The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-07
TO PROTECT REAL ESTATE.
PROPERTY OWNERS TO KEEP AN
EYE on THE CITY COUNCIL.

Heal Estate by the Cfty-Mr. r.. ID.
Guernrd Thinks II il Time the City
Gave the Property Holders a Rest.
Mr.. w. 5. Chisholm Springs a Con-
stitutiOnaI Point as to the Right of
Council to Increase the City's In
debtedncss by Giving Notes to BE
Paid by Future Assessments
The Chatham Real Estate Association
was organized at Armory hall last night
with a membership of about fifty. Not
quite that number signed the roll, but
number of others have authorized the use
of their names.
Between sixty and seventy property
holders attended the meeting, but as the
discussion was lengthy a number left be-
fore 1t adjourned. The meeting was or
ganized by the election of Mr.. A Minis
as chairman and Mr.. w. p. LaRoche as
secretary. Mr.. Minis stated the objects
Of the meeting fully and fairly. He said
that the need of such an organization as
that proposed had been realized for some
time, but owing to a lack of interest and
other causes the real estate owners had
never gotten together The result was
that many things had been done affecting
their interests injuriously which had been
allowed to pass unchallenged because
there was no organization Of real estate
owners to make an effective protest. It is
not the intention of the promoters of the
association. Mr.. Minis said, to bring about
an organization simply for the purpose
Of opposing the city government in any
step it may take affecting real estate.
Temporary burdens imposed upon real
estate" said Mr.. Minis, "often prove BEN
at,
sire the city to stand still. We expect i'm
provements to continue to be made and we
realize that it is proper that real estate
should bear its just proportion of the cost
of such improvements We know that
unwise and ill-considered measures of
improvement have been undertaken by
the city in the past, at great expense to
the property owners and with little cor
responding benefit to them or the public at
large. 1t is such measures that we wish
to guard against and we believe that an
organization, such as IS proposed. win
measures than the protests of individual
property holders"
Mr.. Minis called attention to the dispro-
portionate representation of the real es-
! tate interests in the city government.
THE city treasurer's books" said he,
show that during 1895 taxes were levied
by the city upon 100000 of real estate
and only 100000 of personal property
Considering these figures it is only justice
tS,rds say IN dhat at least two
council should be real estate owners The
affairs of the city should not be directed
by men, the majority Of whom are not
freeholders or are only nominally so. l
do not wish to be understood as favoring
political organization. l shall oppose
any tendency to convert this association
into political organization. At the same
time believe that we, as property owners,
should seek to secure such representation
in council as will protect us from unnec-
essary burdens"
Mr.. Minis announced the meeting open
for the expression of views by those pres
ent. Mr. n. d. Guerard was called for
He said that the real estate owners have
suffered greatly at the hands of the civ
government. He has favored an organi-
cation to protect their interests for long
time, but all efforts to this end proved
futile until the proposition to put In wa
ter meters had brought things to a focus
He enumerated some of the iniustices TO
which the property owners have been
subjected during the last several years.
The city has required the property own
ers to pave the sidewalks, with the I'M
Outstanding that after being paved they
were to be maintained by the city, and
the work had hardly been done before
the city required the property owners to
maintain them as we'll The changes in
| the ordinances with regard to surface
draws, vaults and pals were mentioned
10 which the property owners have been
subjected. Jefferson street, Mr.. Guerard
regarded as the concluding infamy.
The property owners had been assessed
81, 250 to pay for the Smelling of the street
he said, and then shortly after they had
been required to pay for repaving it with
make them do so. Jefferson street, he
said, is a public thoroughfare. BY ac-
tual count 1000 vehicles a day passed
over it. The pavement instead of being
a benefit to the property owners, he said
is nuisance and actual DAMAGE to
the property. Mr.. Guerard said he did not
lyT1nx t1nor~ IN oh
green aldermen, or whether the city alder
men simply did not care what the results
of their acts We're to the property owners
Mr. Guerard's remarks Were received
with applause. He favored the
organization of an association.
He said the city council is
preparing to increase the indebtedness
of the city without legal authority to do
so. He declared that the city has done
enough in the way OF improvements and
that the property owners should be given
a breathing spell.
Mr. w. S. Chisholm was the next speak
err. He said that he had come to the
meeting because he felt sure that the ac-
ton of the mayor in making note for
Sc, 500 was incompatible with the constitu-
ton. Mr. Chisholm took the position that
the city has no right under the constitu-
ton to increase its Indebtedness because
the present indebtedness already exceeds
the limit allowed by the constitution. and
that the giving of notes by the mayor and
aldermen TO be paid by the city out of
future assessments upon the property of
)
edness in direct contravention of the con-
stitutional prohibition.
He quoted the section of the constitu-
ton which prohibits any city or county
from mourning obligations to the amount
of more than per cent. of the appraised
| value of the property of that city or
county and from mourning temporary
obligations to the amount of more than
one-ffth of Z per cent. of the appraised
valuation.
The supreme court, he said, has decided
| that where the Indebtedness of a mu.
nicipality did not exceed 3 per cent of the
appraised value of its property ii might
by special enactment of the legislature in
crease it's Indebtedness not to exceed the
constitutional amount, but no such in
| crease of the public debt can be made. ex-
cept upon. the vote. of two-thirds of the
registered voters of the city or county
He cited several instances where the si,
preme court has decided that such obj
cations as those contracted by the civ
for the payment of the old cemetery has
been declared invalid and non-collectabIe
because the public debt had thereby beer
increased beyond the constitutional limit.
ready nearly double the amount allowed
by the constitutional provision, the cifx,