New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-01
MAYOR M'LANE'S SUICIDE.
Emotional Insanity the Cause.-The
pubEcans Control City Government.
40 rrIrcnArH 10 IL TRInuNE.l

baltimore. MAY 3l-Omcial, political and So
cial associates Of Mayor McLane, as well as
medical experts agree that his suicide was not
premeditated. but the result Of an attack OF
emotional insanity brought OF by mental strain
supersensitiveness 10 criticism and. probably
family differences resulting from his recent mar
riage Or. James Bosley, the Health Commits
sioner. and other leading physicians say that
had the pistol not been near at hand the tragedy
would not have happened. The Mayor was thor
oughly accustomed 10 handling firearms and was
a good shot with the revolver. That he was
weary and disheartened with his efforts 10 i'm
prove the burned district liberal, modern
plans and that the opposition and criticism de-
pressed him were shown by his recent conduct
with his official associates and his statements to
friends. To one OF his friends he said:
Baltimore is infected with too much .Mossback-
ism I had hoped that the fire which swept AVA
the business part OF our city had also swept w.
OF men would come to the front and that the men me-,
make fortune Of $4,000 ana 1neh Ir!t
abroad that digs into every suggestion OF pubic
progress and puts out reasons 10 o. the ti1ns 10
take q negative view Of proposition, or the shad-
owy EeW or a le New the View that npes
a fellow TO go ahetd- We want men VINO VIII o'''e
am tagged out. have had hard time Tt,I It
since fhe FIRE I have undertaken TOO tnucIl i,u'I
tell YOU il is an awful feeling TO be tagged out
When Mr.. McI.ane killed himself he turned
the city government over TO the Republicans
z Clay Timanus. who. president OF the sec
ond branch Of the City Council. succeeds 10 the
Mayoralty, was sworn in to-day, but declared
that il was not his intention 10 revolutionize
the city government The rev Mayor is mem
Der of the Republican organization, Of which
William f. Stone, Collector Of the Port, who is
also sergeant at arms Of the Republican Ma
tiona Convention is the head. The new city
charter centralizes the power in the Mayor. The
City Council is shorn of fits powers. even the
second branch, which is Republican. having
more discretion than the first, which is Demo-
cratic, because composed of fewer men,
The Board Of Estimate is the keystone OF the
municipal government By the succession OF
Republican to the mayoralty three Of the five
members Of the board are Republican, the
Mayor, the Controller and the president of the
second branch of the Council. The Republicans
viii also have control Of the burned district
commission which viii award contracts for
paving and regarding streets and for extensive
dock improvements in the burned section, in
Voving the expenditure Of many millions OF
OF the powers which, before the city charter
became operative, enjoyed by the City
Council. All appropriations of money, all appli-
cations for franchises and minor privileges must
be approved by this board
With this board controlled by Republicans
there can be an entire upheaYal in the policies
of the MCLane administration. Mr.. McLanes
choice OF the burned district commission
severely criticised, as was also the hardness
and dilatorv methods Of the commission, of
which the Mayor was the head. Business men
complained that the work OF rebuilding the city
was delayed by the commissions slownesS.