The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-23
COMMENTS \ on
new CHARTER
SENTIMENT Is DIVIDED AZ TO
ITS MERITS.
Councilman chittenden Says That
While It Has Serious Defects II II
Desirable on the Whole Because It
Centralizes Power and Response
bility in the Mayor--Councilman
Roche Believes That 1t Will Mean
the Establishment of an Autoc-
rscy and Democracy's Death Knell.

The announcement that a new and
complete second-class city charter had
been introduced in the state senate by
Senator Muehlbronner, of Allegheny.
and that 1t had been referred to COM
mittee and reported favorably upon,
was received with great surprise In
this city.
Chairman Chittenden, of the council
manic second-class city committee,
said last night that he would call
special meeting of the committee at
once for the purpose of considering the
new act and discussing the advisablity
of dropping the amendatory act al
ready prepared. The comments on the
new act heard We're varying. Some
saw every good In II, and some saw
every evil. Said Select Councilman c.
L. Chittenden:
This new bill is the one we must
look to, for there is no question but
that If any second-class city measure
goes through. this will be the one. be-
cause 1t will receive the support of
Senator Quay and his followers. There
arc good points about the charter and
there are bad points, but the former
outweigh the latter. Taking the char
ter as a whole, should say that 1t
is much more suited to the needs of
scranton than the present general act.
Centralizes Power.
Il like the charter because it centers
even more power and responsibility in
the mayor than do the amendments
which we contemplated introducing.
The objection will be raised that it
centers too much power in the chief
executive, but my opinion is that 1t
isn't possible to do that.
II don't like the method of electing
Councilmen provided by the charter.
The election of select councilmen at
large means that the dominant party
will return each member of that
branch and the plan of permitting ger
rymandering by joining wards not hav
ing 1000 taxables to other wards is
wrong, because il would mean that the
party In power could so arrange things
as to keep the common council. also,
almost entirely of the same political
faith as the select and the admnistra-
ton.
This would mean the elimination of
the minority and / think that this is
not right, because a healthy minority
is very good check on any legislative
body. That feature of the bill should
he amended. ! would favor electing
part of each council at large, because
there is a great deal in the theory that
the entire people of city can choose
better men than only a part of a city.
That feature of the bill giving the
governor power to appoint the first
mayor, l, of course, am unalteraby
opposed to, but I'm afraid we can't
change that. That will be bad for the
two years he will have to serve, but
after that we will be all right. The
charter. on the whole, is good because
1t takes the executive power from
councils and centers it In one man
whom the people can get at"
Is Opposed to 1t.
Select Councilman John E. Roche,
also a member of the committee. said
when asked for an opinion:
This charter should be fought bit
terly by the people of this city, unless
they want themselves placed under the
dominance of political machine for
the rest of their lives. Put that char
ter into effect and make me mayor and
I'll establish a machine that will out
Tammany Tammany. 1t provides for
almost an autocracy and is designed to
take from the people the powers which
are rightfully theirs.
IF IL ever goes into effect in this city
il will mean that the Democratic par
ty in whose ranks are nearly half our
citizens, will never be able to raise it's
head again. 1t will rob 1t of even a
minority in councils and give one party
complete sway and power. 1t can't be
amended satisfactorily, because every
line seems to be dominated by the
idea of one man power.
THE people of this city should arise
and protest as far as they are able
against its passage. A COMMITTEES
should be sent down to Harrisburg at
once to do everything possible to pre-
vent it from becoming a law"
Select Councilman D. w. Vaughan
took the matter philosophically. Said
he:
There's no use of us worrying, for
anything we can do or say isn't going
to cut any more figure with that legis-
lature than il we sent a COMMITTEES
to Russia to dictate that country =
Chinese policy. Scranton isn't going
to he considered in this deal at ALL"
Mayor Moir was seen in the after
noon, before "A complete copy of the
act had reached the city. He said
he would express no opinion until he
had carefully studied the whole act.
The total number OF resident tax
ables in the city, according to the list
recently compiled by the assessors, Is
eH,2I3 This would allow, under the
new charter Twelve select councilmen n
and twenty-five common councilmen.
According to accounts in the Pitts.
burg papers of yesterday, the Pitts.
burg chamber of commerce on Mon
Say considered the amendatory act
prepared by the counclmanic COM
nittee. It didn't meet with universal
approval. The chamber was opposed
70 the plan Of limiting the terms ol
ofilce OF the heads of departments snd
believed they should hold Office dur,
ng good behavior. Opposition was
also manifested to the idea OF having
he select council confirm the appoint
nent and removal OF heads of depart
nents by the mayor.
... The Complete Bill.
The full text of the new second
class city act introduced Monda,
night at Harrisburg. follows;
AN ACT FOR THE GOVERNMENT
OF CITIES OF THE SECoNI
CLASS:
Be it enacted by the senate ant