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

I nave the ndEQlnOOQ 70 rise III ms place
I and say that he was as well qualified 10
/ fiji these offices a few days after his own
| election as he Is now. There is an ocean Of
/ difference between an alderman
I hot from a political contest, and the same
| alderman, after he has come in daily con-
| tact with the business departments Of the
| city for months. The one Is partisan;
/ the other is a conservative, experienced
/ legislator, cognizant of the city's bust
/ ness and advised Of the capacity re-
| quired to transact it. / am not addressing
| myself to seers and mind-readers, but 10
| practical business men, and I submit the
] argument is unanswerable.
Il have tried to consider in my own mind
! the prospective workings of this ordi-
/ nance from all standpoints, and one of
| the results has been to make me wonder
| why this change has not been suggested
] long ago. In the three months interven-
/ ing between October and January two ad-
/ vantages suggest themselves at once;
/ practical benefits. The officer selected
/ has that time in which to qualify himself
/ for the duties he is to discharge; the Of
| hcer retiring has that time in which to
seek other employment. That the inter
ests Of the city demand the first is as
| certain as that common humanity re-
| quires the last.
But these considerations convincing
as they are 10 my mind, are not the only,
nor the strongest reasons for the passage
of this ordinance. 1 have considered the
right to enact this law; the obligation to
DO so; the eXpediency of it based upon the
interval Of time wherein the official may
advise himself Of it's duties; the in
creased capacity of the board itself to
make proper selection. 1 now approach
the gravest reason, not only for adher-
ence to the principle of the law as it is,
| but for the action contemplated in this
particular ordinance. Should your action
tonight be favorable these offices will
have been absolutely taken out Of poll
tics. I desire to make myself perfectly
explicit upon this point l speak in the in
terest of no faction. I am struggling to
put the administration of a great bust
ness corporation upon business princi-
pies.
II cheerfully concede that in the great
conflicts which occur in this country be-
tween the representative parties, the VIC
tory of one or the other should carry with
1t the offices. My party prejudice may
cloud my judgment, but cannot see how
a democratic administration can enforce
the great principles, constitutional and
| economic, for which it is accustomed to
contend without an entire harmony of po-
/ litical conviction amongst those who are
| to carry into effect the fundamental doc
| trines of the party. Believing as do in the
| doctrine of states rights l would not trust
! with any portion of governmental admin
! istration one who believed in centraliza-
| ton. believe this because this is a gov
eminent of parties. But it is partisanship
! gone mad which applies such a doctrine to
] the Offices of municipality in which the
| democratic party has made but one nonl-
I inauon for the mayoralty in TWEEN
Y ty-lve years, precipitating a campaign
| fought out on the declaration that the
| party had no right to nominate and re-
sulting in the defeat of the nominee by
] of he har Il &C. ay,5 AE,.v,
who ever honored this or any other com
munity. The people of Savannah have
| insisted on regarding the municipality
| as business corporation, to be run on
| business principles. If each time a
bank or railway company elected a board
| of directors it proceeded to treat the
| offices as spoils to be distributed among
| the supporters of the new administration
| 1t would simply invite the contempt of
| business men, and not their patronage.
! And yet the effect upon a bank or a
| railway of such a course would be trifiing
compared to that which would result to
| a corporation like Savannah Upon the
efficiency and stability of its business ad-
ministration depends not only your pros
| perity, but your happiness The gem
| eral government may enact oppressive
laws and they may or not affect you per-
sonally. But inefficiency, ignorance, cupid
/ ity in the offices of your city means
ined. Your city lays it's hand upon your
| bank account and compels your contribu-
ton to the general good. Sleeping or wax
| ing its protection must follow you or you
are remanded to barbarous conditions. 1t
guards you from infection from without,
from disease at home 1t scrutinizes your
food and furnishes your water. 1t adorns
your public highways and disburses in
hundreds of channels your wealth, your
charity, your hospitality. There is not a
man or woman in the community who is
not touched by 1t on every question of
utility. security, comfort. Stop at any
point the smooth running of the ma
chinery which is required to effect these
results and confusion follows. And yet
all this motive power is to be thrown out
of gear that faction suddenly coming
into power may reward some political
heller whose benighted soul never re-
ceived the rays of a purer faith than
party spoils. If there are incompetent
men in office are you prepared to admit
that you cannot or will not turn them
out? Are you to surrender your clear
right to do this thing simply
because some faction which may
not even be in existence in Jan
uary undertakes through legislative ty-
ranny to command that you surrender?
Savannah has long since passed out of it's
childhood. / do not admire all of the civil
hzaton we are taking on. But such as II
Is, We must follow, not reCede We are al
the parting of the waters tonight. 1t is
a matter of small moment to us whether
our action pleases the factionists who are
splitting the ears of the
town with their childish la.
mentations over a lost issue. If they have
lost the only issue they had let them &c
before the public on the issue of their loss
Let them take better care of their issues
tag them, or chain them up or cut Their
wings, so that they win not go astray but
for heavens sake let's have an end of al
this rending of garments and tearing OF
hair and frothing at the mouth. Lei
them think what they will, If you pass
, this ordinance YOU will have eliminated
. these offices from politics and you will
. thus have accomplished what politician.
have neither the disposition nor the cour
age to strive for-the good of the city
which has protected and honored you
Let us see who dares put them back intC
politics"
, Mr.. Myers said in reply that he had en-
20 joyed the eloquence and brilliancy of thu
e. alderman's remarks. He could not hav,
o. used more eloquence and brilliancy, h,
e. | said, in defending a murderer than n,