The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-08
Police Commission Fails to Name
 SCOti's Successor
SOME LIVELY DISCUSSION
Before Meeting Is Over Commission CTS Parker and Stradford Leave the Room-Pollcema Is Dis
 missed From the Force.

At little surprise meeting of the police commission last night 1t failed for about the tenth time to elect a successor to the late James Scott and Chairman Rudolph and Commissioner Stradford Hooked horns" over the demand of the latter for the former to explain or retract certain statements made about his bravery. Be- fore the meeting was over two commits sioners left the room. The meeting was unheralded and only the members and one or two on the inside knew 1t was to be held.
 Trouble arose when Commissioner Stradford demanded the chairman to ex- plain his remarks at the last meeting when he, from the chair, said that Com missioner Stradfords action was coward ly because he failed to attend the. meet ing.
 Commissioner Stradford said last night that he did not consider the chairman a censor of his actons, specially when he had stated several times to the com mission that he would be forced to be out of the city at night during the entire summer and would be unable to attend a meeting of the commission at night. He said he was answerable to his oath of of- fee and his own conscience and not to Chairman Rudolph or to any other mem Der of the police commission He asked for an apology or retraction and, the chairman intended to stick to it and that he would criticise the public actions of MT. Stradford whenever he saw fit He also said that any other citizen has the right to do likewise whenever he sees fit. a commissioner being a public officer
 Some Explanations.
 Commissioner Stradford further asked the chairman why he did not make those remarks about cowardice when he was Tn the meeting, and not behind his back, as had been done. The chairman said that he would criticize the commissioners public actions now and at any other time" and that he did not mean any re- hections on the physical or moral bravery of the commissioner, but that he thought his action was wrong in not attending the meeting.
 Mutual explanations of little unpleasant l affairs followed, in which the chairman 1 explained the reason he would not go 1 into the room and call a meeting of the board on an afternoon when Commission CT McCary was absent. He said he and Commissioner Mobley were present at o'clock, the hour the meeting was called, , and that none of the rest were there; that the secretary stated Commissioner Parker could not be present until o'clock, and that Commissioner Stradford had stated he would not be present unless Mr. Parker was. The chairman said ha and Dr. Mobley left, and as they were going down the alley met Commissioners McCary and told him the meeting was to be postponed, and that McCary stated he could not be present at 5 o'clock but would try to be present later. He said he then promised the commissioner not to call the meeting until he came.
 Contradcts Chairman.
 Commissioner Stradford contradicted the chairman and stated that he was present at o'clock on the afternoon mentioned and that the secretary was not authorized to state he would not be there. The matter here dropped and Commissioner Parker introduced a reso- Iution that the members of the board place in nomination the names of all candidates to succeed the late James Scott at least one week before the next regular meeting of the commission which Is next Tuesday night. In the resolution he placed about thirty prominent citi- zens in nomination and signified that he would vote for any of them. He gave 1 as his reason for introducing the resolu- tion that Commissioner McCa-J had stated in his presence that Chairman Rudolph had stated that he would not vote for any man as commissioner who would not support c. w. Austin, the present chief. He said further that he did not think 1t right in a commissioner to make a man promise to support Austin and make that the condition of his eelction to succeed Commissioner Scott He stated he was willing to vote for any man he thought would deal out the law impartially.
 Commissioner MrCary then explained that when he made the statement he had expressed his personal opinion and not statement of the chairman.
 Commissioners Leave Room. Chairman Rudolph then insisted in call ing the election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Scott. Commits sioners Parker and Stradford left the