The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-16
The Caucus system.


The present aldermen would render the
city a service if they should abolish
the star chamber method of trausacting the
public business The caucus system, as
they call it, is not healthy one, and is il
no way beneficial TO the pablo. Ga the
contrary, it enables individual aldermen to
avoid responsibilities that they would have
| to bear if all the discussions of the council
were carried on with open doors.
| II the chairman of each committee knew
that the bills he approved. the men he en-
| ployed, the contracts he made and all hi,
| other official acts would be scrutinizel by
the public, he would be more watchful
probably In discharging his duties. An
| official who feels that the eye of the public
| is upon him is apt to be little more care
full Of the public interests than when his
official acts are discussed with closed doors.
and the responsibility for them is shared
with his fellow official.
The caucus system may not be intended TO
cover up anything the public should not
know, but where individual responsib y is
removed, it is not improbable that some
things do exist that are rather expensive TO
the city, AMI which would not exist if all
public matters were discussed and passed
upon in a public manner.
The aldermen are public servants, and
why should not the public know exactly
what each one Of them does Why should
the matters in which the public is in
terested be settled in caucus, and the public
be permitted to know only the conclusions
reacheds Surely no alderman is afraid to
have it known what position he takes upon
any question, and he ought not to hesitate
to speak his mind freely upon any subject
connected with the city's affairs.
Would il not be advisable TO require each
candidate for alderman in the approaching
election to pledge himself not to favor the
caucus system in the event of his election!
Let political clubs take this suggestion
under advisement.
1t must make genial Mr.. Sunset" Cox
feel particularly happy to receive the ex-
preston Of gratitude from Dakotans for his
effort to have that territory admitted as a
state at this session. The telegraph lines
have been kept hot conveying to him such
expires ions lately, and enthusiastic demo-
Gratis Of North Dakota declare that they are
going,to have the new state named Sunset aud
the capital named Coxville, and that if Mr.
Cox will move there they will send him to
the United States Senate-that is, if the
republicans don't outvote them. Mr.. Cox
is said TO know more about Dakota than all
the encyclopedias combined.
Senator Riddleberger, OF Virginia, may
be the worse for senatorial tea sometimes.
but on such occasions his wits do not desert
him entirely. The other day, when a
brother republican was trying to prevent
him from Offering a resolution for the re-
organization of the Senate ON Jan. l next,
he wanted to know if the republican thought
he was drunk. lie received an evasive
answer, and said: 81 may be dgunk, or |
may be excited, but never get into a fight
with a woman. as the president of the SEN
ate hasn He alluded, of course, to the con-
troversy between Mr. ingalls, and Mrs
Whitney, in which ingalls, showed a want
of refinement, TO say the least.