The San Francisco call., 1905-05-24
He Dismisses Too
City Officials High
in SeyUice.
Directors Of Safety
and Public Works
Are Drobbed.
Refused to Help Him
Fight Proposed
Gas Lease.

PHILADELPHIA, May 23.-In an ef-
fort to defeat the consummation of the
plan TO lease the City Gas Works to the
United Gas Improvement Company for
seventy-ive years for S25, 1000, 600 Mayor
Weaver to-day dismissed from office
David ]. Smyth, director 70 the Depart
ment of Public Safety, and Peter Cos
tello, director of the Department Of
Public Works.
The Mayor has announced that he is
I'm the fight to the bitter end, which
means that n great political battle is
on now and Will be carried to the polls
next November. In his fight against
the gas lease and the Republican or
ganizatiOn the Mayor has called In as
counsel Elihu Root of New York and
former Judge James Gordon Of this
city.
Frederick ]. shoyer, director of the
Department of Supplies, by direction
of the Mayor, suspended. pending an
investigation, Arthur H Morrow, as
sistant director of the department.
The removal of Directors Smyth and
Costello did not come until after the
Mayor had asked them to resign i'm
mediately. In reply each sent letter
TO the Mayor Offering his resignation
to take effect when his successor should
qualify. Mayor Weaver answered them
.
tions. The answer the directors re-
turned was to the effect that they had
rendered their designations in the
usual form and in accordance with the
provisions of the city clarter," and
that they would stand by them as ten
dered. Weaver then ended the corre-
spondence by sending to each a letter
of dismissal.
After the removals had been an
nounced the Mayor made public the
names of the men he had selected for
the places. They are Colonel Sheldon
Potter, to fill the Office of Director of
Public Safety, and A. L. Acker, to be
Director of the Department of Public
Works ad interim. The fight over the
form of resignation was an important
one, in that the new directors can only
be qualified by the confirmation of the
Councils, which are controlled by the Or
ganization. Each dismissed director re-
ceived $4,000 a year, and together they
had control of 10000 office-holders.
1t is not likely that the Councils will
confirm the men appointed by the
Mayor, but they will hold the offices
ad interim. The two dismissed direc-
help the Mayor in the anti-gas lease
fight. and this led the Mayor to ask
the directors for their designations
The news of the Mayors action
spread quickly to every section of the
city Every one wanted to know what
the organization was going to do. 1t
is evident that it is planning for a
great contest. The city election will be
held in November, when a Sheriff and
Coroner are to he chosen. The organi-
zation candidate for Sheriff is Harry
Ransley, president of the Select Coun-
ell and an advocate of the gas lease,
and it is likely that the reform organi-
zations of the city will center their
strength TO defeat him.
While the Mayor refuses to say what
his future action will be regarding
other office-holders who oppose him, it
is believed that he is not through with
his work in this direction. The reform
organizations of the city are continu-
ing with vim the plans to block the
lease. Ward meetings were held to-
night, the largest of which took place
at the Bourse.