The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-08
CITY GOVERNMENT.
CONTINUED from Third Paced


ton was here in May last have show
some falling off in flow by the curTept
meters, but after being recently refu.b,,i
have shown even greater capacity thsn
they had with the first flushing. Yer.
truly yours, James NJ. Dixon,
Chairman.
The sanitary board. to whom was r.
ferred for investigation the protest oe
Richard Walton, master of British stea,r-
ship Port Victor against excessive Guar.
antine, respectfully report thar hayio.
summoned Capt. Walton and the agents
Nessrs. Strachan & Co, to appear before
the board, and they having failed so IN
do, the petition is respectfully returned
10 council. JIG. LeHardJ.
Secretary Sanitary Board
Report received as information.
The following report, from T. S Will,
Jr., chairman committee of Impeachment
was read and action was taken as Der
resolution:
Savannah Ga. Oct. 6, 1910 the Hon
orable the Mayor and Aldermen of ia
City of Savannah: The undersigned COM
mittee, appointed by his honor the mayor
under a resolution of your council adopta1
at its meeting of Sept. A. 1897, touching tba
conduct of the fire commissioners for the
city of Savannah, beg leave now to submit
the following charges against William j.
Grayson, George w. Parish and Robert
S. Nell, as fire commissioners, constftut-
ing the board of fire commissioners for
the city of Savannah, to-wit:
l. We charge the said commissioner
with misconduct in office in that the said
commissioners on the nth day of Septem-
Der 1897, caused to be written and sent
through its chairman, William l.. GRAY
son, a letter of that date addressed to the
mayor of the city of Savannah. and in
tended for your body, which letter is ir-
sulting and offensive, designed to cast r.-
proach upon the members of this council
and particularly as to the following pOr-
ton of the said letter, namely: 1.-The evil
dence has, in our judgment, shown that
unfair means were used to procure dis
contented and discharged firemen to ar
their grievances against their superior
officers, and do not understand how
members of council could permit their par
tisan colleagues to influence them to dis
regard the sacred duties of their trust by
usurping jurisdiction of matters, which
they did not, and knew they did not have.
thus converting their conventions into
school for scandal, to which the idle, vic
ious and ill-disposed might go to calum-
Mate trusted officials of the city govern
ment. Still less can we understand how
members of council knowing their organ
iZatiOn of this commission and that il o.
cupies a position in the city government,
coordinate with that of their own body.
could be parties to an undignified at
tempt TO influence the action of this body
by threats and menaces. Surely, sir poll
tics has crept into the deliberations Of
council, and partisanship controlled its ac-
ton"
The said commissioners afterwards caus-
ed this letter to be published in the pub
lie prints of Sept. r. 1897, for the pur-
pose of giving widespread notice to their
said offensive and insulting letter, and for
the further purpose of making pro-
nounced as possible this deliberate Of
tense.
Although the said letter was promptly
returned by his honor, the mayor, as be-
ing discourteous, no disclaimer or amende
of any kind has been offered by the said
commissioners or any of them, but, on the
contrary, after the return of the said let
ter they published the same as hereinbe-
fore stated and for the purposes stated.
2. They further charge the said CON-
missioners with misconduct in office, be-
cause, although advised that the fire chief,
John e. Mcclure, was an unfit and in
competent person to discharge the duties
of fire chief have neither suspended nor
discharged him, but have retained him in
Office.
8 They further charge that, although it
was brought to the attention of the said
commissioners that the said fire chief,
John e Mcclure, had been under the IN
huence of liquor at divers times notably
on the night of Sept. %. 1896 and the early
morning of Sept. 23 1896. they have neither
suspended nor discharged the said chief.
4. They further charge misconduct on
the part of the said commissioners In that
they have been guilty of oppression in Of
fee because the said fire chief having
suspended on the End day of July 1897,
John C. Henderson, a fireman, for not
delivering to him a private letter belong
ing to the said fireman, and the said com
,ad foil Cd raffIg m
give the said Henderson a trial until the
18th day of September, 1897. although his
case could have been heard and determ-
ined in a few minutes.
5. They further charge the said fire CON-
missioners with misconduct and oppres-
sion in office, in that the said fire chief
having suspended on the 9TH day of July,
1887 Andrew j. Herman, a fireman of the
city, Ostensibly for an alleged violation Of
a rule of the department, but really be-
cause he had given testimony against the
said Mcclure in an investigation held by
a committee of council on the 7th day Of
July, 1897 failed and refused to give to the
said Herman trial until the 18th day of
September, 1897, although his case could
have been heard and determined in a few
minutes
6. They further charge the said commits
sioners with misconduct, because a re-
spectful request having been made upon
ll6iu mat tIley investigate the nJneSS anu
competency of the said fire chief by a
letter addressed to the said commission
ers on the 10th day of June, 1897, by
Messrs. John C. Whitner, Charles E. DoX
and w. r. Chaplin, committee represent
ing fire insurance company's doing bust
ness in Savannah, calling attention to the
Untitness and incompetency of the said
Mcclure for the said Office and requesting
that steps be taken to investigate the
charges, they entirely ignored the said re-
quest.
Z. They further charge that Commis-
sioner William L. Grayson is guilty OF
misconduct in office, because the said COM
missioner on the 18th day of January, 1897,
stopped Fireman John c. Henderson
whilst he, the said fireman. was on his
way TO a fire, and persuaded, or com
PEELED, him to accompany the said commits
sioner to a political gathering for the pur-
pose of doing work in furtherance of the
ends of the political faction of which the
said commissioner was a member.
Your committee recommend that the
said commissioners be tried by your coun-
ell under the charges herein made, after
reasonable and r,rOppr notice to the said