The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-09
TO GO Ar IT WITHOUT GLOVES.
The Investigating Committee Means
business From Now.

II indications are worth anything the
investigating committee of council is go
ing to be hot. stuff from henceforth. The
gloves with which the park and tree CON-
mission and the board Of tax assessors
were handled are to be pulled off, and the
police, fire, water and public works COM
missioners are to be handled with bare
hands.
The investigation is to be OF the most
searching character, and reports which
have come to the ears of the committee
men are to be probed to the bottom. The
committee spent an hour or more yester-
day afternoon discussing and formulating
plans by which the facts which it be-
lieves to exist are to be brought to light.
What the plans are the committeeman
decline to say. but they stated that they
had formulated plans for the investiga-
lions which are to follow.
The police commission is TO come first
and will be taken up Friday afternoon
The committee does not expect to finish
with this commission in one afternoon,
but win most likely devote a part of next
week to it also. The order in which the
other commissions will be taken up has
not been decided, but the indications are
LNdL the lHNDSllEdblOH VI lilg COHlihiSHAOil-
er of public works win be delayed to the
last, that being considered the most seri-
Gus and to which probably the most time
will be devoted.
The most interesting feature of these in
vestigations beyond doubt will be that
relating to political craftsmanship on the
part of commissioners, not as to their pub
lie and personal acts, but as to whether
they have been governed by partisan mo-
tives in their official acts and whether
they have or have not used their powers
for partisan purposes. Some of the COM
mittee believe that there is evidence OF such
partisanship and this they propose to bring
out Further than this they consider that
proof of such craftsmanship is grounds for
Impeachment. They will also hold that
council has the right to impeach and If
evidence can be discovered which in their
Judgment justiies such charges they will
recommend to counil that proceedings for
be entered upon. of course,
any other malfeasance in office, such as
commissioners being interested in con-
tracts, would also be considered grounds
for in1peachment The evidence of such
partisanship is to be demonstrated by the
official acts of the commissioners and their
books and records are expected to furnish
evidence on this line, 1t is said.
That it is believed that the commission
ers have been guilty of such craftsmanship
in their Official acts Is eNlueuceu Dy the
statement of a member of the invesugat-
ing committee yesterday that he believed
sufficient evidence of this kind would be
found to cause the removal of every one
of the commissioners yet to be invesu-
gated. This is rather a startling state
ment, but was made in good faith. The
fact that the committee considered 1t nee
essary to devote one meeting especially
to formulating plans for their work is evil
dence that it intends TO be something more
than a mere examining committee.
1t is a pity that such interesting work
is to be conducted in the secrecy of the
committee room. The people who pay the
taxes and the voters who elected the two
administrations. the one which put the
in and the one which is now
trying to put them out, are entitled to
something for their money and trouble,
and nothing could possibly be more inter-
esting TO them just now than the details
of these Investigations.
The question whether the council or
some other judicial or legislative body has
the right to deal with the commissioners
is a bridge which will not be crossed until
il is reached. Some of the members of
council, perhaps all of them, assume that
council has this power. There are evil
IDENTIFY interesting developments ahead.
Now the commissioners may not relish
being placed in such light before the
and the result may be some
friction between them and the committee