The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-18

AS was foretold in The Tribune yes
terday, Mayor Moir sent in a commu-
nication to select council last night re-
moving Lieutenant NJ. +. Spellman
and Patrolman John j. Peuster and I.
f. Jones from the police force for
cause. The council chamber was
crowded with spectators, when the
communication was read. 1t was as
follows:
To the Honorable, the Select Council.
| hereby remove for cause, the following Of.
fccrs from the police force, viz: Lieutenant
Michael Speman, John J. Peuster and isaiah f.
Jones. ! hereby appoint, subject to your ap.
prevail to I'll the vacancy caused by the above
removals, Mcssrs. John Addyman, John Malott
and Charles Miller.
Yours respectfully,
James Moir. Mayor.
The communication was referred
without comment to the police COM
mittee. Some OF the members were
plainly surprised at the name of Pa
trolman Jones, for, while 1t was gen.
orally understood that Lieutenant
Spellman and Patrolman Peuster were
to go, it was the belief that two other
patrolmen other than Babe" as he
is called, were to be removed. Lieu
tenant Spelman is the oldest official
of the three and has for years been
looked upon as without a superior on
the force. He is cool, shrewd and
tactfu and is great favorite with
the men who serve under him. He has
been in charge of the North Scranton
precinct for seven years.
John Addyman, one of the new Off
GERS, is 35 years of age and lives in
Green Ridge. He is a protege of Pres
| ident B. T. Jayne, of the school board.
John Malott is from West Scranton
| and has been employed as a foreman
| at John Benores lumber yard for some
| years past. Charles Miller is from
| North Scranton and is a Polander
All are Republicans.
There were three other communica-
| tions from Mayor Moir, the next in
| importance being relative to the nee
essity of adopting a 'tippling house"
ordinance. This read as follows:
TIPPLING HOUSE ORDINANCE.
To the Honorable, the Select and Common Coun
ellis.
| Gentlemen: Some four months ago addressed
communication to your honorable bodies urging
| the necessity of passing an ordinance to deal
specially with the speakeasy unlicensed saloon
| where distilled and hrcwed liquors are sold in
| defiance of the license laws Of the state. At
| that time your honorable bodies appointed
| special committee who, in conjunction with the
city solicitor, drew ur an ordinance fully COW
"ring the natter and, had the same been passed
| ly you, would have speedily and effectively dis.
| posed of and eradicatcd this crying evil, which
| has become a reproach to our city.
The above mentioned ordnance was introduced
|
| its failure to become a law vas ascrbed to the
| fact that it was introduced too late in the term
| The arguments advanced by me in the con,mu.
nication referred to- appear in the light of recent
| events, to he doubly forceful just at this time
| The city ought to use every within her
power to root out this Illicit traffic. and at the
same time protect the licensed dealers who are
supposed to comply wath the requirements of
the license laws. The municipality certainly
| has the right and power to enact ordinances
under the statute, whereby volators OF the law
| can be summarily dealt WITH and the houses
which conduct this illicit traffic should be classcd
| as disordery houses and declared TO be nuis-
| ances.
| We hear great deal Of how the laws are so
| vigorously enforced in many of our sister cities
| and comparisons drawn greatly TO the dsadvan.
| tage of our city. | would remind those critics.
| and also call your attention to the fact that
those cities have availcd themselves OF the powers
|
| ordinances based upon the statute, and which
| they enforce rgidy.
| We have been shamelcssly derelCt to our duty
| in this respect. Relating to violations of the
liquor laws by licensed houses the statute clear.
| ly defines whose duty it is to enforce the pro.
visions OF the same The enforcement Of this
| statute does not devolve upon the mayor or the
| police force. The police have no right to enter
| licensed house in their official capacity, except
| when called upon to quell a disturbance or a
| breach OF the peace. The only way the MAYOR
| can act in relation to violations of the license
| laws by licensed dealers is in his capacity as
| private prosecutor, and he feels he is no more
| called upon To do so, and take the chances of
| being mulcted in costs, than many thousands Of
| other law'abiding citizens. The mayor Of this
| city wishes it to he distinctly understood that
| he will not shirk any responsibility connected
with his official position; at the same time he
does not propose to assume duties which prop.
| ery belong to others
Place the weapons in his hand to properIy
enforce the laws against this illicit traffic pass
| an ordinance such as was presented to common
| council, and | confidently predict that within
| three months the 'hole in the wall'' will he A
| thing Of the past in Scranton. | ask and urge
| your earliest consideration of this absorbing
| question which vitally concerns the moral
welfare and reputation Of our city
SPEAKEASY ORDINANCE.
Later in the evening Mr.. Chittenden
| introduced an ordinance regulating the
control of speak-easies by the police,
which is similar in all respects to the
one introduced last year. 1t was re-
ferred to its proper committee.
Another communication referred to
| the necessity of making provision for
| the impounding of stray cattle and
| dogs which are allowed to roam at
| liberty throughout the city. The may
| or states that the chief of police has
not now enough funds at his disposal
to pay Tor even the burying or crema-
tion of the "defunct CANNES" found
on the streets. let alone to take care
of the live ones. He urged the neces-
city of appointg a special committee
TO take action on the matter.
A fourth communication was read
appointing David Stanford as inspec-
tor of the Scranton street sewer and
Craddo Morris as inspector of the pro-
posed sewer in section b of the Fifth
sewer district. Both of these appoint
ments were confirmed.
II was, in fact, an evening of COM
munications, for after these had been
read the clerk began to take others
from a pile in front of him. There
were two from City Solicitor Vosburg
| One of these accompanied a letter from
Joseph Ansley regarding a sewer which
continually overfiows and floods his
lumber yard. He announces that he
will sue the committee for damages
| If it is not repaired. This was re-
| ferred to the sewers and drains COM
| mitee.
The other communication from Mr..
Vosburg advised councils to pass an
| ordinance opening up Poplar street