The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-07
ONLY ONE DEMOCRAT STAYS.
CLEAN SWEEP BY THE CITY
HALL COMMISSION

George GerIich, of "Amerfcan beau
ty" Rose Fame. Is Switched From
Elevator Operator to Custodian
GRAND Army Men DO Not Like
the Action Taken by the Commits
sion-Other Employees Named.
There Is now only one Democrat at
work in the city hall who Is not pro-
tected in his job either by the charter
or by statute. The name Of him is A.
| Hendrfckson. He is an assistant jan
| ftor. He will be fired at the next meet
Ing of the city hall and court house
commission for offensive craftsmanship
In breathing the Republican air that
the bacilli that haunt the city hall now
nave their being in. He would have
been fired last night but for the fact
| that they could not agree on who to
put In his place. Moreover, he Is a
| carpenter, and among the thousands
of applicants for his job there was not
one who was not too active a Repub-
liean to be carpenter.
Six other statesmen and the mayor
spent six hours yesterday in trying to
decide who should have the honor of
doing that very necessary work which
Is classed under the duties of the jani-
tor: The Republican party may have
nigh ideals, but it is seemingly packed
| With men whose uttermost ambition is
to wash the windows, scrub the floor
ana perform those other lowly duties,
which, in the case of a noted COM
mander of her majesty's navy, marked
the path of glory. To perform feats
OF dexterity with the iron cuspidor and
to enrich oneself by picking up In the
sweepings the money that is dropped
on the floors of the various offices in
the city hall every day is the anlbi-
ton OF nearly every Republican in
the Sixth ward who is not now in Of
fice-apparently. There were scores of
applications for jobs from that ward
There were some applicants from
each ward. even the Seventh
is confronted by the fact that
one of its citizens was willing to take
janitorship rather than to have no
political job at all. Commissioner Har-
dick was looking after this mans in
terest and he failed to land
The principal work of the meeting
was to provide that light of Republic
canism, George Gerlich, of the Eighth
ward. with an Office compatible in some
measure with his deservings and his
eminence in the party of which he is
an ornament. George has been one of
the handicaps on the second elevator
In the city hall since Mayor Doran
| discovered him two years ago. He
| weighs 2S1 pounds and has cost the
city $500 in excess baggage hauling him
up and down that elevator in two
years. so his election last night is JUS
titled on grounds Of economy
Mr.. Gerlich was not elected without
| opposition. and he will not be permit
ted to hold the office without contest
| He Won out in spite of the Grand Army
of the Republic. Several members of
that organization made application for
the position, basing their application
on the law which is about to be tested
as to their prior right. Mr. GerIieh
even did better than that. He was
elected in the place of John Ames,
who is a veteran and a Republican.
All of the members Of the commits
sion We're present when Mayor Eiefer
called that body to order shortly after
o'clock and announced the order Of
business The commission was met to
elect a custodian, he said. Applica-
tons were read for the place from
r George Gerlach, John Ames NJ. h
Williams and George Bookings. The
applications of the last three were ac-
companied by certifications of their
honorable discharge from the army
Other applications had been received at
prior meetings of the board.
AS soon as the applications We're read
Mr.. Dix moved that the members of
the press and the spectators present be
thrown out and that the election take
place In executive session. There was
no opposition to the motion and no
one knows what took place in the star
chamber
George Gerlach was elected on the
fourth ballot. NJ. L. Mcintyre had been
entered in the race and he was trouble
some. The mayor had thought to fix
matters up by giving Gerlach the GUS
todian's job and Mcintyre getting his
present place. they to divide the salary
| between them. The custodian gets sion
| q he MO eco
| and If this were put in pot and di-
| vided the mayor would not have had
such fight on his hands. The propo-
sition was spurned on behalf of Nc
Intyre. So the person of "the illigant
! bold" family name went into the row.
| 1t did not transpire what his strength
was. but the mayor had his way about
Gerlacf.
Gerlach was elected before the COM
mission adjourned at Ills for supper,
but the fact was not given out and the
mayor said that the commission had
| adjourned until this morning But that
| was only one of his jokes, for the men.-
bers got together again at s o'clock, and
by 10 they had named the night man
and the fourteen good men and true
| who will keep the house of the city
In order.
All the nationalitfes were given a
| chance. M. Shovel who traces his an
/ cestry back to the fields of Mesopotamia
when Abraham was a shepherd, was
made night Waterman, in place of Nc
/ Intyre. There We're six new men APP
pointed and twelve of the old ones re-
| tained. These include all of the ma
tionalities in the city except Italians
/ and Chinese TIE rev appointees an
nounced are: D. McCarter. o. Weis. H.
Eggendorf. G. w. Johnson. c. Petzold
and H. c. Peterson. The reappoint-
! ments include Gus Oberg. G. Naffey,
G. Metz. L. Artz, J. H. Dillingham;, L.
Lundquist, JOS Ducharme. Aug. Bayor,
j. Swanson, A. Herdrickson. c. John
| son and c. w. Douglas.
After the doors were thrown open a
resolution was introduced by Commits
! s,oner Dix directing that the new men
! be put to work this morning. 1t Is like
ly that Custodian Ames will make
| fight against the action of the commits
sion in removing him. If he does not
one of the other old soldier applicants
will.
nm HE KJTT uT16SETT9