The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-28

|
morning exercise the power conferred
upon him by the Muehlbronner bill,
yesterday declared constitutional by
the Supreme court, and will formally
remove Director of Public Safety f..
l.. Hitchcock and at the same time
appoint in hi place Frederick l..
Wormser Director Hitchcock was
asked to resign yesterday afternoon
by the recorder, but positively refused
to do so.
1t has been whispered about for
several days that Director Hitch
cocks official head was to he Topped
OFT and the r,imor was current all
yesterday morning that the decapi-
| tation would take place in the after
| noon at o'clock.
| 1t was shortly after $50 o'clock
when Director Hitchcock WAS called
INTO the recorders private Office
where he spent about fifteen minutes.
| When he came out he went into his
| own Office. closed his desk and left
the building. Recorder Moir was a
little bit chary about saying anything
II minute or two later when seen by
| Tribune man.
ASKED FOR RESIGNATION.
He finally admitted that he had
| asked for Director Hitchcocks resig-
| nation and that he expected it would
be forthcoming any minute. When
| asked why Colonel Hitchcock's resig
| nation had been asked for. he said:
We'll. circumstances demanded it.
Colonel Hitchcock has pleased d
| great many people by the manner in
which he has conducted the depart
20 Ia. t,ae
also pleased me in a great many
ways. He has done splendid work in
| reorganizing the fire department and
| in other ways. but he has carried
many things to extremes. He has
been too drastic in many ways and
has allowed the pendulum to swing
too far one way. instead OF trying
| to preserve happy medium
II have not agreed with some Of
| his methods, and while there has been
| no serious clash. nevertheless there
| have been differences of opinion. The
| intent Of the Muehlbronner bill is to
give the chief executive control over
all the departments of the city gov
| ernment. and | believe that it is no
| more than right that T should seek
| to exercise this control when ] see
| fit
"Personally, ! have the highest re-
gard for the colonel and had no es
recial desire to ask for his resignation
just vet. 7 was asked however, to
| either have him resign or remove him.
1t was pointed out to me that this
was the best thing to do for the
party and | have done it,"
WHAT HITCHCOCK SAID.
Director Hitchcock. when seen at
his office in the Commonwealth build
irg. stated most emphatically that he
would not resign.
"You can say" said he, land make
it as strong as you like. that I will
rot resign. | told the rccord4' so
when he asked me to, and / am now
waiting for notification of my re-
moval. If 7 resigned it would be a
&C nfession on my part that / had
done something l should not have
done. or that there was some good
reason why should resign. I feel
that I have done nothing that
should not have done, and I know Of
no reason, whatever, why I should
resign.
in fact, the recorder himself gave
me no reason why | should resign.
He Informed me that the powers that
be had demanded my removal and
that he was forced to ask for my
resignation. couldn't see that that
was any reason why | should resign.
The recorder informed me that it was
one of the most disagreeable things
he had ever been asked to do in his
lite.
"My appointment as director of
rublic safety came to me unsolicited
and | was given carte blanche TO do
what 7 thought just and proper. Dur
ing my term of office there has been
no friction to amount to anything be-
tween myself and the recorder. There
has been TO serious clash. There
was a little difference of opinion
about the methods I adopted In Sc
curing evidence against saloonkeep-
ers who sell to minors.
DISAPPROVED OF METHOD.
"rhe recorder ,disapprOved of the
hiring of Il boy to secure evidence
against these people, Though he ad-
mitted that his own ageEts mad used
a boy last summer in securing evil
dence against speakeasy Keepers. IN
derstand, that he did not disapprove
of the prosecution of liquor dealers
for selling to minors. lie expressed
himself as being heartily In favor or
that 1t was the method used in Sc
curing evidence that he didn't like,
Il desire to say. not in boasting,
vainglorious way but in justice to my
self, that the recorder has frequently
expressed himself of late as being de-
lighted at the manner in which ! was
discharging the duties of my office,
feel that | have acted faithfully and
conscientiously and, feeling that way,
my self-respect will not permit me 10