The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-27

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efforts of factionists to create a sentiment
against the commissions, which have done
efficient service for the city. and which.
with ripening experience, will become
more eficient-wlll in the language of the
Morning News, perfect plans that must
be worked out through a series of years"
winch lis not possible without a commits
sion"
recognize that the members of the COM
mission should show respect to co-ordi-
nate branches Of municipal government
out do not agree with you that whole
sale decapitation should follow if they
40 not discharge appointees at the mere
request of the council for dismissal"
ouch puerile subserviency would destroy
discipline and rob the commissions of
much of their influence for thorough and
| systematic conduct of their several de-
partments. In the instance cited. of the
fre commissions, believe that if the city
council had shown friendly spirit that
a coordinate body had reasonable right
TO expect, and not arrogated the preroga-
1--WE OF trial and judgment in a way that
the commission might have equaled, but
could not SurpasS. the fire commissioners
upon their oaths and conscience, have in
| Nes1gated the matter and done impartial
justice.
1t is difficult to conclude, no matter how
honest the intentions of aldermen might
TO the fire commission was not shrewdlv
planned, and the reciprocal antagonism
undlplomaucally engendered by the partt-
san methods and assaults by the admins
tfatlon to give it quasi prestige at the
state capitol to secure the repeal of the
laws creating the commissions.
Let us strip the subject of the partisan
excuses plead in extenuation of the ag-
erosion against the fire commission and
what bristling truth does it disclose? 1t
discloses this: That if the fire commission
showed its "hostilityto the council' the
council and the administration had bristled
with hostility to all the commissions, be-
Titled their service to the city, and, by
Juggling with figures and by disingenu-
Gus assertions sought to extend that hos
tility so that not only the taxpayers,
whom the commissions were serving with
painstaking fidelity, should share it, but
that IL might evoke the hostility of the
legislative branches of the state govern
ment
There are those of the administration.
including its head, whose ingenious dem.
agogy led him into personal denunciation
OF the commissioner of public works, who
see something suspicious, if not reprehen-
sible, in the appointment of Representa-
tive Willink, one of the representatives
who supported the commission measures,
put 1t Will not strike even the average
OF apprehension, or a greater lack of mod
esty on his part than that the head Of
this administration should retain his leg
islative office, as well as that of the may
orally, using both as a lever to consum-
mate the partisan and fractional object
that he and his fellow partisans have in
view-the adjustment of the commissions,
to the end that places may be provided
for the clamorous of his faction.
1t IS neither my desire, nor is it pleas.
ant, Tor me to write or say anything that
might be construed as tnging my opin-
ions with the spirit of factionaism or par
tisanship. In the conduct of the mayor
atty l endeavored to conduct the office
with the same integrity that l would want
to be characteristic of my own business
affairs. L realize after many years of ex-
perience in the aldermanic board, and af-
ter two years of service as mayor, the
urgent claims of ones following for Off
cial recognition, and how prone profess
slonal applicants are in many instances
to exaggerate their capabilities and their
influence. If my appointees were not
drawn from the ranks of those who make
ohce-seeking1 and office holding a busi-
ness, it may seem TO them, and those
whom they enlist that some of my APP
pointees Were "in no respect entitled to
preferment. That is a matter of judg-
ment and am content to be Judged
by an intelligent community if it was
mistake or error. If even suspicion has
been directed against the integrity of any
commissioner appointed by me, it has not
found its way into your columns nor has
it come from any one of unquestioned We
raclty-nor from the Investigating COM
mittees of an unfriendly council. Shall we
then invoke the legislature to abolish these
commissions, because, fOrsooth their
members were not in harmony with that
factlon which antagonized them, or shall
we appeal to the law making body of the
state to interpret the most recent city
election as a protest against the commits
Slons, when, with over 500 non-tax-paying
colored voters, and with the bugaboo of
the A. Z. A. to conjure with, the mighty
Jove who is to hurl the repeating thun-
derbolts at the capital was elected by so
meager majority? Is that election to
be heralded at Atlanta as mighty pro-
test against the commissions, and was
the a. z. A. merely a side issue, after
all?
Another thought: No one can reasona-
bly, doubt my sincerity to discuss the COM
missions when l took the initiative, over
my name yet your anonymous correspond
ent did not avail himself of his first or
second opportunity to be as OPEN
In my first communication, / sought to
lift the subject to the plane of non-fac-
tional consideration and thought. l very
much regret that you have fallen into
the error of making assertions relative to
the legislation creating the commissions
that do not appear to be corroborated by
anything in your columns during the time
the measures were being formulated, when
the bills came on for passage nor al the
epoch of their passage, nor was my at
tention directed at the time 1 made the
appointments, nor after their confirmation
by council, to any criticisms of the Morn
ing News, editorially or reportorialy, or
by correspondents, anonymous or other
wise.
1t might not be unfair, and certainly It
would be pardonable negative charity if.
after having alluded to the fact that the
police commission took charge of the DO
lice at the last city election, to have given
your readers the benefit of the commits
sioners' reason therefor-at the preceding
election for representative and county Of
fleials the chief of police permitted one
faction at am early hour to surround and
block every avenue TO the polls, to the
manifest injustice of the opposing fac
ton, whereas at the city election no Just
complaint can be lodged that all were not
accorded equal privileges about the polls.
or that the election was not conducted
as peaceaby as at any former election for