The age-herald., 1897-09-29
MAYOR F. V. EVANS PRESENT
Question of Es oiIity as to Membership
 DiSc<v'5 5d Without Result.
'NYBOp,s EMPLOYED BY A CITY
AllOwe Far, to Participate in the Delibera- [ z Mayor Mcvicar, of Des Moines, Reads Paper on Street
 Lighting"
Allowei

Columbus O., Sept. 2S.-The first an- nual convention of the mayors and coun- cilmen of the United States. Canada and Mexico was called to order at II o'clock this morning by Mayor Black Of this city, about 16O regularly accredited d le- gateas being present in the auditorium The mayors opening remarks were brief and formal and he clos.d by in.rsduc- ing Gov. A. s. Bushnell, of Ohio. who delivered an address of welcome. At the close of the governors welcome Mayor Black presented Mayor A. c. Collier, of Atlanta Ga, who responded for the vis- itcr,s in a speech glowing with senti- ments of patriotism and presenting the principle of good municipal government with great force and eloquance. He complimented Ohio upon the aid that she extended to Atlanta at the time of the first cotton exposition ard closed with feeling tribute to the common love of country that had called the delegates together. Mayor Golfers address was received with enthusiastic applause.
 Mayor Black was made chairman of the convention and Editor Gordon of the city government, secretary. These of1i- cers are to serve only during the session of the convention prior to the formation of a permanent organization on the closing day. A resolution for the sp- pointment of committee of five to re- port a plan of organization and names of officers for the first year disclosed the existence of two factions among the dele- gates-one in flavor of proceeding to business without amy report from the committee on credentials. the other in- sisting that the meeting could not pro- cee1 until an accredited roll of delegates had been approved by vote of those present and claiming to be delegates
 considerable debate ensued and the matter was finally compromised by an agreement that the chairman of each delegation report at once to the seer tafy of the convention; that any municipal official vouched for by a chairman be of the convention appfove the roll as made up. The original call of the con- yention was addressed to mayors and councilman oady, but the president of the convention, when asked for copy of the caI for the convention, did not pro- duce 1t at all. This action leaves the gathering of the convention open for po- licemen, firemen, City clerks and ward constables if only the chairman of a delegation vouches for them as city of- ficials.
 At noon>l lhe convention adjourned urs- til 2 p. m.
 It was nearly o'clock when Chair man Black called the meeting to order this afternoon. There was no reference made by the chairman or the secretary to lhe official roll call as made up from
 jhe rcporlts of delegation chafrmen, and as no request came 6y- 1t from the floor, the convention continued It's business without any definite information as to who constituted it's membership.
 Chairman Black announced the follow ing as the committee to formula te a plan of permanent organization:
 Mayors Mcvicar of Des Moines, Ia: Praltt of Minneapolis Minn.; Collier of AtTanta, Ga.; Has ings of Niagara Falls, N. r.; and Councilman Walker of Tren- ton, N. J.
 This comnfttee is to report not later than Wednesday night. It is looked upon as fairly representative of dhe att tendance geographically and otherwise, arid the delegates expect a great deal fnom it in the way of practical sugges- i,1ons. A careful count made at Jhe aft elmoon session dfsclcsed the presence of twenty -seven men wearing the official badges of mayors ard fifty-one men and womcn with those eff counclmen. The number of properly accredited delegates is not far from 100. As yet New York, Chicago, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston. St. Louis, and other ci.ies of their class are without relpre sen.a tlon hore.
 James W. Slower Of New York, occu- pied forty minutes of the tme of the convention In the reading of paper on 'Telcgrap phic systems for the facbl1laticn of fire alarm ard police services It was lai1geTy technical in character.
 Waflfam Brophy, chief electrician of the city of Boston, was on the pro- gramme for a paper on Modern nlaim- tena,nco of electrical wires and .rhein supervisor by municipn fties," butt he was unable to be present. and a subaI- tllte read the paper. There was no ds- cussio, of either paper. and at o'ccJck the convention adjourned un fl 8 D. m.
 Chairman Black, in his opening re- marks at tonights session. made a refer ence to the importance of street nght- ing in cities and called atentioD to the T x4x.f4 E<oA ptxr tE