The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-25

NAAN AAA-pAAlAb anu dAlAEl lllEAA sllnuAl
be compelled TO retain such officials. who
| have done everything in their power TO
! defeat them2 Do you for a moment think
| that these officials viii be as Jealous in
] the discharge Of their duties under these
/ conditions? Besides, are not the board Of
/ aldermen held responsible for an honest.
! economic and progressive administration
! and for the polite and good conduct Of
! these officers? And is this not a very
/ strong reason that these officials should
| be selected by the new board2 Are not
| the managers Of all we'll governed insti-
! tutions permitted TO select their help?
| Is 1t not time that every legislative body
| select its officers2 And, last, but not
I least will not the voters Of Savannah
have an opportunity to select a board
who will have the selection Of these Of
icials? Are not the citizens of Savannah
| the proper and competent people to make
this selection? How can you for a mo-
ment entertain the proposition to AFRO
gate this power TO yourselves, when the
citizens of Savannah will have an oppor-
| tunity to pass upon it? It is for these
reasons and many others I could name
urge you to pause and reflect and not
permit partisan motives to prompt you
to do something which to my mind is
utterly wrong, and will be condemned
by every fair-minded citizen. 1t is my
judgment and opinion every vote cast
in favor of this ordinance is a severe re
uetLtOu ana insult 10 the intelligence
of the voters Of this city
There were cries of sit down" from
some of the Tammany men in the rear.
The mayor instructed the marshal to keep
the crowd quiet, which he endeavored to
do There was loud applause from the
Citizens club men when Mr.. Myers con
cluded.
by the yell with which the Tammany men
greeted Mr.. Charlton. It had been an
nounced that MIR. Charlton would give
his reasons for the passage of the ord-
nance, and his remarks We're eagerly lis
tened to. Mr.. Charlton's speech was with
out doubt one Of the strongest ever de-
livered in council chamber.
THE ordinance now under consideration
is of some Importance to the people of Sa-
Vannah, and it seems to me appropriate
that I should state the reasons which
suggested its Introduction and demand its
passage 1t was introduced because a no
tice appeared in the newspapers warning
this community that the present legsla-
ture would be asked to pass a law taking
from this board the right to elect city Off
GERS. Such a change is resisted because of
the conviction that the law as it stands
is just, and is in the interest of good gov
eminent. whilst the only effect of the pro-
posed change would be to fill the ravenous
maws of greedy politicians with the bust
Hess OlllGe6 Oh a. buSlIltSS COIpOIdLlON. II
did not occur to me as a practical thing
to fight this proposition before the legis-
lature. AS an alderman of this city had
been made to feel the weight of what is
called Legislative courtesy" and it
seemed to me wiser to protect ourselves
by anticipatory action.
1.-THE right to select these officers is in
this board. That is the law. 1t was the
law when this board was itself elected,
and the outgoing administration had only
just exercised this very right without
dissent. The public mind was, therefore,
Of necessity directed to the fact that one
of the powers to be exercised by the in
coming board was the selection of of
lcers. The opposition was fully aware of
this provision. 1t controlled the legisla-
| tive delegation then as absolutely as it
claims to control 1t now. 1t elected to
leave the law as it was, taking the chances
of power which failed of fruiton and died
in its early and interesting youth. It is not
too much to say that whether this par
| tcular power was or not an issue in the
last municipal campaign, it was thor
| oughlY known to eVryone who could
| read the English language that which
! ever board was elected would have the
| right by law to select these officers. Nor
| was this a new law. 1t had been in prac-
| teal and satisfactory operation for ten
| years, a term singularly enough coin
| cident with all the substantial
progress Savannah has made and still
| more singularly coincident with
! the overthrow of a munic-
| ipal bossism which tyrannized
! over this community with a despotism de-
! grading to our manhood, and ending in
! discredit and scandal such as had never
| before fallen upon our city. That board,
! elected upon the platform of reform, en-
! acted this law during the first year of it's
| tenure. You are thus confronted with the
| proposition to surrender a duty with
which you have been intrusted, and which
| has received the sanction of ten years
use, becaus contendlng faction thinks
it has a chance to come into power and
| desires, If it should, to elect these Off
GERS. 1t seems to me that If you failed
to make every effort in resistance to this
arrogant pretension you would not only
forfeit your dignity and self-respect but
| also betray the community, which has
placed YOU here to guard all of its
| rights. There is no rule upon
your statute books more instinct
with duty and obligation than another
| They are all laws and all binding. If any
of them seem to you unjust, impracti-
cable, useless, your duty is to change
them. But If believing them just, believ-
ing that they conserve the interests OF
this community, you surrender them upor
demand, you would of necessity, be false
to your trust. That is the way it presents
itself to my mind and from the scope OF
this conclusion l do not except the legis
lature of Georgia. 1 admit the power OF
that body, within constitutional bounds
to amend the charter of this city, whether
1t acts from proper motives or bad mo
tives. But when the Legislature is abou
to embroil the great sovereignty of Geor
gia in the local politics of one of her mu
inequalities, TO intermeddle with the dis
tributlon of a few petty Offices which il die
not create and knows nothing about oul
plain duty is to defend ourselves by suci
preventive measures as are at our com
mand The language OF that great jurist
Joseph H. Lumpkin, speaking of courts
in this connection, applies with equa
significance to legislatures: Thes,
municipal corporations are the germ
and miniature models of free government
and their internal police an,
administration should not be in
terfered with for slight causes
not unless some great right has beef
withheld, or wrong perpetrated." BE
cause 1t has power is no reason VIII,
we should submit when by legitimate &C
ton we can protect ourselves from graf
uitous and petty interference The prin
, ciple OF home rule finds no stronger ex