The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-10-18

to cur reply of October 9th. We
had hoped that the controversy re-
garding this matter had ended. We
believed the mayors statement Of Oc-
tober 3rd and our reply cf October
9Th should have ended the matter. In
fact, we do not think the mayor should
have started the controversy by pub
fishing what he did. AS some one
remarked, it sia tempest in a tea
pot" But the mayor started the
tempest.
We notice the mayors statement
regarding his powers as fixed by the
town charter. We remarked in our
former article that the mayor had
arrogated to himself all power, and
he has sought to justify this by cita-
ton from the charter. We remem-
ber his statement in his article on
the Sunday law" in which he stated
that the former board did not support
him as it should have done. 1t may
be that the former board were un-
willing to wear the mayors yoke.
1t seems to us that the trouble with
the mayor is that he is running on
one track, and if he is derailed he
losses all sense of direction, We do
not understand why he takes to heart
the fact that the carnival was ad
mitted, as he himself last year per-
mitted concessions to open which ne
closed this year. The mayor is on
carnivals somewhat like the physi-
clan who was an expert on fits. Hav-
ing been called to see patient and
being unable to determine the nature
Of the case, he stated he would have
TO throw the patient into fit and
then treat him, as he was an expert
on fits. Our mayor seems to be an
expert on carnivals, and forgetful of
many more important things connect
ed with the affairs of the town.
As to the mayors power. When
Mr.. Friedman came before the Board
IF Mayor and Aldermen on Monday
morning, September 22nd, and the
question of whether the carnival
should be allowed to show inside or
outside of the town, and the question
as to who should pass upon the le
gality and the moral or immoral char
acter Of the show, was discussed, he
proposed to leave the question Of de-
cency, morality and legality of his
carnival, and each show therein, to
the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the
policemen and the Recorder. The
Recorder declined to have any part
n the matter owing to- the fact that
f any arrests were made he would
probably have to pass on the case.
The mayor was present when this
proposition was made, and made no
objection whatever to it. The man
ager thoroughly understood that the
board as a whole should pass upon
The morality and legality of his show,
and the question was not left alone
to the mayor.
On Monday night the mayor, with
the policemen, visited the place of
he carnival and himself passed upon
The legality of the various concessions,
md closed nine of them, as, was stated
in former article. On Tuesday
morning Mr., Friedman, the manager,
vent to the mayor and asked him to
;all meeting of the board so that
he question of whether the conces-
ions which the mayor had closed
should remain closed or should be
opened, might be passed upon by the
entire board. Certainly this would
have been fair under the proposition
which Mr.. Friedman had made. 1t
was unfair to him for the mayor to
close his concessions and not submit
the matter to the board. Had the
mayor protested when this PROPOSE
lion was made by Mr.. Friedman on
| Monday morning in all probability he
would not have moved the carnival
On the inside, When Mr. Friedman
endeavored to get the mayor to call
the board together on Tuesday morn
ing he positively refused tb do so,
giving as his excuse, according to Mr.
Friedman, that the aldermen were in
favor of carnivals and that he would
have nothin gto do with them. That
he would rely solely upon the coun-
sci of his lawyer. Every effort to
| get meeting Of the board failed.
| As stated, it was both unfair to Mr..
| Friedman and to the board, as the
proposition had been fairly made ard
implied accepted By the mayor, as
he made no protest.
The public may think that the board
took somewhat drastic action in at
tempting to repeal the ordinance
against gambling, which had only
been passed last May. But drastic
I