The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-07
WILL HOLD THEM IN OFFICE.
COUNCIL TO ELECT CITY OFFICERS
FOR TWO YEARS MORE.

Election and the ArdOF of the
Workers VIII he Dampen ed-HOw
Time Has Brought Important
Changes Leading to This BIII-CIty
Election Law Also to Be Material
Iy Altered.
The captions of six local bills which
are to be introduced at the coming ses-
sion Of the legislature, are published in
the Morning News this morning. Only
two of them are likely to attract much
public interest and general comment. They
are those providing for change In the
time of electing city officers and for
changes in the law under which city
elections are now held:
The first bill mentioned, that to cut
short the terms of the present city Off
GERS who are elected by Council and
change the date of the election of their
successors, will naturally provoke much
political discussion and revive many 20
litical memories.
Under the law as 1t now exists the city
officers are elected by the Incoming, or
newly elected, board at it's first regular
meeting in January 1t is proposed to
change this and have them elected by
the old, or outgoing, board at some time
prior to its retirement from office, prob
ably at the last meeting in December,
although the exact date may not yet have
been determined upon.
This, as well as an.the other bills, were
passed upon at a caucus of the city
Council, will be prepared by the city at
/ tnp ,,-s1T - =
resentatives from Chatham at the request
of the City Council They will be what
might be termed official administration
bills. Having the endorsement of the
Mayor and aldermen, the support of the
local delegation and the senator from the
First, there is no question of their being
passed. They can be practically consid-
cred as good as laws already on the sta
tute books of the state
Under the law for the change in the
time of electing city officers the present
City Council will enjoy the unique priyl-
| lege of holding two elections for CITY Off
GERS and of keeping them in their places
Tor four years. Heretofore one election
Tor two years has been the grea Attest privi-
| iege allotted to a City Council, so far as
choosing city officials were concerned In
deed, one City Council, that whose term
ran out in January, 1895, did not have the
pleasure of electing any city officers, so
far as practical results are concerned A
little history WIFI throw some light on the
| present proposed bill and will interest the
general public as well as the politicians
For many years it was the custom in
Savannah for the outgoing board to elect
the city officers. The chief ground urged
for this was that it. 10 some extent. took
the. city offices out of politics The alder
men, not electing city officer until two
years after they had served in Council,
and when their terms as aldermen were
about to expire, were not SO likely to be
| actuated by partisanship. In the two years
association with the officers they were
supposed to have found their value In the
transaction of the city business and to
have concluded that It was best to keep
them undisturbed in their positions. The
pain worked well for a long time some
city officers holding office under a half
dozen or more administrations.
In October, 1894. the Citizens Club hav-
ing elected it's legislative ticket announced
its intention of passing a state law taxi
ing the election of city officers out of the
hands of the outgoing board of alder
men and putting 1t in the hands of the
incoming board There was no doubt of
their abilty to pass such bill, or of
their intention of doing so. To circum-
vent this movement, Alderman Charlton
member of the Councs7 then as now,
introduced an ordinance at its next meet
ing after the state election, changing the
date of the election of city officers from
January to October and cutting short
the terms of the incumbents the neces-
sary three months
Alderman Herman Myers, then a can
didate for Mayor, although not yet Iom-
mated, TO the surprise of the crowd in
the Council chamber, it VIII be remember
ed, voted Eyes" when this ordinance was
put on its passage. His object was APP
parent when, before the vote could he
announced, as 1t was claimed, he moved
a reconsideration, which would have
thrown it over until the state law was
passed. The dispute that ragged in Coun-
ell and in public over this and the SUBJ
sequent proceedings is we'll remembered by
all who were interested in Savannah poll
tics at that time.
Despite the protests of Alderman Myers
the ordinance was declared passed aud an
| election by Council was held at the date
set, all of the city officers being re-elect-
ed
AS matter of fact, though, they mere
ly served out the terms for which they
had first been elected. 70 January, 1895.
The Citizens Club representatives. at At
lanta put the bill through; the Citizens
Club elected Mr. Myers and his alder
manic ticket, and some of the city Off
GERS were unceremoniously ousted, prom
inent among them being the clerk of coun-
Gil, chief OF police harbor master, SUPER
iniendent of water works and city mar
shall. all of which places were given to
leaders of the Citizens Club.
AT the next session of the legislature the
Citizens Club representatives passed the
famous commission bills, which were de-
signed, at least in part, to keep some OF
those whom it had put in place in their
offices for six years, regardless as to who
might be elected Mayor and aldermen.
When the Liberal Club elected Mayor Mel
drim and the aldermanic ticket running
with him in January. 1897 they naturally
turned out the leaders of the Citizens Club
who were not protected by the commits
slons and pun In men in political utilization
| with themselves.
The terms of the present city officers ex-
pire in January. If the present law were
undisturbed their successors would be
elected by the Mayor and aldermen chosen
at the coming city election, Some of them
| would hardly be disturbed even if the op-