The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-02
COUNCILS RECALL GAS LEASE.
CARRY OUT MAYOR WEAVER'S
ORDERS WHILE CROWD HOOTS.

OHHEfS W NILE tHOU IL nOOlS.
Quaker City Fathers Eat Grow a.Pienty
WITH Due Solemnity-Cheering Thou.
sands Applaud the Mayor Other Steals
Nipped--F1ght to Recover Gas Works
PHILADELPHIA. June With the MAYORS
police patrolipg the corridors, the Mayor
himself in an anteroom looking at them
and laughing. hooting crowd in the gal
cries, Councils met to-day and ate crow.
Two weeks ago the Councilmen, fresh
from the office Of Boss Durham, rushed
the gas lease through with Whip Ham,
rnond cracking the lash In Common Coun-
ellis, Whip Seger driving in Select Councils.
and bowling gallery being cowed by a
machine police Not only was the U. G. I.
ordinance passed. but the Mayors letter
of protest was laughed at and as an ex-
preston of further derision lot of bills
which the Mayor had vetoed were dragged
out and passed over his veto.
To-day Seger sat at his desk silent, with
bowed head, Hammond spoke not word.
Looking in ON them from the little ante
room was the Mayor, with ex-Judge James
Gay Gordon close beside him, and every
one of the 1?e members of both councils
was ready to do his bidding Two weeks
ago all the Mayor could call his Of the 126
were thirteen
Over in the Retz building Office eat Dur
ham-alone.
As the galleries hooted and laughed.
both chambers rushed through the recall
of the gas lease.
After this the Common Council approved
the sureties OF the Mayors directors Potter
and Acker. Then the select chamber put
itself on record as approving the dismissal
of machine directors Smyth and Costello
and the appoint ment of their successors.
Then the bills that had been passed over
the Mayors veto were brought back again
and solemnly repealed
There we're other things done Finance
ardently for the lease and who had loudly
predicted raise in the tax rate, arose at
the Mayors bidding and introduced an
ordinance fixing the rate for 1907 at the
same old fgue-$1 so. Then both branches
still at the Mayors command. decided to
adjourn next Thursday for the summer
and think Of the vacations they would
have had il they hadn't bought T. GI.
Hours before Councils were opened the
reserves were ordered to patrol galleries
and corridors. Since early morning the
people had been gathering about City Hall
and finally when 1000 men from the north.
ern part of the city marched down Broad
street with bands and flags, the crowds
turned in the rear and marched with them.
Straight to the Mayors Office they marched
xrhr in ha
ton room lifted the Mayor upon table
and told him to speak
4 would die for Philad-." he began.
and that was as far as he got for ten minutes
There was such burst of cheering that
1t seemed as if the crowds might want
him to make good. The cheers were taken
UP by the thousands outside and the bands
al played, My Country. tbs Of Thee
and other patriotic airs.
After awhile the Mayor was allowed to
finish his speech and then he journeyed
over to Council chambers.
Not for a generation has Mayor OF
Philadelphia appeared in Councils. Mr.
Weav er's face wore a smile that wouldn't
come Of as he saw the Councilren turn
over the chambers. Sitting in the ante
room he watched the great crow feast
and when it was over he walked out amid
the cheers Of the thousands. with Coun-
ellis inside and a smile on the face Of the
tiger. misquoted Councilman.
Another of the stunts that Councils had
to do was to sustain the Mayors veto of
the four big bills which are laden down
with graft. They are the bills that provide
for Cobb's Creek Park, at a cost of some
millions; the building of the South Phila-
delphia Boulevard, also costing millions,
and the Torresdale and Northwest Boule-
wards, which have other millions hanging
to them.
Later in the day Mayor Weaver opened
the fight for taking back the gas works in
1907 and checking a plan TO mulct the city
OF some sl2 900 600. He gave out letter
which he had sent to City Controller
Walton. In this he asked for a. detailed
the amount alleged TO have been ex-
pended by it for alterations. betrerments
&c With it he asked calculation Of the
interest and an estimate OF the amount
necessary. to take back the works. All
through the letter the Mayor conveyed the
impression that be was not satisfied with
the returns Of the Controller.
John c. Winston of the Committee Of
Seventy is authority for the statement that
the L. G. l. would ssk $50 600 600 for i'm
provements and that only ss ooO 900 had
been spent,
Mayor Weaver has decided to revolu
tionize city government by the formation
OF an advisory board of twelve men, whom
he will consult upon matters financial.
business and political.
He confirmed this at n,idni ght in an inter-
view At his home in Overlook. The move
will be revolutionary The board OF adj.
visers will be drawn from the foremost
end business men Of Phila-
delphia, Six have already accepted
This cabinet will not be official in the sense
Of being authorized by any legislation. but
1t will constitute. with the Mayor, the real
governing body OF the city,