Evening star., 1930-06-22
CUSTER PUZZLES
|. DETROIT CITIZENS
Question Whether Sufficient
Strength Can Be Mustered
to Upset Administration.

DETROIT, June 2l.-Whether a
modern city of 100000 population
can muster sufficisnt, sentiment Tn I'M
set its administration without waiting
Ior the regular election to roll around
was the question: occupying the minds
o oL Detrolters tonight as they watched
the progress of the movement to recall
mayor Charles Bowles.
mayor ,BowleS has served little more
IMAM SIX months of his two-year term,
OUT that period has been filled with
cYhtroversy In which the police depart
-~saent, the council and the departments
OF street railways and public works took
prominent part. The mayor was not
forced to stand the storm alone.
Angneo with him were his commission
ers OF police and public works The
1ormer was discharged a month ago
ana the other, John Gillespie, now is
directing the fight against the recall
movement
Petitions demanding the recall of
mayor Bowles appeared in the city
May 81 during the latest shake-up
OF the police department. which cost
Harold H. EmmonS his commission
ership. Late Thursday petitions bear
Ing the names of Ill, ,270 voters were
placed in the hands of the city clerk
as the first step toward bringing about
recall election. This total was 81 800
more than is required by law to bring
about an election. Immediately the
city clerk started verifying the sigma
lures while leaders of the opposing fac
tions came out with charges and
countercharges.
Commissioners Lend Support.
Rallying around the mayor is Gil
lespiee and Frank H Dohany of the
street railway commission. Both men
figure prominently in the list of charges
against the mayor which appeared on
the recall petitions.
Mayor BowleS' recall is asked on the
basis Of 10 charges, none of which Is
considered sufficient ground by his sup
porters. These 10 charges include az
cusations that the mayor has tolerated d
lawlesSneSs by law enforcement agencies,
that he delegated Frank Dohany TO
control the street railways claim de-
partment when that person was finan-
cially interested, that he gave Gillespie
control of the public works programs
with power to deal with contractors
who had made him (Gillespie)
wealthy" that he gave Gillespie control
of ofhcial garbage disposal despite
Gnlespie's long private monopoly of this
business" that he destroyed efficient
public service by the dismissal of faith
full employees, that he threatened the
success Of municipal ownership by at
tempting to boost street car fares and
by discharging Frank Couzens, son of
Senator James Couzens, as street rail-
way commissioner
Accuse Political Enemies
Leaders of the Bowles faction have
accused political enemies of fomenting
the recall spirit. In reply the recall
leaders have insisted that they were
-non-partisan, and that they were not
subsidized by any of the mayors polit-
cal opponents.
Mayor Bowles came into office as the
victor Of three-cornered political bat
tie. In the primary he faced John c.
Lodge, then mayor. and John W. Smith.
former mayor. Lodge ran third and was
eliminated. Then Bowles defeated
Smith by narrow margin of 5000
votes. a decision which Smith immedi-
ately contested by a recount and an
attempt to enjoin the mayor from TAX
ing office. Both attempts failesl.
Political gossips already have men
toned Smith and Emmons as possible
candidates against Bowles should the
latter be forced to go thi ough a recall
election.