The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-05-24
STAGGERING BLOW TO
 QUAKER CITY GAS RING
MAYOR WEAVER BUSINESSES TWO PRINCIPAL MEMBERS OF
 HIS CABINET.

Counsel-EIihu Root, Former Secre-
 tary of War, and Judge James Gay
 Gordon, to Advise Him-May Dismiss
 Number of Other Omcials. Philadelphia, May 23.-In his effort to defeat the consummation of the plan to lease the city gas works to the United Gas Improvement company for seven ty-five years for s25,000,000, Mayor Weaver to-day dismissed from office the two principal members of his cabi- net and thereby delivered staggering blow to the dominant political organ ization of this city, which has caused probably the greatest sensation in the history of Philadelphia municipal af- fairs.
 While the citizens were expecting some move on the part of the mayor, they were not prepared for the immedi. ate removal from office of David J. Smyth, the director of the department of public safety, and Peter E. Costello, the director of the department of pub lie works, which occurred to-day. The mayor has announced that he is in the fight to the bitter end, which means that great political battle is now on and will be carried to the polls next November. The mayor has called in as counsel Elihu Root, of New York, and former Judge James Gay Gordon, of this city. Judge Gordon is a democrat. The mayors stated purpose in going outside the city for his principal counsel is that he wants a man who is not iden- ] tified with any faction in the struggle now on
 Simultaneous with the dismissal of the two directors, Frederick J. Shoyer, director of the department of supplies, by direction of the mayor, suspended Arthur R. H. Morrow, the assistant di- rector of the department, pending an investigation.
 The removal of Directors Smyth and Costello did not come until after the mayor had asked them to resign imme- diately. In reply each sent a letter to the mayor offering his resignation to take effect when his successor shall be qualified" The mayor answered them by demanding their immediate resigna- tion. The answers the directors return ed were to the effect that they had ten- dered their resignations fin the usual form and in accordance with the pro- visions of the city charter" and that they would stand by them as rendered. MT. Weaver then ended the correspond ence by sending to each a letter in which he said: T feel that the best in terests of the city require that our off, cial relations shall terminate at once. You therefore place me under the pain ful necessity of immediately removing you from the position, as I feel that must have some one in that office re- sponsible only to the mayor and to the city at once
 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. Lincoln Acker to be director of the department of public works, both ad interim.
 The fight over the form of the resig- nation was an important one, in that the new directors can only be qualified by the confirmation of councils, which is controlled by the organization. The department of public safety has charge of the police and fire bureaus, electrical bureau, prisons, building inspectors, boiler inspectors. city property and in spectors of fire escapes The bureaus of gas, highways, lighting, surveys, street cleaning, water and city iceboats are under the supervision of the depart ment of public works. Each director receives $10,000 a year, and together they have control of 10000 officeholders. It is not likely that city councils will confirm the men appointed by the may or, but they will hold the office ad in- terim.
 Neither Mayor Weaver nor the re- moved men would make a statement to-day as to the specific reason for the changes beyond the general statement that the proposed lease of the gas works was the cause of 1t. The organization to a man was in favor of the lease, while the mayor was unalterably op- posed to It. He was utterly ignored in the transaction and he has been urged by the newspapers and reform organ izations to veto the ordinance passed by councils last Thursday. This he has announced he would do. In the mean time he brought every influence to bear on the councilmen to sustain his veto. Tn this he has had little success. The two directors refused to use their influ- ence to help him, and this led the may or to ask the directors for their resig- nations
 While the mayor refuses to say what his future action will be regarding oth- CT officeholders who oppose him, it is believed that he is not yet through with his work ifl this direction. There Is much uneasiness displayed by thou sands of officeholders lest they be caught in the political voretx. The new directors refuse to say what plans they have mapped out and until they make some announcement the political situ- ation will remain in a chaotic state. Some of the organization leaders fear that many of the oficeholders will side with the mayor and thus weaken the organization forces.
 sgs&& ---------------------~--
 Hearings Closed.
 Washington, May 2S.-The senate committee on interstate commerce to-