The sun., 1906-01-31
TIM BUSTS THAT MAJORITY.
COLER HELPS OVERCOME ODDS
IN BOARD or ALDERMEN.
n. and NJ. q. Members Desert Meyers on
Two VOtes--He Talks About Doses OF
Tammany SOftsoap-The Dcsertcrs say
He Is Too DictatOrial to Suit Them.

Two NOtes-He Talks About Doses OF
Tammany SOftsOap Dcsertcrs say
He Is TOO Dictatorial to suit Them.
The Republican and Municipal Owner
ship League majority in the Board OF
Aldermen went to pieces yesterday on two
votes. Out of the seventy-nine votes in
the board the combination forces had
fifty, a sufficiently large margin, it was
thought at the beginning of the year, to
prevent Tammany from ever bagglng
victory. From the start Little Tim was
never cast down. More than once he has
told his friends to wait and see something
happen. He was in "A minority at the out
set in the Low government, but IN less
than six months he had turned it into a
majority, turned out the Republicans
from the chairmanship Of the committees,
deposed Herbert Parsons from the chair
manship of the Finance Committee, which
carried with it seat on the Sinking Fund
Commission, and put John Il. Mccall in
his place
The fight yesterday began on question
of salary increase. Alderman Meyers,
leader of the majority and also chairman
of the Committee on Salaries and Offices,
presented report requesting the Board
of Estimate to make it rule to re-
ceive applications for salary increases
at only one period each year, preferably
when the budget was being made up. The
Tammany members objected to what they
termed this muzzling process, but it wasr
left to Republican, Ham of Brooklyn.
to move that the report be laid on the table.
The vote was tie and the report was made
a special order for next weeks meeting.
Then came another report from Mr..
Meyers's committee. Two weeks ago
Comptroller Metz asked that the salary OF
Oliver f. Stanton, his private secretary,
I've raised from $4,000 to 5000 year.
The Board of Estimate approved OF
the increase, but the committee reported
that S. 900 was too much and recommended
$4,000.
Alderman Doull CIam) charged the
ma Jority with trying to upset precedents.
Ii had always been the custom of the Al.
dermen, he said, to allow the head of the
depart ment to determine the merits of the
men under him and to he the Judge OF the
"a lares which should be paid to them.
Other Tammany men took the same stand.
Alderman Meyers said here was no iustii-
cation for giving city official a two-thrds
increase and while the vote was being taken
on a motion to make it S. 900 and he saw
that some Of the ma ority were deselting
him he remarked that it was evident tbat
certain members whom he regarded as col
lea CUES had been overcome by doses OF
Tammany softsoap.'
Tammany won by 40 votes to 3d. As
soon IL it dawned on Little Tim tina! he had
| chance to win he sent several messengers
| scurrying to round up as many lammany
members as possible. The call for absen-
tees was insisted upon three times and there
was considerable laughter when BorrHGh
President Ahearn came hnrrying in and
shouted aye as did two other members
who entered he chamber on the run. These
are the Republican and NJ. q, s'"mbcrs
who forsook their ale glance " -. 1'ajorlty
and went over to the opposition:
CInord on. o., Brookym, Ell"ry rep.
BROOKLYN. Falk CM. o., Brookyn'. liann
rep Brooklyn. liatten ,Rop., Manhattan.
lIerod (M o. Brooklynl. Kline rep. Brook
lyn,. Kuch ,Rcp. Brooklynl Lawlor Rep.
Brooklynl, Markcrt ,Rep.. Brooklyn, Red
mond GM, o., Brooklyn, Rendt Rcp., Rich
mondi, Rowcroit (M. o.. Brooklyn, Wents
dep. Brooklyn) President Bcrm"l tRep.-
NJ o.. OucensI aud President COlcr (M. o..
Brooklynl.
Another attack was nlaClp on Alderman
Meyers's position when Borough President
Coler introduced resolution calling for
the appoint tment of a special committee
to investigate the merger of the local trac-
ton interests. Under the new regulations
the appointment of special committees must
he left to the committee on rules, which
is made up of Aldermen Meyers, Goodman
Mccall Mr.. Meyers suggested that the
resolution should go to his committee as
provided for by the rules. AZ once there
was a general attack on Mr.. Meyers. AL
derrnan Wafer moved that the railroad:
| committee should be substituted for the
special committee and he and other mem.
bers. some of whom were Republicans, in-
sisted that if the power of appointing the
special committees was to be vested in
! the Meyers committee the sooner all the
standing committees were wiped out the
better. because there would be no work OF
mportanCe left for them to do. Clti-
mately Mr. Wafer'a amendment was adopted
by 40 votes to .. Alderman Wafer also
gave notice that At the next meeting OF
the board he would move to amend the
rules.
Mr., Meyers has apparently become un-
popular in the board. After the meeting
several of the ma jority who voted against
him said that he was dic,atorial in his
methods and that under his rule they were
coming to point where their only function
would be to vote as they were directed.