Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-01-04
The PauIsboro Election Muddle.

The PauIsboro Election MuddIe.
(Suscinctly stated by a Special Cor
respondent)
Paulsboro experienced another of
its periodical sensations ON Monday at
the conyening of the new Council,
when it was discovered that all three
Eof the newly elected Councilmen-
William j. Adamson, Edward G..
Lodge and Ernest A. Struthers- had
failed to qualify by not having taken
the oath of office within ten days af-
ter their election, and had also neg
lected to file the statement of their
| general election expenses, as required
by the provisions of the Geran law.
The old Council had cleaned up it's
| business for the year and was taking
short recess preparatory to final
| adjournment when feeling of un-
easiness, as if something unusual or
unexpected was about to happen,
seemed to pervade the Council chamb-
er and grew tenser as the time ap-
preached for the calling of the new
Council together.
When Mayor Doolittle asked the old
| familiar question:: Are the newly
elected Councilman qualified to take
their seats?' the seventy-five citi-
zens present were nearly swept off
| their feet by the Clerks reply They
are not"
The Mayor inquired in what way
they had not qualified and the clerk
stated they had not appeared before
him to take the oath of office and
had not filed the necessary papers
covering the general election ex-
penses, etc., and upon the request of
the Mayor read the sections of the
law covering the same.
Mayor Doolittle informed Messrs.
Adamson, Lodge and Struthers that
as they were not qualified under the
law to sit as Councilmen, they would
be obliged to retire and allow the old
Council to return.
This was done and the Council
adjourned to meet ON Friday evening
by which time efforts will be made to
have the tangle adjusted.
Under the impression that other
officials of the borough had also neg
lected to file their papers and were
in the same position as the three
Councilmen, the writer called at the
borough clerks office at Paulsboro
and was informed by Clerk Civilian
that Mayor Doolittle was the only
candidate either successful or un-
successful, who had complied with the
law and had filed papers in accord
ance with same. A visit was also
made to the county clerks office, at
Woodbury., and on inspection there,
disclosed the startling fact that of
all the candidates who had figured in
the late general election, Mayor Doo-
little was alone in having been prop
erly qualified to take office.
This state of affairs leaves Pauls-
boro in peculiar condition, for if
the provisions of the corrupt prac-
tees act are enforced there will be
only the Mayor and two Councilmen to
administer the business of the bor-
ough-no collector and no assessor.
The Mayor is not allowed, by sec
tion "a of the act, to appoint any can
didate who has committed any offense
against the act during the term for
which he had been elected; this,
therefore, does not allow either of
the three before mentioned men to
be appointed or elected into Council
-Adamson and Lodge within three
years, and Struthers within one
year.
Councilman John Lodge may also
be obliged to retire from Council, as
section 6 of the act places forfeiture
of any office of trust which any can
didate may hold at the time; he also
cannot be appointed until the ex-
piration of the time for which he had
been elected. Mr.. Lodge was an un-
successful candidate for collector.
The successful candidates affected
by the act are William H. Flowers,
Jr., reelected collector; Jacob Bal
linger, reelected assessor; John H.
Carter, reelected constable; William
]. Adamson, Edward G. Lodge and
Ernst A. Struthers, elected to Coun-
Gil
The unsuccessful candidates, who
are also affected by the act are just
as amendable to the law as the 9TH
ers, are John Lodge, for collector;
Alexander Bonsack, Charles H. Ma
gee and Judge Bowman S. Cox, for
Council.