The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-09
HOw's THIS, MIR. MAYOR.
Has Your Memory Failed or Have
You Changed to Suit the FINEST

pleased to consider discourtesy on the
part of Chatham's representatives because
they nave not seen fit to consult the city
council in regard to the repeal of the com
mission bills. OF course, the mayor is
speaking in a Pickwickian sense when he
uses, as he does, the word discourtesy,
because he well knows that he and his
council are merely the servants of the
people, and that when the present mem
bers from Chatham were conducting their
campaign they went beyond council and
TOOK counsel with the people, the masters,
not only of the mayor and aldermen, but
OF the representatives as well. Having
| requested of the people of the county and
city an expression of views as to the va
rious commission bills, it would be an act
of unfaithfulness on the part of the rep
resentatives did they fail to do their ut
most in registering the will of those by
whom they were elected. The mayor
makes the point that he and the board of
aldermen are the representa- tives of the
people of Savannah, and not the three
gentlemen who are now in the legislature
from Chatham" This is either the pleas
antry of humorist or the attempt of a
geOgrapher to create new divisions of the
state. The mayor leaves us under the re-
freshlng impression that the gentlemen
| from Chatham only represent the delight
full and growing city of Pooler, and the
| equally thriving and prosperous town of
| Thunderbolt. What a display of audtacty
on the part of Chatham representatives
to presume to speak for and represent Sa-
| vannah! And, yet, it is still within the re-
collection of all of us that at the Citizens
! Club meeting of October 6, 1896, the night
| before the election, letter was read from
! Mayor Myers in which he used the follow
| ing language, in urging reasons why the
| Citizens Club nominees should be sup
| ported: These gentlemen are earnest and
| sincere advocates of the commissions re-
I IL --l..- M
| gard them as for the best interests of Sa-
vannah. 1 would consider the adjustment
| of there commissioners as a decided injury
| to our city"
Almost before Odd Fellows hall had
| ceased to echo his words the people of this
! city were gathering at the court house to
| smash the commissions. 1t seems almost
incredible that in the face of the fact that
Mr.. Myers had made the commissions the
| issue OF the campaign and given them his
/ unqualified Endorsement, the people of Sa-
vannah should have defeated the Earnest
and sincere advocates of commissions by
| an exceedingly large majority. Still they
did 1t. But that only proves, doubtless
| that the people were wrong and the mayor
right. Somehow, though. Chatham's rep
resentatives seem to have become pos
sessed OF the idea that their orders come
from the people, and not from the mayor
and aldermen. Doubtless, an erroneous
ored in republics.
BY the way, these commissions have al
| ways worried the mayor who is a
stickler for courtesy" BY reference to
the Morning News of Oct. 81, 1895, under
the head "They Want to See the Bills"
an interesting session of the city council
| is reported. At that time commissions
were agitating the breasts Of the Citizens
! Club faithfuls, who saw in their creation
! innumerable opportunities for gathering
that for which they as patriots and good
citizens had labored-spoiis. But, alas!
many members Of the city council were in
| ignorance Of the provisions of the COM
mission bills. Why were they thus ig-
norant? Listen to Mr.. Myers own words
| in explanation of the lack of knowledge
on the part of his fellow laborers in the
vineyard of good government:
/ ut is not customary to make these bills
| public before their introduction. 1t is
| a courtesy due the members of the legls-
| lature."
Bear in mind that Alderman Hudson.
| ever DESTROYS of advancing the citys in
terests and ever watchful Of the peoples
welfare, in open meeting of council had
requested some Information on the SUBJ
ject of the commission bills. quote from
the same newspaper: cit was understood,
he said that these bills were introduced
at the request of council and with its an
prevail. This being the case, he thought
| they should be read before coun-
Gil before being forwarded to Atlanta
that the members might have the oppor-
tunity of passing on them. He had heard
nothing of the bills and would like to have
some information about them"
| Then we are told that this innocent re-
| quest for information came as a surprise
At this point Mayor Myers took a hand
In the discussion. 1 quote again: Mayor
| Myers said that it had been thought bet
! tar 10 oil ha boa
duced in the legislature before making
them public. 1t would be showing proper
courtesy to the Chatham members, he
thought. to allow them to introduce the
bills before making them public"
Alderman Falligant, he of ambition and
poetic temperament, then moved that
copies of the bill be furnished to members
of council one of whom remarked that
| the aldermen were supposed to know all
| about them, when, as a matter of fact
they knew nothing about them. And we
| all remember that the eloquent doctors
motion failed, and all council got was the
| satisfaction of knowing that the mayor
had a couple of the bills tucked away in
his desk where members could see them II
| they wanted to.
At that time the members from Chat
ham we're Messrs. Rockwell, Screven and
| Wilink, all good and true members of the
Citizens Club. The mayor then was clear
/
! property until introduced, and that for
| council to be informed of their contents
! would not be courtesy TO the representa-
tives That was In October 1895. In De-
/ cember 1885, the mayor thinks council
! should be fully informed of all bills az
fecting the city. 1t is difficult for the or
binary mind to grasp the logic OF the
mayors position. could we attribute to
/ him mean motives, we might suggest that
/ he has changed his position because cir
cumstances alter cases; in other words,
members of the Citizens Club represented
! Chatham in 1895. while, thanks to a re-
| pentent people, I'm 1896 three members Of
| the Liberal Club have the honor to answer
/ Chatham's roll call.
In all human probability the mayor and
aldermen will not be consulted in any way
/ by Chatham's three members on the sub
| feet Of the commissions, and despite cap
| tious and ill-humored criticism and objec-
| ton, there will be wiped from the statute
books the last vestige Of personal legisla-
ton. The people are controlling Savan-
nah once more. and their wishes will be
respected and their directions given prac-