The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-12

At a meeting Of the Democratic
members of council held at the ST.
Charles hotel on Sunday night the
question of electing "a successor to
Mayor Moir was discussed at length
and 1t was unanimously decided to-
make an attempt to elect a mayor.
providing a candidate could I've found
who would be willing to ect.
The act of assembly provides that
when there Is Il vacancy IN the office
of mayor 1t shall be filled by councils
i'm joint session. Unfortunately the
act further provides that no member
of council shall be eligible to election.
At sunday nights meeting q COM
mlttee consisting of the following
councilmen was appointed Thomas
Cosgrovc. y. W. Vaughan. Thomas
O'Boyle, +. 4. Calpin and NJ. J. CusiCk
This committee was instructed 10 look
up a candidate Immediately. and after
securing his consent to have q call Is
sued for the Joint session
LOOKING FOR A CANDIDATE.
Several Of the members of the CONF
mttec were looking for a candidate
yesterday. but all of them who were
seen positively refused to say whc-
ther they had found any one willing
to be elected. All they would say was
that the names Of the following gentle
men were being considered among
others: Hon. NJ. f. Sando. George s.
Horn, cX-Sherim John j. Fahey. Col.
Herman Osthaus, 4. J. Jennings and
stephen Spruks.
The councils in Joint session 2s they
stand at present are evenly divided
politically, there being twenty-onc Re-
puhlicans ana twcnty-onc Democrats.
The Democrats claim they can get one
or perhaps two Republican votes. II
the Republican members all stay away
they can prevent the holding of joint
session, as the law provides that in or
der to organize joint session there
must be majority of both branches
present. The Democratic leaders havs
foreseen this contingency. and they
are counting upon the support Of
Wade NJ. Finn, the Republican select
councilman from the Second ward.
The Democrats advance the argu-
ment. and they claim that they are
backed up by eX-City Solicitor /. II.
Burns ana several other well-known
lawyers. that it will be absolutely nee
cssarv to elect a mayor to sign and
render legal the ordinances and reso-
lutions which the present councils will
pass before the city government is re-
organized on April |. according TO the
provisions of the ripper bill. They con-
tend that when Recorder MO!r took the
oath of office as recorder an accepted
his commission for that office from the
governor that he ceased to be mayor.
UNTIL APRIL l.
1t is held that until April Scranton
Will continue to operate under the act
of assembly governing cities of the
| third class, and that inasmuch as that
| act provides for the office of mayor
and outlines the duties Of that official
| that recorder appointed under the
| provisions of an act governing cities
| of the second class cannot approve of
measures adopted by councils acting
| in conformance with the third ella IS
| city act.
Recorder Mor laughs at the idea OF
electing mayor and refers to Article
l., Section I, of the ripper bill. which
! reads as follows:
! I'm cities of the second class the ey-
/ ccutive power shall be vested in a city
recorder and in the departments au-
! thorlZed by this act. The office Of
/ mayor in said cities Is hereby abol-
| iShed."
The recorder holds, and it is under
stood that he is backed up i'm his con-
| tention by city Solicitor Nosburg, that
| in the eyes of the law Scranton has
been a city Of the second class evel
since the proclamation of the governor
was received some weeks ago, and that
inasmuch as the Office of mayor in such
cities has been abolished by the ripper
bill, which is now Il law, that as re.
corder he has a perfect and unuues
toned right to act as the city's chief
executive, regardless Of the time wher
the city Is reOrganized as city of the
second class.