The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-05-27
HOPEFUL OF OUTCOME
 IN GAS LEASE FIGHT
MAYOR WEAVER SAYS THE SITU- ALTON IS GROWING
 BRIGHTER.

Declares He Has Received Assurances
 from Many Councilmen Who Voted
 for the Lease Last Year That They
 VIII Support His veto--Struegle to
 Hold or Win Votes Becoming Hotter
 New Directors AnnuI Important
 Contract.
 Philadelphia, May 2s.-'srhe situation is growing brighter every minute" said Mayor Weaver late this evening. when asked what progress he was making in his effort to defeat extension of the lease of the city gas works. He would not give figures nor go into other de- tails, but eontented himself with say- ing that he had received assurances from many councilrnen who had voted for the lease last week that they would support him in his veto. There are signs that some of the councilmen are breaking away under the tremendous pressure of their constituents and VII! probably go along with the mayor The all absorbing point of interest is wheth- CT the mayor will succeed in getting enough to defeat the bill when 1t shall come up next Thursday for passage over his veto. The organization still stands on it's statement that 1t will pass the lease ordinance in spite of dis- approval
 The record up to this evening shows that the mayor has ten selectmen and twenty members of common council with him. Tn select council there are AZ members. To pass the ordinance over the mayors veto the organization needs 26 votes and the mayor 1T to sus- tain him. The membership of the conn mon council is S4 Here the organiza~ ton needs 51 and the mayor 34. The first important move of the new administrators move that was of vital importance to organization men who hold the city contracts was taken to-day when the new director of public works MT. Acker, annulled the adver- tisement for bids for street cleaning for 1906 The contract will aggregate about $1, 100000. The contract for this year is held by Ware Brothers, one of whom is state senator and another recorder of deeds.
 1 All the principal figures in the strug- l gle for supremacy kept behind closed doors most of the day. The mayor had numerous conferences with his attor- neys and lieutenants on matters per- taining to the legal battle that will 1 have it's real start next Monday. In l the offices of United States Senator I Penrose, where organization headquar-
 
 many conferences were held during the day and evening The deep silence at l the headquarters remains unbroken and the only word that can be had from the leaders is that the organization is con- fdent of the outcome.
 The struggle to hold or win council- men is growing hotter, and many of tho sscity fathers have expressed the wish that they had never been elected to the Legislative body. They declare that they owe all their success in life to | the organization, and that it would be an extreme act of disloyalty to go back on their leaders in time of trouble. Then on the other hand the pressure brought to bear by neighbors and other constituents and even business asso- ciates to abandon the organization and uphold the mayor is so great that they Xlo not know what they shall do. Some of the councilmen are pursued even ir- l to the privacy of their homes, and del- legations are calling on them at all hours of the day and night There was a demonstration when the mayor left the city hall to-day for lunch. Instead of going to the Union league, as he did yesterday, the mayor lWent to the University club. His req ception as he walked along the streets
 with Director of Public Safety Potter,
 was a noisy one. He reached the club after considerable effort and after re- Tnaining there about an hour returned Ito city hall in a cab.
 A crowd os about 300 persons was IaWaiting him and followed him to his office. As he entered some one pro- posed singing "The Star Spangled 1 Banner" which was done with all hats off.
 l Amid tremendous cheering and the lwaving of flags several thousand per- lsons who tonight were packed in the Academy of Music to hear prominent lPhiladelphians express their protest |against the gas lease adopted his reso- Hutton:
 Resolved, That we, citizens of Phil- Iadelphia, without regard to party or politics, do hereby, before God and man, pledge our life, liberty and sacred hon. Tor to the complete overthrow of despot- lic methods in municipal affairs and the Irestoration of the American principles for which our fathers fought. and which tshall ever be our glory while we re- lmain worthy to be called their chil- Il ldren.''
 The mass meeting was one of the lar- lgest held here in a long time. So great Twas the crowd that an overflow meet ling was held in the hall of the Young Mems Christian association and anoth- Ter in Broad street, in front of the Acad- lemy of Music.
 Shipping News.
 NTax, Do Ct ao -, ar Do