The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-03

Quay's complete victory, which the
Harrisburg dispatches say Is now con-
ceded by the insurgents. means much
! to Scranton.
| 1t means that the Objectionable sec-
ond-class city charter. which it was
| feared IL would have to embrace, Will
be stripped of its principal objection
able feature, and that the new code for
| the government of Pittsburg, Allegheny
and Scranton, which is already in
course OF preparation, will not be
adopted till Scranton has had its say
as to what IL should or should not con-
! tain.
1t has long been the cherished pur-
pose of the Quayites to destroy the
| Magee-Flinn control in Pittsburg. and
the means selected to that end was to
supplant the present Pittsburg charter
| with one that will take the govern
ment of the city out of the hands oi
the ring and place it back in the hands
of the people.
How the present charter, with its op-
portunities for log-rolling, has sue
ceeded in almost completely divorcing
the people from municipal control has
been explained at length in the special
! articles on second-class city legislation
which recently appeared in The Trib-
une. How the new charter will rem
edy this evil IS simple to understand
when one is cognzant of the opera
tions of the other.
In word. the old charter provides
practically that the government shall
be vested in three heads of depart
| ments, who shall be elected by coun-
| ellis. These heads of departments in
turn dictate the election of the coun-
cilmen by building up rings in each
ward by the use OF the city patronage.
and in very short time the people
find themselves completely outside the
breastworks.
THE NEW CHARTER.
The new charter, it is said, provides
that the mayor shall appoint the heads
of departments. He is always within
reach of the people and the people have
only one man to hold responsible, in
stead of trying to place responsibility
on threescore or more of councilmen.
If a city government under the new
charter Is going wrong, the people can
GUST the mayor put in new one and
have O general house-cleaning. No
one stands between the executive and
the people. The "bumper' which the
heads OF departments We're for the
councilmen, or the councilmen for the
heads of departments, is wholly want
ing. Boss rule Is practically an i'm
possibility under the new charter un-
less the people make no effort to pre-
vent it.
Then again, had the insureents tri-
umphed the second class charter would
remain undisturbed and Scranton. a
strong Quay city would have no more
influence in the framing of second
class city legislation than If it had
never entered the second class. Now
however, Scranton is in q fair way to
pretty nearly dictate what shall and
what shall not be second-class laws
Had the insurgents won. Pittsbure
would continue to dictate the laws for
second-class cities. Now, Pittsburg Is
liable to get just what she doesn't
want. At all events, Scrantonians can
rest assured that Scranton will have
as much to say as the next, regarding
second-class city law.
COUNCILS TO ACT.
1t is generally understood that City
Solicitor Vosburg will send in com.
muncations tonight to both branches
of councils, calling the attention of the
members to the fact that Scranton Is
bound for the second class, and thai
if they desire to secure any amend.
ments to the existing second-class city
law favorable to this city, an effort
must be made Immediately to have
such amendments drawn up ant
pushed through the legislature, which
is now in session.
Mr.. Vosburg, it is understood, would
favor the immediate appointment o
special committees from each branch
: of councils, with instructions to pre-
pare suitable amendments at once and
if necessary, with power to go to Har
risburg and use every legitimate mean.
possible to secure their passage through
the Legislature.
A special committee was appointed
by the select council some two months
ago, consisting of Messrs. Chittenden
n Roche and Williams, with instruction
to prepare such necessary ordinances
ETC., as it will be necessary to hav,
adopted by councils before the city cal
enter the second class, This commit
tee, however, was not instructed to
nor has it made any effort to devise o
!. prepare any amendments to the pres
: ent second-class city law.
,, CHITTENDEN'S VIEWS.
Councilman C. T.. Chittenden, of tn
, Ninth ward, who is the chairman o
, this committee, was asked yesterda,
by Tribune man whether he favore
= the idea of having councils take actor