The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-07
WILL HOLD THEM IN OFFICE.
Continued from Eighth Page.

positions regardless as to how the coming
city election went.
The natural result of the passage of the
proposed law VIII be to knock the spoils
out of the coming campaign The aver
age leader who is seeking place of trust
and accompanying emoluments does not
want to wait two years for it. The fact
that there would be no city offices in sight
to distribute might have a depressing eff
feet on the oppositions ardor. To the
man up tree the proposed law looks like
magnificent politics at this juncture as
well as a restoration of the old system. If
it becomes a law, and there is no opposi-
ton to prevent it from becoming one, the
present Council would elect for the next
two years a clerk of council, city treas
urer, city engineer, city attorney, health
officer, recorder, clerk of market, keeper
of Laurel Grove cemetery. messenger of
Council, keeper of city clocks, five city
physicians, harbor master, two port war
dens, and two chimney contractors. If
the commissions are abolished, as is look
ed for in connection with the change in
the time of electing city officers, this adj
ministration would also elect for two
years a chief and assistant chief of po-
lice, chief and assistant chief of the fire
department superintendent of scavenger
department, superintendent of crematory,
and keeper of city dispensary, together
with any officers it might see fit to create
such as a superintendent of public works.
The claim chiefly urged in favor of the
proposed law is that it will effectually
take the city Offices out of politics and
prevent them from being made the basis
of political campaigns. Alderman Charl-
ton has always been consistent advocate
of the old system and vigorously opposed
the action of the Citizens Club in making
the change it did. From purely polit-
cal standpoint it looks as though the
~,
eral Club faction in the city campaign.
Many old Citizens Club leaders have been
hoping that all the commissions would be
abolished so that all the Offices would be
thrown open for the January fight. The
news of what will be done will doubtless
give them some distress.
The other bill referred to, that amend
ing the present Osborne or city election
law, will also bring on considerable dis
cussion, and may be expected to cut some
figure in the city campaign. Under the
Osborne law which was in force at the past
two city elections, the city is divided up
into twenty precincts, the Idea being to
get the voters about equally divided among
them, and with the proviso that there
shall not be more than 400 voters in pre-
cinct. Two registrars, representing rival
factions or parties, are appointed for each
precinct, and sit one day of each week
for four week for the registration of vot-
eTs
On election day there is a voting place
in each precinct. with booths for voters,
who receive their tickets from the man
ayers inside, each faction having one man
ager. When the booths are occupied no
one is allowed within a certain distance
of the polls. 1t is proposed to change this
and go back to the court house, where the
city elections were formerly held, and, 1t
is understood, have two registrars, rep
resenting both factions, sitting for
month registering voters.
The claim is made that this will save
the city probably $3.50 at an election,
that by concentrating the election at one
point the police protection will be better,
and that other advantages exist in favor
of the proposed change. What will be
done with the other features of the pres
ent law, copied from the Australian ballot
system, has not come out. But 1t is known
that some, If not the majority, of the
Liberal Club leaders, are in favor of wip-
ing them out or amending them consid-
erably.
These two bills and those affecting the
commissions are the ones in which the
public will feel the most interest, and the
outcome of which will be looked forward
10 with varying opinions.