The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-18
TOELECT CITYOFFICERS NOW
The Council Decides Not TO Wait Until
The First Of January.

to Take Place Next WedE esday Night
If Nothing Prevents
The present council viii elect the city
officers for the next two years unless some
thing now unforeseen prevents. The cleo
tion will take place at the regular meet
ing next Wednesday night incidentally.
it will be preceded by the passage Of an
ordinance changing the time OF election
but. as Alderman Charlton would doubt
less say. this is a mere incident and not
worthy Of serious consideration.
The seriousness Of the situation-and
there are no doubt many people who will
regard it as very serious indeed is that
the council proposes to elect the city Of
fcers next Wednesday night, and there
does not appear TO be anything to prevent
its doing so. There is no statute fixing
the time at which the city shall elect Its
officers, and the matter is now regulated
only by ordinance, which Of course the
council has the power to change as it
sees it, The feature Of the whole thing
is that should the present plan be carried /
out the city officers will all be elected for
the next two years before the Legislature |
has time TO act upon the question.
It is a fact Of general notoriety that the
recently elected members of the legisia- |
ture intend and had so declared their in
tention of putting a bill through at the |
coming session Of the legislature to !
change the time of the election 50 that it |
should be by the incoming council. which |
they believed would be of different com |
pleXion from the present council In fact |
pufhTIGiaefic of the G'iffZaua /
Club declared sometime ago that the next |
council would clean out the city exchange |
from cellar to cupOla.
The sensation came up last night after |
council had finished all other business !
Alderman Myers had Just made a motion |
10 adjourn, when Alderman Charlton re- |
quested that the motion be Withdrawn, in |
order to allow the Introduction Of an ordi- |
nance which he had prepared. Alderman |
Myers cheerfully consented, not knowing !
what was in store for him, and the clerk |
read the following ordinance, which had !
been handed him by Alderman Charlton.
An ordinance TO amend section one |
hundred and seventeen QlO Of MacDon- |
els code of Savannah, so as to fix
the time for the election Of city officers.
Section l. BE it ordained by the mayor
and aldermen of the city of Savannah in
council assembled, and it is hereby or
dained by authority Of the same that
section one hundred and seventeen QlO
OF MacDonelPs code of Savannah be and
the same Is hereby amended by striking |
from the third and fourth lines thereof the
words first regular meeting in January"
and inserting and adding in lieu thereof
the following words: Second regular
meeting in October beginning with the
year 1S9D," so thai said section as
amended shall reao: The election Of all
city officers, unless otherwise provided by
a law OF the state or an ordinance Of
council, shall take place on the second
regular meeting IN October beginning
with the year 1884 biennially, and all Of
ar off al of hAz rgf k.n h1Iq
their Offices and perform the duties of
the same until their successors are elected
ana relieve them; provided always, that
IN case any once shall become vacant by
death, resignation, removal or disability,
or any other cause, the mayor and al
dermen may proceed 70 iii said vacancy at
any regular meeting, first giving ten
days notice Of the dime at which said
election viii take place Except in the case
Of the mayOralty, which may be filed
without any previous notice.. And pro-
yided also that nothil1g herein contained
shall prevent the said mayor and alder
men from filling any wacancy by the APP
pOintment OF some lit and proper person
70 hold the same until an election shall
have been called upon rotice as aforesaid;
elected after said notice has been given
such person shall hold Ais Office until the
next regular election, and no longer"
Section 2. All ordinances and parts of or
dinances in conflict with this ordinance
are hereby repealed.
This was followed by another ordinance
bEAEAlB upon the same SUBJECT, as lOlLOWa.
An ordinance to amend section one hun
dred and eighteen as of MacDonells
code OF Savannah, so as TO prescribe the
time when the term of city officers shall
begin
Section l. Be it ordained by the mayor
and aldermen of the city of Savannah in
council assembled, ana II is hereby or
dained by authority Of the same, that
section one hundred and eighteen Q1S) Of
MacDonells code OF Savannah be and the
same is hereby amended by adding and
inserting after the word 'Nnarg'' he
third line thereof the words from the
first day of January next following the
date of their election SO that said sec
ton as amended shall read: The term OF
Office of all city officers TO be elected by
the board except when elected to fill an
uneXpired term) shall be for the term OF
two years from the first Gay of January
next following the date of their election
and until their successors are elected and
Section ?. All ordinances and parts OF
ordinances in conflict with this ordinance
are hereby repealed
There was only few persons present
in the room besides the members of coun-
Gil when the ordinances We're read. Alder
men ScreVen and Myers, the two Citizens
Club members on the present board. lis
tened as If they could hardly believe their
ears
ordinance on its first reading" said
Mayor McDonough, as the first ordinance
was handed him. There was a short
silence.
do you intend to pass those ordinances
tonight" inquired Alderman Myers. The
query was addressed to Alderman Charl-
ton.
IF you have no objections" pleasantly
replied Alderman Charlton.
But ! have most serious objections"
was Alderman Myers reply.
"Oh, we'll in that case they will not be
passed tonight. I only thought to relieve
Alderman Screven's mind, said Alderman
Charlton.
Nothing else was said on the subject and
a motion to adjourn was carried. Alder
men Screven and Myers left the room to-
gether while the other aldermen remained
and clapped each other on the back to
express the state Of their feelings. a Morn
ing News reporter Immediately sought AL
derman Charlton.
What's the object of this? Can you
change the election Of officers at will In
this manner" he was asked.
Certainly we can" was the reply THE
time Of the election Of city officers is fixed
by ordinance, and the council certainly
has the right TO change It's own ordi-
nances. one Of the purposes for which the
present council was elected was TO- elect