The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-16
G0SSIPS HANDLE GOVERNOR.
MONDAY NIGHTS CONFERENCE
MAGNIFIED INTO A SENSATION.

Some Officials Think They We're
the Conference, and Have Drawn
Their Lines to Fight the Govern
Or's Reform Ideas-EX-GOv. Akin
son Declines to Discuss the Affair.
An Ex-OtIiciaI Defends Gov. Cam
JIer's Position.
Atlanta, Ca, Nov. blast night confer
ence at the executive mansion was the sub
ject of good deal of gossip at the CAPT
tai to-day.
Gov Gambler, in discussing 1t with the
Morning News correspondent said that the
statement that he intends to send in a
message to the legislature recommending
a reduction of the pension and school APP
preparations was not authorized by what
he had said in his talk
While the Governor believes that the re-
duction of these appropriations is the only
way to meet the fiscal bills of the state
without increasing tax burdens of the
people, he says that there was nothing in
what he said at the mansion conference
that would justify the inference even that
he win make a specific recommendation to
that effect to the legislature.
Il might add though" he said, that if
the legislature should pass bills making
such reductions I would approve them"
In some quarters the conference was
magnifed into a sensation. Gov. Atkinson s
friends and political supporters were the
first to imagine a rat in the meal tub when
the gosslps learned that two other ex-Gov-
ernors had been invited to participate in
the discussion of ways and means to save
the state from the rocks of financial ship
wreck This element wanted to know If this
failure to ask the Coweta statesman was
not an Intentional slight to him and his
administration. Thcn the swing of the gos-
sips pointed out the fact that neither At
torney General Terrell or State School
Commissioner Glenn, nor Pension Commits
sioner Johnson nor Prison Commissioner
Turner, all of whom are the allies of ex-
Gov. Atkinson, had been called in for con-
sultation, though all of them ought to be
in possession of information of value to
the captain of the waterlogged ship of
1t is but an accurate representation of
the situation to say that all the officials
and their political sympathizers felt as if
they had been wontingly sighted by the
new administration and feeling thus Bit
ter they did not hesitate to take their
places on the side of the opposition to
Gov Gamblers reform ideas. In some in
stances the prejudices of legislators were
appealed to to disseminate the seed of OPP
position and ieopardize the contemplated
reforms in state expenditures by tighten
ing faotional lines.
EX-Gov. Atkinson was here during the
day, but he positively refused to express
himself upon the subject of the alleged
slight to him further than to say that it
was purely a personal matter with Gov.
Gambler as to whom he wished to consult
upon any line of policy.
An ex-state official who was not at the
conference last night, in speaking of it
right thing exactly in not asking his pre-
| decessor to a place at his council board.
1t was Gov. Atkinson and his administra-
ton that got the state into its present
troubles, and he could hardly have given
any counsel that would have been valua-
BILE Gov Atkinson went out of office leav-
| ing the state in a financial hole; Gov.
| Gambler has the task of pulling the state
| out of this hole. So 1 say that he only
| gave another Illustration OF his good sense
in leaving his predecessor out of the list
| when he called his counsel together. HaV-
| ing permitted the state to get into this
mess through lack of business foresight
| combined with fear of political conse-
| quences how could Gov. Atkinson have
rendered any service to his successor in
! the work of reform?"