion
| IA CkA a in
or al all events no possibility of break
ing the deadlock and in anticipation
of the Republicans effecting this result
have resorted to the desperate extreme
of getting up some kind of lega
tangle and trust to the one chance ir
a thousand of whining out through the
courts.
President George Sanderson yester,
day addressed the following unmistak'
able letter to Mayor Bailey:
To Hon. James G. Bailey, Mayor of the
City of Scranton.
| l herewith return your communicate:
purporting to be q notice that the joint
convention for electing city solicitor vii
convene on Wednesday, Nav g. at O'Clock
p. M, as a unique specimen of arrogatior
of a prerogative that has no shadow of {
resting place on you. | would prefer t
re-ain 1T as an archive, but the presump
tion is somewhat more than | can bear
As conveying an intimation of authority
in you 1t is worthless In my term as pres
ident of the joint convention | take thi!
means OF notifying you that you have
no power legal or otherwise to call th'
convention together As soon as organ
ized it became an independent body anC
subject to no control but Its own and II
pursuance to that control II has al
tourned till the first Monday of July and i
will stay adjourned. That any member o
II has eased his conscience G.? 80 as L
give a majority one way or other counts
for Httle-he can only cast his vote whel
in pursuance of a regularly adopted mo
tion. The joint convention meets on tn
date to which II adjourned.
George Sandcrson, President.