The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-24
SAVANNAH'S BIG STRUGGLE.
SENATE COMMITTEE BOMBARDEU
WITH SPEECHES.

til That Time-HOn. Walter Gs
Charlton Makes "a strong Argu-
ment in Favor of the Passage Oh
the RiIIs-HOn. Pope Barrow Cham-
piOns the Cause of the Citizens
Club.
Atlanta, Ga, Nov. 23.-Savannah was
very largely in evidence In the Capital
city to-day. The consideration of the anti
commission bills before the Senate COM
mittee on corporations, brought up by q
most formidable array of local politicians
and officials. During the day the digni-
fed members of the upper house. whers
the fight lies, ran amuck of them at almost
every turn, and altogether, Liberals and
Citizens made things exceedingly lively in
legislative halls.
When the hour set for the meeting OF
the corporations committee arrived, 10
was found that none of the committee
rooms were large enough to accommodates
the Savannahians, and 20 meet the emer-
gency, Chairman Golightly opened up for
business in the Senate chamber. Even
this was hardly spacious enough. Every
seat was filled by the interested ones, and
many chairs had to be brought ln ana
placed In the aisles before the contending
factions could he made comfortable.
At O'clock Chairman Golightly called
his committee to order and Mayor Mel
drim, acting in that official capacity, mads
very brief statement in preface to the
arguments of the contendng parties. The
committee agreed to eiicw both sides as
much time as they needed, but urged them
to be as concise as possible.
Hon. Walter C. Charlton then took the
floor, and for an hour addressed himself
to the committee. making a forclble argu-
ment in favor of the passage OF
tho bills, which seek TO repeal
the various commissions which were
established during the regime of the Citi-
zens Club in 1896. The only commission
not under attack was the park and tree
commission, which bill has not yet reach
ed the Senate, and which may not be-
brought under fire at all. as there seems
to be a disposition to let II stand.
Gathered around Col Charlton were the
committee Of aldermen and citizens sent
UP from Savannah, and in his opening he
stated to the senators that he appeared
as the official representative Of the mu-
nicipal government of Savannah which
was a unit In demanding the repeal of tho
obnoxious form of government that had
been placed upon them
He reviewed the political conditions in
Savannah, and at the outset declared that
1t was unjust that the argument should
be used in this contest that the Liberals
were not entitled to impartial consldera,,
ton at the hands Of the legislature, be-
cause they were not the regular organ
lied democracy of the county or city. Ha
denied this, and insisted that they were
as much the regular democratic party as
the opposition. In justification of this
claim, he showed that 1t has been the
consistent policy of the democrats of Sa-
Vannah, as such, not to make any nomina-
tions for mayor and aldermen since tbs
war. In but one instance has the party
put out a ticket during that time, and
then, he said. it was Overwhelmingly de-
feated. lie explained that there are two
executive committees, each with Its own
chairman, in Savannah, each claiming
to be the regular organization OF
that party, and one probably had az
much right to the title as the other,
though he believed his side was the legit-
innate one.
He deprecated the injecting OF such an
Issue into the contest, and insisted that
the commissions were matter of munici-
pal local government, which should
be left to the people of Savannah them
selves. Local selfgovernment was one
of the dearest principles of democracy, he
said, and that was what the people OF
Savannah were asking for.
MT. CndfitOn tnen look up Lne history
of the commission bills, and showed the
committee that they were so suddenly and
clandestinely sprung upon the people that
no one dreamed of them except the con-
spirators themselves until the Citizens
Club representa- tives in the legislature had
Introduced them. He said that so closely
were the bills guarded that even the all
dermen of the city were denied an in
spection of them when they demanded IL
in regular session, until after they had
been introduced In the House. Not only
were the people Of the city not taken into
the confidence Of those who hatched the
scheme, but the city fathers themselves
were kept In ignorance of what was cons
templated until the bills became public
property in the House.
The next line OF argument adopted by
Mr.. Charlton was to show that the COM
missions were meant to be political ma
chine to perpetuate a dominant faction In
office. He went over the events in the
last municipal campaign, in which the
commission bills were made direct issue,
and referred to the fight made be-
fore the Senate last year to
prevent the passage of the bills, after the
people of Savannah had condemned them
by their votes, which elected the present
administration. He quoted numerous state
ments from EX-Mayor Myers In which he
urged that the mayor and aldermen were
the proper custodans of the municipal in-
terests, and should be listened to In pre-
ference to the representatives in the legis-
lature This, he thought. had great weight
with the Senate last year when the fight
was made. II the argument was good
then it was just as forcible now, he
thought, and thus when the municipal gov
ernment came and asked for the repeal OF
the commissions their voice should have
the same weight at least as when the re-
pudlated administration asked for their
retention.
Mr.. Charlton emphasized the significance
of the last campaign, in which the COM
missions were made a dominant issue and
told the senator's that the people Of Savan-
nah had made one of the Chatham repre-
eentatives their mayor on that issue as q
protest to the Senate In refusing to re-
peal the bills upon the first condemnation
OF the people.
When the issue was before the Senate
last year, he said, the three points made
in their favor by the then administration
was first, that the Liberal Club, which
was In the ascendency and opposed to the
commissions, was not democratic. This