The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-03
CITY OFFICIALS SWORN IN.
CLERK OF COUNCIL BAILEY THE
FIRST IN LINE.


Place on the Police Court Bench
This Morning-Mayor MeIdrim In
augurates "a New order of Things
at the City Exchnnge-The Build
ing VIII Be Renovated and Made n
Place For strictly Business"
The oath to faithfully perform the duties
required of them by the laws Of the state
| end the ordinances Of the city was admin
istered 10 the newly elected city officials
by Mayor Meldrim yesterday at his Office
al the city exchange.
Mr.. ". p. Bailey. the newly elected clerk
| Of council, was the first to take the oath.
! His bond was filed Immediately and he
took charge Of the clerks Office at noon.
Several Of the other city officials took
charge during the day and the others will
assume their offices to-day
/ Recorder Hartridge viii preside in po-
lice court this morning. Mr.. II. f. Viii
son presided as recorder for the last time
| yesterday and the drunk and disorderlies
and other petty offenders will face new
| judge for some time to come. There is
much interest among those who allow
their pugilisuc proclivities and their bib
! ulous dispositions to bring them into po-
the court on frequent occasions to know
! what the policy of the new recorder viii
| be. viii he deal leniently with the boys
! or will he enforce the laws with uncom-
| promising severity as Recorder Wilson is
| said to have done. 1t is safe 20 say that
| the new recorder will proceed cautiously
| until he gers his hand in, but it will not
| take him long to do that and the real Of
hon,
! lookout for justice straight from the
| shoulder
Recorder Wilson, by the way IS said
/ TO have made the race uncomfOrtably
! close for his successor, having, according
10 the best uathority, received six votes
| I'm caucus. The nomination was then
made unanimous or practically so, one
alderman only voting for Mr.. Wilson in
council.
John Savage, York Milledge and w. II.
| Logan, all colored, were appointed por-
tiers in the city exchange by Mayor Mel
drim. All three were active workers in
behalf of the Liberal Club during the cam
| paign. Savage has been in the exchange
| for the last ten or twelve years with the
exception Of the interval allowed MIN by
| Mayor Myers after the October election
| on account OF his active partisanship in
! opposition to the administration side at
] that election. Milledge had also been in
the exchange several years when dropped
! from the roll by Mayor Myers two years
| ago.
Mayor Meldrim has ordered the interior
| of the city exchange to be thoroughly
scrubbed out. The crowds which have,
I tramped in and out Of the building during
the last few day. have made this neces-
sary. The mayor has also issued instruc-
| lions that the city exchange shall not be
| a trysting place for buns and lcafers,
and that only people who have business
| 10 transact are desired there. He viii
| also endeaVor to effect some Improvement
in the appearance of the interior of the
exchange before long. The mayor wants
the place to be thoroughly typical or his
administration, clean and wholesome both
| in appearance and i'm fact.
Another nuisance which Mayor Meldrlm
| has determined to put a stop to is beseig-
ing of the mayors Office by mendicants.
| "The city government is not a charitable
| Institution" he said yesterday I'VE can
not provide for every one who is out of
| employment. 1t is not the intention OF
| municipal government that 1t should pro-
| vide employment for all that cannot md
1t elsewhere. Neither can we care for all
the halt. the MANNED, the sick and the
blind who may have gathered here or
have been dumped upon us by other cities.
/ have no time TO devote to nvestigat-
ing The truth or the falsity of the claims
of applicants for charity, neither has the
city any funds to devote to such a pur-
pose Consolidated charities should at
tend TO all this. There are a number Of
weil-organized charities here. Let each
appoint one member to constitute a board
Of charities to divide and direct the work
Then, If the people of Savannah want to
be taxed for the purpose of charity, the
city will set aside a certain amount for
distribution by the central charity board
In such manner as it may decide
Mai. Meldrim was spoken to in reference
to the first ordinance adopted by the new
council, repeating the ordinance recently
adopted re-establishing the city dispen-
sary The sanitary board, he said, would
arrange with the drug-stores, which have
been furnishing medicines to the INDECENT
poor to continue doing so for the present.
The question of permanent provision had
not yet been discussed. he said, but he
minated that the ordinance establishing
the city dispensary might be re-enacted,
in which case the officials or employees Of
the dispensary will be selected by the
present sanitary board. About all the
patronage, Mayor Meldrim said, had been
dispensed, with the exception of the four
sanitary inspectors places. for which
there are about fifty applicants The APP
pointments will probably be made this
week, after the mayor returns from At
lanta. Mai. Meldrim. went up to Atlanta
last night. where he will attend the spec
ial session of the legislature, held for
| special investigating committee, of which
Mai. Meldrim is a member upon the
charges against Judges Sweat and Reese.
Mr.. w. Il. Bailey has already settled
down to the work of the clerks Office like
an old hand. He will soon have the hang
Of ii. Mr.. Bailey has accepted the offer
of Mr.. A. N. Manucy to assist lin IN
| the work of the clerks Office for a few
days. Mr. Manucy will also compile Mayor
Myers annual report Mr.. Bailey sHid
yesterday that there Is no probability OF
change in the clerical force of his office
for some time at least
Mr. Thomas Gamble. whose resignation
as clerk to the commissioner of public
works has been rendered to Mr.. Willink
win probably remain in his present posi-
ton for two or three weeks longer, until
Mr.. Willnk decides upon his successor.
| 1t Is worth noting that Alderman w. r.
Reid occupied the same seat at the meet
ing Of council Wednesday night which he
occupied for six years consecuhvely un-
der Mayors Lester, Schwarz and Melon
ough Alderman Charlton also occupies
the same seat which he occupied during