Omaha daily bee., 1905-05-27
MAYOR WEAVER IS ELATED
Says Gas Fight Situation Grows Brighter
Every Minute,
CONTEST FOR VOTES IN THE COUNCILS
Several Members Yield to Pressure
of Constituents and Agree TO
support the Executives
Veto.

PHILADELPHIA. May @.-"The situa-
ton is growing brighter every minute"
said Mayor Weaver late this afternoon.
He would not give figures nor go into other
details, but contented himself with saying
he had received assurances from many
councilmen who had voted for the lease last
week that they would support him in his
veto. Leaders of the republican organiza-
ton which is advocating the lease continue
to remain silent. There are however, signs
that some OF the councilmen are breaking
away under tremendous pressure of their
constituents and will probably go along
with the mayor. The all.absorbing point OF
interest is whether 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 stfn stands
on its statement that 1t will pass the ordi-
nance in spite OF his disapproval. The rec
ord up to this evening shows that the
mayer has ten select councilmen and
twenty members of the common council
with him. In the select council there are
forty-two members. To pass the ordinance
over the mayors veto needs twenty-six
votes and the mayor seventeen to sustain
him. The membership Of the common coun-
ell + eighty-four. Here the organization
needs fifty-one and the mayor thirty-four.
After Organization Contractors.
The first important movement of the new
administrations move that was of vital
Importance to organization men who hold
city contracts-was taken today when the
new director of public works-Acker-an-
nulled the advertisement for bids for street
cleaning for 1906 The contract will aggre-
gate about $1,000, ,O00 The contract for this
year is held by the Ware Brothers, one OF
whom is nd
corder of deeds.
The struggle to hold or win councilmen
is growing hotter. and many of the "city
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
1t would be an extreme act of disloyalty to
go back their leaders in a time of
trouble
The first man 10 be won over today came
to the mayors office with a delegation OF
constituents. He was Charles E. Connell
of the common council.
Mass Meeting Adopts Resolution.
Resolved That we, citizens of Phila-
delphia without regard to party or politics,
do hereby, before God and man, pledge
our life, liberty and sacred honor to the
complete overthrow of despotic methods in
municipal affairs and the restoration of
the American principles for which our
fathers fought and which shall ever be our
glory while we remain worthy to be called
their children"
Amid tremendous cheering and the wav-
| ing of flags several thousand persons who
| were packed into the Academy of Music
| to hear prominent Philadelphians express
| their protest against the gas lease adopted
| the above quoted resolution.
Former Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith spoke in part as follows:
The question of defeating the gas steal
and redeeming the city is above all narrow
partiSanship / deny the right of the con-
spirators who are banded together to gag
and plunder our fair city to speak in a
not the flag of republicanism. Our whole
character as free men Is at stake. The
issue is beyond and above all question of
dollars.
w. W. Justice, wool merchant, presided
at the academy meeting and the principal
address delivered was that by Charles
Emory Smith, former postmaster general
of the United States. Mr.. Smith, before
| beginning his speech, announced that word
! had just reached him that 150 citizens had
| called upon a councilman in an outlying
| ward and demanded of him to pledge his
| vote against the lease, which he did. After
| Mr. Smith concluded his address another
| message came that councilman in the
| Twenty eighth ward had also pledged hmr
| self tonight to go along with the mayor.
| Among the others who addressed the meet
ing were William T. Tilden. secretary of
| the meeting; Frank NJ. Ritter, a former
director of public safety; S. Soils Cohen,
| physician; Prof. Leo s. Rowe, president of
the AMERICAN Academy of Political and
Social Science and Rt. Rev. Alexander
MackaySmit bishop coadjutor of the
Protestant Episcopal diocese of Pennsyl-
vania.
| Raising Sinews of War.
| A letter written by Mr. Justice, mem
ber of the meeting, was read, in which he
suggested the raising of 1,25O,0OO to carry