The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-05
THE TIME QUESTION.
The Correctness OF the Minority Re-
port Substautiated.

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SAVANNAH, May 5.-Editor Morn
ing Net0s: As l was unavoidably pre-
vented by sickness from being pres
ent at the last meeting of Council. and as
certain statements were made at that meet
ing concerning the report of the minority
of the committee appointed at a previous
meeting TO consider the petition of num-
Der of citizens asking Council to rescind its
former action adopting Central time, which
statements demand at my hands prompt
and emphatic refutation, ask a sufficient
space i'll your columns for that purpose.
1t may and probably will be urged by
some persons that it would be more APP
propriate to do this at the next meeting of
Council, but as Council took action without
allowing me an opportunity of substanti-
ating the report of the minority, in the face
of the statement made by the chairman of
the majority that the facts stated in the
minority report were untrue, have no
reason to believe that they would extend to
me the courtesy of hearing.
The truthfulness Of the report Of the mi
nority of the committee of which | was
chairman having been questioned, it is not
only proper, but it seems to me imperative,
that | should, with the least delay possible,
substantiate its truthfulness before my
fellow citizens
Referring to that report it will be re
membered that l dssented from the report
of the majority for several reasons. One
was | thought the invitation to prominent
representatives of different interests affected
by the change should not have been limited
to those who signed the petition presented
to Council, but that it should have been ex-
tended generally so as to have embraced all
interests and to have elected a more general
expression of the wishes of the people.
The chairman of the majority said at the
last meeting of Council that the charge of
any unfairness in listening to only one side
of the question was false; the inference
being unavoidable that the statement made
by the minority of the committee that the
invitation was limited, was untrue.
Here are the facts upon which the
minority of the committee based this por-
ton of their report, and there is documen-
tary svidence to substantiate these facts
e. The following named citizens, all of
whose names appear upon the petition ask
ing Council to return to sun time, were in
vited to appear before the special commit
tee at a meeting, IL o'clock M, April 20, at
the City Exchanges:
j. J. Dale, Merritt w. Dixon, Luke Car
son, John Reilly, R. E. Cobb, c. A Marin
John L. Hammond, Capt Thomas Fleet
wood, B. G. Wright, W. f. Guerard, Judge
William D. Harden, John Flannery, An
drew Hanley, James H. Johnston, John
Neil, H. p. Smart James Moran, w. F.
Chaplin, Thomas Ballantyne
OF the above number who were invited,
the following named citizens appeared be-
fore the committee:
John Reilly, B. c. Wright, NJ. w Dixon,
H. Nj. C. Smith, j. j. Dale, John Neil, H.
P. Smart, James Moran, Judge w. d. Har-
den, w. F. Chaplin. MIR. Lee Roy Myers
was also present, but / failed to find his
name upon the petition.
All of the above named citizens, ten in
number, having signed the petition
asking council to return to sun
time, it is not surprising that the
majority should have stated in their report
to Council ''the Judgment and experience
of all of them were in favor of a return 30
the sidereal OF sun time" but | scarcely
think that it is indicative of 'the great and
widespread interest manifested by the COM
munity," as stated in the report of the
majority.
Why were not other citizens invited to
come before the special committee at that
meeting without any knowledge of their
views as to the time issue, and why were
not all the members of the committee re-
quested to furnish the names Of prominent
citizens interested in the matter, who might
also have been present at that meeting?
The fact that the invitation was limited
to those only who signed the petition to
Council, ten of whom only being present,
there is no escape from the conclusion that
the action of the majority was based upon
the opinion elected from a small number of
citizens, whose opinion had already been
expressed in their petition to Council.
At the conclusion of the conference with
"the prominent representatives of the diff
ferent interests affected by the change" on
Friday, April Goth, the chairman then and
there favored bringing the action of the
special committee 10 a conclusion, twelve
days before the meeting of Council at which
the report Of the special committee was to
be submitted.
l objected to this, and thought that both
sides should be heard; subsequently,, l adj
vocated that another meeting should be
convened and a general invitation extended
to all citizens interested in the matter.
The Chairman thought this impractic-
able, from the fact that such an invitation
would neceSSitate the securing of the
Theater or some equally commodious build
ing.
have since learned that he expressed sur
prise that a minority report should have
been presented to the council The public
can draw their conclusions as to the facts
contained in the minority report of the
committee.
The insinuatiOn that / furnished the
newspapers with material upon which to
formulate an article foreshadowing the ac-
ton of the council, is wholly and utterly
untrue.
The subject having been generally dis
cussed among the Aldermen, as well as the
citizens, and the views of each and every
Alderman being pretty generally known,
IL is not surprising that the newspapers
found material for publication.
| had not the remotest idea that either of
the two city gazettes possessed any knowl-
edge whatever concerning the matter.
GEO. S. HAINEs.
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