Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-01
COUNCIL MAY NOT
CONFIRM ACTION
R0DMAN ONLY DIRECTOR TO
ESCAPE
MARSHUTz IS INDIGNANT
Move of Mr.. McAleer Not Unexpected
by Members of Board, but They
Believe City Legislators
Will Support Them
I SLATED FOR REMOVAL ]
Z !. 3. Docl<weler. !
+ j. w. Trueworthy. /
I s. G. Marshutz.
3 z. c. Wright.

-
! r. C. Wright. q
Mayor McAleer, in a communication
addressed to the council yesterday,
board the four directors who refused
to be investigated" last Thursday
evening, but before his action becomes
effective it must run the gantlet Of
the council and be approved by the
majority present.
The council will assemble next Mon
day morning after the vacation period,
at which time the communication will
be presented and acted upon. 1t is
thought hardly possible that the city's
legislative body will uphold the mayor
in his action in attempting the removal
of those members Of the library board
who have removed Miss Mary L. Jones.
Throughout the squabble the coun-
cilmen have displayed disposition to
trust to the good sense and business
judgment of the business and profess
sional men who compose the library
board. C-'
The mayor desires to remove Director
s. G. Marshutz, his only appointee on
the board. The other three members
he desires to remove are I. B. Dock
weller, J. w. Trueworthy and Foster
C. Wright.
Director wfi1ougflfsy Rodman, the
only member Of the board to side with
Miss Jones, waS not removed Proba-
bly, the fact tS4at be is in the north
and did not refnse to submit to the
alleged Investigation Is responsible for
the fact that he is not in the list
Mayors Letter TO Council
The mayors communication to the
council reads as follows:
'"To the Honorable City Council of
the City of Los Angeles-Gentleme
In response to the numerous requests
and petitions addressed to the mayor
and city council asking that a public
investigation be made into the man
ner ana grounds OF the removal by
the library board of Miss Mary L..
Jones from the office of librarian, 1 an
nounced July "a. in a communication
addressed to the board, OF which 1 at
tach copy. that would conduct such
an investigation. end appointed the
evening of July 27 at s o'clock as the
time for holding the same. had hoped
that the inquiry would be held by the
city council and myself jointly, and
/ invited your honorable body to act
with me I'm the matter, but the council
saw fit TO refer the petition asking for
this investigation to me for action on
the ground that the mayor was the
appointing power and therefore the
proper officer to pass upon the con-
duct OF the board.
"At the time appointed the four MEM
bers of the board concerned, with their
attorney, and Miss Jones with her at
torney were present In the council
chamber. and there also were present a
proceedings. When called upon to pre-
sent the evidence they had to support
the charges made against Miss Jones
and given as the grounds for her re-
moval, the attorney for the members of
the board declined to offer any such
evidence. but read a communication adj
dressed to me, in which it was alleged
that had been consulted by the mem
bers of the board concerning Miss
jones' removal and had approved theic
action, and that l would be a necessary
witness in any inquiry into such action,
and their attorney stated that for those
reasons the members of the board
would not submit to public investiga-
tion conducted by me. 1 announced
that / was willing to be called as a wit
ness as to what had occurred between
the members of the board and my
self but the members of the board
refused to call me as a wit
ness or to offer any evidence whatever.
This refusal necessarily frustrated the
attempted investigation and prevented
the making public of the statements
and representations made by the MEM
bers of the board to the mayor in their
conferences with him, and also pre-
vented the publication of the facts
upon which the board based its charges.
Il have made some personal investi-
cation into the charges alleged by TIE
four members of the board as its
grounds for Miss Jones removal. and 1
am satisfied that the facts do not Justify
those charges.
I'm view Of the fact that If | had
hsen called as witness upon such in