The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-23
TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK.
CITIZENS COMMITTEE WILL INVEs-
TIGATE THE RAINAGE
THOROUGHLY.


THOROUGHLY.
Grand Jury VIII Meet Friday TO
Make Final Presentm
commissioners viii Probably Meet
This Week Despite the Absence of
the Chairman-How the Vote Was
Taken on the Harmon Committee
Report.
There will be a meeting of the grand
jury next Friday for the purpose of wind
ing up the business for the term, and max
ing the general presentments.
Drainage will be the chief subject Of the
report.
The views of the Harmon committee OF
the grand jury appointed specially TO in
vesugate the work OF the county commits
sioners along this line have already been
given in the Morning News, the full re-
port of the committee having been publish
ed yesterday.
There will be a minority report. This re-
port will be signed by MI c. G. Ander-
son and Mr.. NJ. L. EAley, who were mem
bers of the Harmon committee. The min
GRITTY report is particularly interesting by
reason Of the fact that it is backed by the
general sentiment of the county. II dill
fers from the majority report only in that
it states that since the swamps around
Savannah are in poor condition the county
convicts should not have been taken from
this part of the county and put TO work in
Buckhalter swamp, which drainage can be
OF no particular benefit 10 the city of Sa-
vannah. All agree that there is a great
lack of drainage close around the city.
1t is of interest to know that, while the
minority report is signed 10y only two
members Of the committee, this lacked
only one vote of being a tie in the Har-
mon committee. The majority committee
is signed by four, or. rather is backed
by four members of the committee, but
one of these was not really member OF
the committee but was acting as secre-
tary for the committee at the request OF
Mr.. Harmon, the chairman. The gentle
man in question is Mr.. Malone, who Is
secretary of the grand jury. After the
special committee on investigation or
drainage had been appointed Mr. Harmon
asked that Mr.. Malone be allowed to
serve with the committee. He stated that
he would be Of great value to the special
committee being secretary of the grand
jury. He was then appointed to render
service with the committee. 1t IS thought
by many members Of the grand jury that
. Mr. Malone had no voting rights bestoW-
ed upon him. His vote made the number
in favor of the majority report four, while
1t would otherwise have been only three
against two on the minority report.
These facts are interesting only in the
stress they carry in showing that there
was not a very great difference in num-
bers of the committee as to whether the
county commissioners should be upheld
or not.
Meanwhile the inspection of the drains
around the city of Savannah by the citi-
zens' committee, which has undertaken
this work at the request of the Morning
News, will be continued. The gentlemen
invited TO take part in this work looking
TO an impartial and Independent report
for the public interest on such matters
will meet again tomorrow al 2:30 O'Clock
at the De Soto hotel, where carriages viii
be waiting for them. They viii resume
the work they started Friday and Will in
vestigate the Lamar and Cuyler swamps,
and such other places as they may choose
to visit Now that the full text of the
Harmon committees report Is known, and
since 1t has been ascertained that this
committee acknowledges that the swamps
close around Savannah are in bad con-
dition, the citizens committee VIII resume
their work with the feeling that those
who had been impressed with the idea
that the grand jury committee had re-
ported the swamps In good condition, will
be free in their minds TO accept as un-
biased their report The truth is that the
public generally now is not only free to
accept a fair and Independent report, but
is even anxious to have one submitted
more anxious than before.
1t is probable that there will be a meet
ing of the county commissioners this week.
despite the fact that Chairman Dale and
Mr. Frank Lathrop, chairman Of the
drainage committee are out of the city.
The meeting will be a called session and
will have the drainage of Buckhalter un-
der consideration, il is believed. Il is
known that certain members of the COM
missoners' board have expressed them
selves as DESTROYS Of having a special ses-
sion.