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The Mayoralty.
On Monday morning a large deputation of
influential citizens, private, professional, and
commercial representatives, including D/.
Cockburn, two of the Aldermen, and several
of the City Council, waited upon the Mavorof
Adelaide (Mr. L. Cohen, M.P.) to ask him to
offer himself for the position of Mayor for t'ie
ersuinfe year. Sir John Bray introduced the
deputation, and ;.aid His Worship had discharged
his official and social obligations to
the entire satisfaction o: the citizens, who, he
might say, felt a jenei\.l desire that he should
occupy the position of Chief Magistrate for
another year. He qtrice agreed thai t'ie
position should never be regart'?d
as a freeho'd, but in the case where
an occupant of tlie chair had secured the approbation
of all classes by his judicious discharge
of his duties, it was only right that he
should be asked again.
Mr. COHEN thanked the deputation, and expressed
his sense of the honour and the resp insibilities
of his offk e, aLo b : s approbation of
the kindness of the deputation in wishing him
to _eek re-elrction, which he took to be an
acknowledgment that bis se.-vices had been
satisfactory^ He must however, ask t'.iem for
tf me to consider, for two reasons. On Friday
night, after a number of gentlemen had ask- d
him to appoint a time to hsar them, he wrote to
Alderman Bullock, who had generiusly given
way tohim last yearwhenhe(the Alderman)had
intended to seek election for the Mayoralty—
and asked that gentleman if he intended to
offer himself this year, rcqussting' him to
furnish a reply by 10.30 on Monday. He had
just received the reply which was, he must
say, very terse. It was—"I have received
your favour, and have not yet come to a
decision in the matter." (Laughter.) He must
say that the reply was discourteous. Alderman
Bullock's decision would have influenced his
reply to the _ deputation, and after such a
response to his letter he would at once accede
to the request of the deputation had he not
another reason. He felt that he required a
change, and had been contemplating a trip to
Europe when Parliament went into recess.
If he decided to leave Adelaide for
trip home it would not be right of him to seek
re-election as Mayor of the city and—if returned
to the office—leave his duties behind
b;m even for a time. However, under the
circumstances, he should now ask for a few
days for consideration, and if he did not decide
to go to Europe he would give the deputation
a favourable reply. (Hear, hear.)
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