The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-11


I ones: TO elect competent and upright men
! 10 office; TO maintain law and order to
reduce taxation 10 as low basis as Is
consistent with proper administration and
I necessary improvements. TO require IN ev-
cry department OF the city and county
/ the practice Of economy, and generally 70
promote the public welfare"
/ The officers are 10 be a president, vice
president and a secretary, TO be elected
/ By the club. and and an executive com
mittee of twenty-five, to be appointed by
/ the president. The terms Of office are to
be for two years. The executive commit
/ tee is given the power 10 arrange the oe-
tails of the organization, and the meas
ures 10 be adopted 10 carry out the OBJ
jects OF the club. Meetings may be or
dered by the president or by a two-thirds'
vote OF the executive committee. Meet
ings OF the executive committee may be
called by the president or by request OF
The section with regard to nominations
states that NO nominations shall be made
except at a meeting of the club called
Amendments to the constitution may be
made. at any meeting OF the club by a
Mr.. r. J. Davis moved that a commit
tee Of five be appointed by the chair 70
retire and submit the names for pTesl-
dent. vice president and secretary for the
ensuing term. The chair appointed
Messrs. Davis. 7. II. Mcmillan, William
Gibbons, Julius Perlinski and William ke-
hoe The committee retired and in about
five minutes submitted its report as fol-
President-P W. Meldrim.
Vice President-W. G. Cam.
Secretary-W. =. LaRoche.
Mr. Davis read the report and put the
motion for the election of Mai. Meldrim
as president. which was unanimously car,
ried. Mr. Cam was unanimously elected
vice president and Mr.. W. p. LaRoche
Maj. Meldrim thanked the meeting for
the compliment paid him. It was his
earnest desire that the responsibility
should fall on other. shoulders, he said:
You have undertaken TO do tonight
what every good citizen should strive to
do" he added But it does not end to-
night. There are days and nights of ear
nest endeavor for months to come"
Maj. Meldrim spoke of the duties of the
citizen to the state, the country and the
city 1t was only a sense of duty which
made him consent to accept the respon-
sibility placed upon him, he said.
IF ! am expected, as president OF this
and vituperation, you have made a mis-
take in the selection of your president
This is not a mere clique or faction
banded together for the sole purpose OF
obtaining the crumbs from the political
table. Nothing is more destructive to
every principle of government than the de-
sire for political spells. We must look
the situation suuarely in the face. 1t
seems to me that the time has come when
putting aside business cares, we may unite
in an earnest effort for the welfare Of
our city. / do not condemn the individ-
uals. l condemn the policy and the meth
DDS of the present administration, and
1
best friends have allowed themselves to
be used in support of such policy.
Maj. Meldrim spoke OF the great depres-
sion in all lines of business, of the num-
bers of idle men and vacant houses, the
falling off of trade, and the failure of In
vestments to return an income as in for
mer years In such state of affairs, he
said. it is the hight of folly for the city
government to engage in extravaganza and
wasteful expenditures of the public funds,
mo private individual has the right to
debt. and no city has the right to be lib
eral when Il is in debt" He inquired If
the new offices in the city government
were created for the benefit of the pub
lie service, or as rewards for political SER
vices.
Mai. Meldrim said he wished to pro-
claim ii as emphatically as IL was possible
to do that no contract or coalition had
been entered into for the division OF pub
lie spells or the award of single office
to any individual in the organization OF
the Liberal Club. He predicted that with
united front, no defeat could come.
THE platform you. have adopted" he
said sis true and honest. Let us see
that our actions make good our words" "
Mai. Meldrim introduced Mr.. w. G..
Cam as one thoroughly familiar with the
affairs of the city. Mr.. Cam assured the
meeting that he would do everything in
his power for the success of the move
ment The present time, more than any
izen should take an active interest in
public affairs. He urged the practical
feature of the movement, that every man
should register and prepare himself to
vote. 1t is not an organization which is
now in control of the city, he said, but a
clique. Although the law requires that the
city commissioners should be confirmed
by council he knew on information OF
members of the board that the majority OF
the board did not know who was to be
appointed until the names were read out
at the meeting of council at which they
Mr.. Cam called attention to the fact
| he ,ie.Rs frsdf has Fa-
tened itself in power by legislative acts
and that the only way to repeal these OBJ
| jectionable acts is to secure the members
of the legislature.
Secretary LaRoche was the next speak
| err He said that In the last campaign he
was member of the Citizens Club. There
| were numbers of members of that club
| he said, who went into 1t with the puresi
motives for the purpose of reducing tax.
alton and improving the city government
| They discovered too late that they haC
| been manipulated by a few.
Things which were promised them they
never got" he said.
| This frank statement on the part of Mr.
/ LaRoche brought on a laugh, which HI
had not calculated upon
He called attention TO the manner IL
| which the commissions had taken the cit,
departments out of politics, by requiring
| every man to be a registered voter, il
order. that he, could go and vote when hi
| Mr.. LaRoche attacked the water mete
/ system as unnecessary in Savannah. TIL
man who owned $4,000 house win saw
money by it, he said, while the man VIII
owned a small house will have his rem
| increased.
Mr.. LaRoche pointed out that the cit
| brought over balance of $4,000 at the be
ginning of the year, and yet is making
desperate endeavor to find more propert
to tax.
There had been frequent calls for Nj
T. s. Morgan, Jr. He was introduced b
Maj. Meldrim. Mr. Morgan poured he
shot into the administration for about nj
teen minutes. He said, that. eschewin
personal abuse. he would endeavor to sc
forth the reasons why the Liberal Gu
movement was demanded by the peopl
of Savannah. The theory of free govern
ment, he said, is that the will of tn
people is absolute law. that the public off
cial is the public servant.
Mr. Morgan attacked the city commits
sions, on the grounds that they have dc
prived the city council of the authorit
which should be exercised by that body
and have placed the control Of these de
partments out. of reach of the people
The aldermen had been robbed of ever
right to control the government of tn
city and it's control is in the hands G
sworn and pledged politicians Fearin
/ > t,,I