The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-29
Rochester, N. Y.

KOcneSter, N. L.
ty election. for surely he remembers that
he had no fault to find with the chief I'M
| til the latter refused to move, without
| rhyme or reason, the Liberal voters from
| around the court house. Up to this event,
| it had never occurred to the ex-mayor
| that the right of arbitrary removal ought
| 10 be vested in the commission. Then it
was that the eX-mayor sought to confer
upon the commission this additional pow
er. Had the chief carried out the Citi-
| zens Clubs wishes it is safe to assume that
MIR. Myers would never have desired to
make it possible for the commission to
remove him without cause. The right to
remove for cause is now, and has always
been, in the commission. This last men,
toned proposed piece of legislation is the
bill the present. legislators refused to in
troduce.
The ex-mayor was ill-advised when he
likened the election of the present mayor
of Savannah, who at the time was mem
Der of the legislature, to the appointment
of the present public works commission
er. The ex-fnayor will remember that Mr..
Willink was a member Of the legislature.
In his capacity as a legislator he actively
assisted in the passage of the bill Great
ing the Office Of commissioner of public
works. This legislation was never desired
by the people, nor did they dream of it's
character until it became law. When
the time for appointment arrived under
the very bill advocated by Mr.. Willink,
Mr. Myers appointed this member of the
legislature commissioner. This appoint
ment carried with it salary of 81, 500, a
year for six long years. There is no two
years limit in this act 1t is, 1 repeat, for
six years, and is the best position in the
gift of the mayor. 1t has never been di-
rectly or indirectly charged that this APP
fv1ta ont xrrac he Of nnllnCinn
the point has been made that the APP
pointment of Mr.. Willink under the cir
cumstanees, was obnoxious to the Ameri-
can idea of impersonal and disinterested
legislation. In the case of Meldrim, the
legislator, the people saw fit to make him
mayor. They knew when they voted him
into the city exchange that he was men,
Der of the legislature. Mr.. Meldrim in no
way had connection with the creation of
either the position Of legislator or in the
office of mayor. The people, in their SOW
ereign capacity as voters can do whatso,
ever they see fit. A public servant cam
not. The people, with perfect propriety,
can confer two offices upon the same in
dividual, and he may continue to hold
them both, except in certain excepted in
stances Mr. Myers, as mayor of Savan-
nah, could not make Mr. Willink commits
sioner of public works, under the circu1n-
stances without subjecting both himself
appointing, his appointee for accepting.
And yet, because the ex-mayor's success
full opponent criticised him, he Is accused,
and by. the eX-mayor, too, of ingenious
demagogy." How would the eX-mayor
have liked it had his opponent charged the
leaders of the Citizens Club, and him.
self specifically, with entering into a con-
spiracy for the creation of public offices TO
be filled by themselves. If the charge
were true. what would it be? Not "inge-
NOUS demagogy," but political bucca-
neering.
The ex-mayor grows indignant at the
partisanship of the present board and tor
lures himself with reflections over the fate
of the 'gray-haired messenger of council"
Did Mr.. Myers ever pause to weep over
the official death of gray haired John
Green, a gallant confederate soldier, and
for thirty years a faithful servant of the
I city? Does he ever grow remorseful at
\ the decapitation of 'gray-haired" James
Manning, a faithful and efficient official
discharged from the service of Savannah
by Mr.. Myers and his associates for no
cause whatsoever? What thinks he now
of gray-haired John Fitzgerald, a genera
ton in the employ of the people and al
ways efficient? What abut "gray-haired"
Joseph c. Cornell, against whom no one
has ever uttered a word of reproach? Did
the silvery crown of these men save them
when Mr.. Myers and his associates began
the work of cleaning out the exchange
from cellar to cupola?"
At last, when stripped of its illogical
reasoning and false conclusions the eX-
mayors argument resolves itself into the
proposition that the council being partisan
we should turn to his commissioners for
relief For the sake of argument let us
admit his premise. Then the question pre-
scented to the people is simply this Shall
aldermen whom they elected and who are
responsible to them, or shall they submit
to the government of commissioners,
equally partisan, In whose selection they
had no voice and who acknowledge re-
sponsibilty TO no one. This question has
once or twice been submitted to the peo-
pie. The ex-mayor in his letter only pre-
sents it again. He in the last election
made it the issue. Said he in his speech
of acceptance on the night of Jan. %
last: Il cannot refrain from expressing
my sincere regrets that there should be
two political factions in our city.
/ feel that these differences are injurious
to our progress and prosperity. What do
they consist of when you turn the light of
truth upon them2 The Liberal or Tam
many faction are opposed to the commits
sions." Did not that state the issue? The
people 50 understood 1t. They settled the
question by electlng the Liberal faction to
office. Men who opposed the commissions
are in the legislative halls of
Georgia and in the municipal chamber of
Savannah An indignant people have filed
their protest against Mr. Myers and ex-
pressed their wish that these commissions
bill be repealed. Legislators from Chat
ham ask il; mayor and aldermen of Sa-
vannah, as the representatives Of the citi-
zens of Savannah, demand IL. Nothing
should carry more weight with Mr.. Myers
than the request or demand Of the city
council Hear his testimony on this point
1.-THE bill recommended by council
was not passed. / was informed by one
of the representatives from this county
that this amendment was not approved
by the Chatham delegation. In my opin-
ion, the mayor and aldermen and COM
missioners are the proper bodies to make
such recommendations" Mayors re-
reports 1896, p. 9. Let these words sink
into tbe reason Of Senator Geiger. The
mayor and aldermen are making a recon-
rnendaffop the rnpmherg from the county