The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-17
TO BE NO FIGHT IN OCTOBER.
CANDIDATES. WILL HARDLY HAVE
OPPOSITION.


Remarkable Calm I'm the Generally
Stormy Arena of Chatham Politics.
Many Citizens Club Men, Including
Some Lenders, Want to See All the
Commissions Abolished, So There
VIII BE Free Fight for All the
Offices i'm Janunry-The Next Battle
That for Control of the City.
There viii be but little, If any. politics
in Savannah until the next NUM-
cipal election approaches. In next jan
uary a Mayor and a board of aldermen
will be elected. The campaign viii proba-
bly, begin about November. Until that
time there win be surcease of political
maneuvering and of political haranguelng.
Temporarily, at least, the politician is
out Of the public mind and in an eclipse.
1t is a decidedly unusual condition of
affairs for Savannah not to have a holly
contested county and legislative election
in October 1t is hard to believe that it
will be so this year, but all the indications
now point to an entire absence of any con-
hict over these offices.
For many years there has not
been one OF these biennial cleo
ton at which one or more, and gen
orally more, of the county officers has not
had to fight, and fight hard, for his office.
Generally several of them have had oppo-
sition. This year it is likely to be other
wise. All the court house officials will be
candidates for reelection and none of
them win have an opponent to fight. The
legislative ticket nominated at the recent
primary Messrs. McDonouh, Mcmillan
and LaRoche. and Mr.. A. N. Grovenstein
for senator also bid fair to have the cleo
ton without opposition.
All the talk about an independent move
ment and opposition to the regular can
didates and some of the county officers
has died out An apathy has apparently
settled down on those who were at first
determined to organize and fight for the
control. 1t has seemingly been conclud-
ed that there is but little hope, under the
existing conditions, of defeating the pri-
mary candidates. Many men who have
been in sympathy with the opposition to
an Independent movement, owing to the
position taken by them against such
movements in the past.
There is also considerable indlf-
ference as to the fate of the
commissions among the rank and file of
the anti-Liberals. 1T is no longer secret
that number of the old leaders of the
Citizens Club would have not the slightest
objection to seeing all the commissions
abolished. In fact, they are earnestly
hoping that all of them will be wiped out
by legislation, although they are not will
ing as yet to be quoted to that effect.
With all the commissions abolished there
would be clean cut fight in January,
with all the offices and jobs in sight as
spoils, and. as the practical politicians
view 1t, that is the very best conditions
for the "outs"
II the coming legislature sees fit
to introduce bills to abolish every
one of the commissions it Is hardly prob
ably that a very stiff fight would be made
against them before the legislature. There
would hardly be any large and influential
own expense and no maintaining there of
several able politicians to watch the
course of events. The fate of the commits
eions is apparently absolutely in the hands
of the Liberals now, and large part of
the opposition is quite anxious to see them
carry out their old pledges and wipe out
every law put on the statute books In
which the word commission appears
The October election will be about the
tamest sort of affair Chatham politics
have known since the war, unless there is
more than revolution in sentiment and
ideas within the next few weeks, and that
Is almost out of the bounds of proba bility
After that, though, the lining up of forces
may be expected to begin for a battle
royal in January.