The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-10
Chairman Rudolph Says i is COHard|y in CannissiORef
 SradfOrd to Stay Away
TWO FACTIONS ON THE
 BOARD WILL NOT AGREE
Several Attempts Have Been Made to FIJI Vacancy Caused by Death of Commissioner Scott-can't
 Get a Quorum Present.

The police commission held a regular meeting last night and transacted much routine business, but failed again to electS a successor to the late Commissioner Scott. It has so far been impossible to obtain a quorum of the commission when the matter of this election is brought up, and Chairman 2. T. Rudolph of the commission. when the matter again came up last night. declared. while acting in his official capacity, that 1t was coward ly in Commissioner Stradrord not to come to the meeting of the commission. When asked after the meeting if he was understood correctly, he repeated the statement: 'It is cowardly in Mir. Strad- ford not to attend the meeting I certain ly did say It." Mir Stradford is out of the city at Fulton Springs.
 The statement of the chairman was the climax of heated discussion about the failure of the commission to erect a sue cessor to Commissioner Scott For some time the commission has been making ef- forts to hold an election, but every time some member has broken the quorum, and they have been unable to transact further business. Commissioners Rudolph, McCary, Parker and Mobley were pres ent last night when motion was made to elect a successor to Commissioner Scott. Commissioner Parker stated he did not think 1t was courteous to the absent members of the board to hold the elec- ton unless they had been officially mo- tified that the meeting was to be held last night He said he would break the quorum. which is four, by leaving should the others present insist on the elec- tion.
 A Warm Discussion.
 He explained that all applicants should that they were anxious for the place, and that this list should be made public in or der that the people of Birmingham could know whom the commission intended to elect to serve them. He intimated that the opposition had something up their sleeve, and said that he wanted the en- tire matter to be public. It is generally known that three of the commissioners are on one side of the question and two on the other. Commissioners Mobley Ru- dolph and McCary are accredited with acting together on one side and Commits sioners Parker and Stradford on the other.
 When Mir. Parker intimated that there was something up the sleeve of the other crowd Commissioner McCary rose at once and said that he had nothing up his sleeve, but that he did have a name to present and thought the board should elect a successor. He said the public was criticizing the board very severely on ac- count of its failure to elect seventh member and that he was in favor of the election being held. pr. Mobley made practically the same statement and mo- ton was made to hold the election.
 Mir. Parker pleaded with the other commissioners to proceed with other bus mess and said he would stay if they would let the election alone. The other commissioners declined and Mir. Parker left, refusing to return if the commission insisted on electing an officer.
 It was during statement that he fa- vored holding the election that MT. Ru- dolph stated that MT. Stradford's action
 
 that the absent commissioners had been notified and that they had persstently refused to attend and allow the election; that at the last called meeting Comrnis- sioner Stradford was present and should have stayed. and that the commission had agreed. not to hold the election then. as- MT. Stradford had been forced to leave. 1t being understood that the eiec- ton should be held last night.
 Origin of Disagreement.
 The trouble started through the failure of the chairman to call a meeting on a previous occasion when a quorum was present. At this meeting Commissioners Stradford, Parker. Rudolph and Mobley were present, Commissioner McCary be- ing absent. The two factions were then evenly divided and 1t would have been impossible to hold the election, as the vote would have been a tie. The chair man, according to an understanding with MT. McCary, would not call the meeting to order until the latter came At that meeting 1t became evident that an election would probably never be held until the people elect a new commission in May.
 The party in the majority Is generally considered to be friendly to Chief Austin and it Is said that they will not vote for any man as commissioner who Is not an Austin supporter The other party claim they are for any man whom they