The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-20
CAPTURE BOARD OF ESTIMATE
MURPHY CREDITED WITH THIS
PLAN TO EMBARRASS MAYOR.
II Involves EIectlng Q Successor TO Nc.
Gowsn and Putting Ellison In Ahearn's
Place and disc the Minds Of the
Governor. the People and the Courts.


Governor. the People and tho Courts.
Within a few days Secretary OF State
Whslen will send his formal notification to
the Board Of Elections OF the Offices to be
filled at the next election. The communion
ton is being awaited with great interest
because Of the doubt which exists ss to
whether or not a President Of the Board Of
Aldermen will be elected this year.
Should the Secretary Of State. after seek
ing the advice OF Attorney-G General Jack
son. decide that the term OF the President
Of the Board OF Aldermen does not expire
at the end Of the year the Tammany or
ganizatiun will contest that ruling in the
courts. Mr.. Murphy and his friends are
anxious to get President McGowan out OF
Office. not because they are personally
inimical to him. but because they wish to
nominate a man who can be counted on to
vote against Mayor Mcclellan in the Board
Of Estimate.
Section IL Of the Charter provides that the
President of the Board Of Aldermen shall
be elected at the same time and for the
same term as the Mayor. When the re-
vised Charter was adopted the term OF the
Mayor was for two years, but an act was
passed two years & extending the term
Of the Mayor. the Comptroller and the
Borough Presidents from two to -four years.
No mention was made in the act OF the
President OF the Board Of Aldermen. The
contention is now made on the one hand
that under the charter the President Of the
Board OF Al dermen ia entitled to sit for
fou years. by reason OF the provision that
he shall serve for as long a period az the
Mayor. and on the other hand that the
president IL q component part OF the Board
Of Aldermen. and that az he was elected 10
preside over only the board elected for the
two year term il would be absurd to sup
pose that he could legally claim to preside
over the new board TO be elected next No
vember. IL is maintained also that the
Legislature fully realized that Mr.. Mc0owan
was qualified 20 serve only during tho life
OF the present board by purposely emitting
his Office from those whose terms were In
creased to four years.
The question will undoubtedly be taken
to the courts. Mr.. Murphy and his friends
have not yet definitely made up their minds
Just what course they will follow. but the
plan which they will probably adopt. should
the Secretary Of State not order an election
for President OF the Board OF Aldermen,
will be to bring mandamus proceedings to
compel the Board Of Elections TO give q place
on the official ballot for candidates for
president OF the Aldermen.
IL was reported yesterday that the Four
teenth Street leaders. in order to further
their we'll known design 70 capture control
Of the Board Of Estimate for the purpose OF
embarrassin z the Mayor. would elect William
Il. Ellison TO succeed Ahearn il the Governor
removes the Borough President. MIR. Eli
son Is closely allied with the Sullivans. who
are now avowedly aligned with Murphy.
Since the possibility arose OF the removal
Of MIR. Ahearn the Tammany Aldermen, who
with the vi. y. Leaguers have a majority
In the board, a been declaring that they
would elect Little Tim Sullivan, their leader,
to succeed Mr.. Ahearn. but Little Tim. il
can be said authoritatively. will not listen
10 the suggestion. and on similar tirst hand
information IL can be said that Little Tim
will himself name the candidate TO be voted
on. Little Tim refused to say yesterday
whether thiso candidate would be Mr.. Ellison
and when MIR. Ellison was asked n there
was a likelihood that he would be a csndi-
date for the Office CT Borough President
should Mr.. Ahsarn be e,noved he declined
to answer.
There are sixteen votes in the Board OF
Estimate. The Mayor. the Comptroller
and the President OF the Board OF Aldermen
hsve three each, the Borough Presidents
Of Manhattan and Brooklyn two each
and the Presidents OF The Bronx. Queens
and Richmond ore each. Mr.. MCGOWAN
has always voted with the Mayor. and In
all important matters Mr.. Ahearn has
two members with men allied with the
Murphy faction Mr.. Mcclellan would lose
five votes. and as Borough Presidents
| Coler and Hafen would undoubtedly take
advantage Of every opportunity to defeat
the Mayor in the board he would have left
| only eight votes out OF tho sixteen. and TO
maintain this division he would have TO
depend upon the votes OF President Crom-
well OF Richmond and President Bermel
Of Queens.
Mr.. Cromwell. although a Republican.
has always supported the Mayor In the
board meetings and would unquestionably
continue to do 40. but 10 is somewhat doubt
full where Mr.. Bermel would stand. With
out a majority vote OF the board the Mayor
would be greatly handicapped in his sd-
min lstration.
Acting Mayor Mciowan said yesterday
that while he had heard something OF the
scheme TO GUST him at the end Of the year
he had no fear hat IL would succeed. because
he was confident that he was fully protected
by the Charter.