The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-13

iices that the new classification will
call for.
Just what Offices are to be filled is
"A mooted question. When Allegheny
City passed into the second class 1t
was held by the courts that those Of
ficials whose terms of Office had not
expired and whose offices were COM
| mon TO both classes of cities, should
; serve out the term of office for which
they were elected. and that only those
| officers should be elected who were
not provided for in the act under
which the city was previously gov
erned.
If this prevails in the present case
the election will be simply to fll the
| vacancies in select and common coun-
ellis, resulting from expiration of term
and to expand the common council
from body of twenty-one to a body
of forty. The only other elective
municipal office, that OF mayor, will
not be affected, as Mayor Moir's term
does not expire till April 1902.
The real city election will be con-
Quoted by councils. These siXty-one
men will choose a treasurer, cOmptrol-
Ter, auditor, five city assessors, city
solicitor, delinquent tax collector, two
city clerks, director of the depart
ment Of public safety, director of the
department of public works, and direc-
tor of the department of public chari-
ties. Each is elected for two years,
excepting the city clerks, who are
elected for three years.
PUBLIC CHARITIES.
There is a question as to whether or
| tho damn ri Of n1hliN phaTi-
ties will be able TO Immediately en-
ter upon it's duties, as the present
poor board will no doubt be disin-
clined to willingly dissolve, and the
consequence will be some lengthy liti-
cation. None of the experts on muni-
cipal law questioned on the matter
were willing to give an opinion, but
all inclined to the belief that as Dun
more is capable of being made a sep
arate poor district, there will be little
difficulty experienced in Scranton city
divorcing itself from the Scranton
poor district. by engaging Dunmore
borough in partition proceedings ia
settle about the property they jointly
own.
AS to the school board, It is pretty
well settled, no immediate change will
occur. The present board is saved
from molestation by the fact that there
is no second class city school laws.
Pittsburg and Allegheny are working
under their old-time special charter
! school laws. In 1895, these two cities
J got together and drafted a complete
code of laws for a 9chool district-ir
a second class city, repeating all the
school laws under which they
were at the time working. 1t passed
the legislature. was signed by the gov.
ernor and was about to go into effect
when opponents took II up to the Su
, | preme court and succeeded in having
, it so badly riddled and torn tha
Pittsburg and Allegheny hastened tC
e repeal the act repeating their origina
p school laws and once safely settlet
back under the old system, allowed the
a proposed new code 10 go by tht
board.
n CONTINUE AS AT PRESENT.
h The consequence Is that Scranton
must needs continue to have he
+ schools governed by board organized
Il under a law applying to school dis
tricts in third class cities until sucl
time as a new set of second class cit!
\ school laws can be passed and givel
a | lHt dpploNdl Va lhc SUPP Noull'
q The city itself will have to be con
!. tent for a time with many thirC
h class city laws because of the def
!, cheney of second class city legisla
tion. No complete code of secont
class city laws has ever been passed
Pittsburg and Allegheny at the tim
they, respectively, became secon,
: class cities, were enjoying some un
: usual privileges under their specia
e charters, framed, as they were, befor
= the constitution of 1874 preventing 10
IS cal or special legislation was adopted
r, and wishing to preserve these specia
s privileges, these cities contente
e themselves with having the legisla
i ture pass only sufficient second clas
i city laws to patch out their old specia
, charters.
t, This patchwork is the only availabl
j. raiment for any newborn second ella
If city babe, and until such time a
2. the legislature can be brOugh. = pro
l. vide a full suit of clothing, Scranto
? will needs be content to patch ou
: this second class city patchwork wit
,r patches from her third class cit
}. dress.
1t is going to be no easy matter I
bring about the legislation that wi
be necessary to give Scranton a con
plete set of laws for her new static
n in municipal life. .Pittsburg and ALE
l. gheny are very well satisfied evi
s IDENTIFY, with their present code. Ever
te law that would be passed to relieV
De Scranton's inadequacies would wiz
TO out one of their special charter law
rs for, as is generally understood, a la
Of passed for one city of a certain elias
p must apply to every city of ths
ID class.
In SOME DIFFICULTIES.
~ pittsburg and Allegheny's speci;
'e charter laws might be surrendered an
re-enacted as general laws for a
three cities, but as the special chartt
laws Of the two western cities are n,
- ! identical, and as neither set might /
n. desire BILE to Scranton, this, at fir
-, glance, apparently, easy way out
80 the difficulty. becomes n very que
t,onaOe way, when given detailed a
tention.
The only way, II would seem
solve the problem would be to hay
nj ihe three cities appoint commissions
81 10 frame a complete municipal al
school district code for second ella
cities. SCranton's councils took a so
or preliminary step in this directiC
T. when it engaged ex-City Solicitors
H. Il. Rurns and James n. Torrey al
er city Solicitor A. A. Vosburg to inve
"a nA xKshn rtgf,a 4 a.