The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-31
ADVICE FOR MIR. GEIGER.
The Senator Reminded of Things He
seems TO Have Forgotten.

porch bathed in the glorious sunlight OF
perfect October day, surrounded by the
pleasing rural scenes of a country land
scape, your mind filled with thoughts of
the Sabbath intermingled with dreams of
future political preferment, l beg for
moment or two to trespass upon your time
and TO draw your attention to your pres
ent legislative course with reference to
local legislation affecting Chatham county.
This l may do with proprIety because,
however humble / may be, am your con-
stituent and by my vote helped to take
you from the quiet pursuits of tranquil
country life and place you In the Senate
of Georgia, where you now find yourself
legislating for 100000 of people and repre-
senting a senatorial district in which lies
the city OF Savannah with its 5000 of
independent people. whose glory in the an
mails of the storiOd past is only equalled
by their love of the grand old democratic
doctrine of home rule, a doctrine that was
dear and sacred 10 the American heart
long before you wrote your honored name
in the annals of fame, aye even before
the halls of congress had come within the
range of your political vision. 1t is on
this subject Of home rule that L address
you. OF course you may OF may not pay
heed to what [ say. Indeed, from your Ut
terances I am inclined TO think that you
have gotten beyond the reach of remon-
STRANGE and are deaf to reasons voice.
You see / arrogate to myself the right 10
speak for reason This is doubtless pre-
sumptuous in the extreme on my part but
l shall in such pain and homely language
point out to you what in all fairness seems
TO be cause for complaint against you that
he who runs may read.
In 1895 three gentlemen represented
Chatham county in the state House OF
Representatives,. They were elected by
what was known as the Citizens Club fac
O ~ 10
municipal government of Savannah was
also in the hands of this faction. With
out previous discussion before the people
he legislature passed what are called the
Savannah commission bills. This legisla-
ton revolutionzed the government OF Sa-
Vannah. or rather the methods of gov
eminent 1t was sought by it to perpetu-
ate in office and power friends and ad-
herents of the Citizens Club. When the time
arrived for a new delegation to be elected
there were two tickets for the House
of Representatives in the field-one, rep
resenting the faction of the democracy
known as the Liberal Club pledged 10 the
repeal of the commission bills; the other,
representing the Citizens Club, ardent sup
porters and advocates of the retention OF
the commissions You had the honor to
be on both tickets. You were upon the
Liberals because the people OF chatham
were given to understand by you that in
Chatham you would be governed by the
wishes of the people of this community
as expressed by the voters at the ballot
box. You were elected not because of your
intimacy with our affairs derived from the
fact, as stated by you in the Morning
News on the 18th inst, you reside near
here and keep posted on affairs by read
ing the newspapers" but because you
were supposed to be q democrat and would
keep inviolate this doctrine of home-rule
about which l have spoken On the Lib
eral ticket for the legislature were three
gentlemen to you now personally known,
but before the election you doubtless had
heard of them, even If they had not been
so fortunate with regard to you. These
three gentlemen are, l will venture TO
say, as representative men as can
be found in Savannah, and each of whom
possesses an intimate knowledge of Sa-
vannah affairs and people. One of these
three at one time represented Chatham in
the legislature and was twice the honor
ed mayor of the city, besides for several
terms having been a member of the board
of aldermen. In a material sense, as well
as in all other ways, no one is more in
terested in the progress of Savannah than
he Another of these three once occu-
pied the very position now filled by YOU
He is the present mayor of Savannah. He
has done much to advance the citys in
terests and his financial future is in a
great measure dependent upon the city's
development. The third of these gentle
men is man by every tie of sentiment
and materially vitality concerned with Sa-
vannah's affairs. In the past the people
of Savannah have pleased and honored
themselves in showing their affection for
this gentleman.
These three men, on the platform have
called your attention to, literally swept
Chatham county. Their election is what
is termed in politics a landslide" The
candidate on this ticket who received
the lowest vote of the three beat the
gentleman on the Citizens Club ticket
who received the highest vote of his party
by 623 votes, and the last gentleman on
the opposite ticket was defeated by 100.
This, too; out of a poll of only 5,291 Can
you conceive, my dear senator, that the
people of Chatham were at all uncertain
| as to what they desired?
Now, let me tell you how you Jared in
| this election: You received in Chatham
! 5,075 votes, against $50 for your opponent.
! This was due to the loyalty of the LIB
eral Club voters to a democrat nominated
on a democratic platform embodying, of
| course. this old doctrine of home rule. 1t
may be remarked also that the democratic
candidate for governor received his high
| est vote in Chatham, getting
here the largest majority given
| by any county. Right after the
| election when your heart was beating I'M
der the impulses of gratitude YOU showed
! your real feelings. and you came out like a
| man. In the Savannah Press of Oct II,
! 1896, few days after the election, you
| were interviewed, and the result of your
| conversation with the reporter given thus
you were speaking about these very COM
! mission bills at the time: From The man.
ner in which he spoke however, it is evil
dent that the wishes of the local represen-
| tatives win have considerable weight with
him in this particular instance. Mr. Geiger
IS quite grateful to the people of Chatham
county for the handsome vote he received
1t is a faliacy, he says not to consider
either side democratic. He believes that
the gentlemen elected on Wednesday are
as good democrats as are in Chatham
county"
Not only did you call these gentlemen
| democrats, but you spelled the designation
with a big d. At that time, senator, YOU
put yourself on record as to what you con-
sidered the present representatives, to be.
Surely, senator, surely, a congressional
bee has not been whispering into your ears
doubts of these mems democracy If not
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D ECTOD tn IJEHT TIT