The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-25
A CHANGE OF LAW ASKED.
CLERK AND SHERIFF OF CITY
COURT WANT TO BE ELECTED
BY THE PEOPLE.

Walter +. LaRoche and Is Said TO
Have the Enforcement of the other
Representatives From the County
and of the Senator From the Dis
trfct-Prexent Officers Behind Its
Introduction.
At the coming session of the general as
/ sembly an act will be introduced by Hon.
Waiter p. LaRoehe, one of the representa-
/ tives from This county to make the clerk
/ and sheriff of the City Court Of Savannah
elective BY the people Of the county. In
I der the provisions OF the act these officers
/ Of the City Court viii be elected, in case
il becomes a law, at the same tine as the
other court house officers. An announce
ment OF intention to introduce the act APP
pears to-day in another column of the
Morning News reads as follows:
Notice is hereby given that al the next
session Of the legislature of the state OF
| Georgia, a local act will be introduced, 10
be entitled An act to provide for the cleo
ton by the people of Chatham county of
the clerk and sheriff of the City Court OF
Savannah. for the term Of two years at
the election for county officers to be held
on the first Monday in October, 1900. and
bi-ennaHy thereafter; to cause the terms
of the officers so elected to begin on the
first day of the January succeeding the
election; to terminate the terms of the
present incumbents on the first day Of
January, 1901, and for other purposes.
Inside Information of the intention to
have such a law introduced has been for
in he Of 10
ing News. This information has had
nothing to do with the reports of one
kind and another that have been in circu-
I lation and has been obtained from those
who were in possession Of all the facts,
who knew of what they were speaking
and could, therefore. tell the locality from
| which the bill. emanated and the steps
| that would probably be taken to secure
| its passage. Those behind the bill are the
| present clerk and sheriff of the City Court.
at whose instance it VIII be introduced,
and whose friends viii urge its passage.
II is possibly moi too much 10 say that
I these gentlemen feel that they stand
/ better chance before the people Of the
county than before the membrs of the
city Council. by whom they are not gen,
orally supposed to be greately beloved
! Ihis, however, is matter of opinion, and
| nnds no expression in the statement Of
their position that Messrs. Russell and
Whelan are prepared and willing to give
out
They place the matter upon the almost
commonly accepted ground. that as these
officers are paid entirely by the county.
and as the jurisdiction of the court they
serve extends over the county. there is no
i reason why the City Council should haze
the right of election. The court is a city
court in name only, and in every other re-
spect belongs 10 the county. The present
clerk and sheriff believe that their election
should be due to the suffrages of citizens of
The county and not TO those of members
of the City Council. and the bill is intro.
duced, at their request, in the hope that in
the future this will be the case.
In speaking of the matter several DAYS
ago, Sheriff Whalen said: I'VE nave ask
ed and finally succeeded in inducing Mr.
LaRoche 10 introduce this bill for the pur-
pose of antagonizing no individual and in
the hope that We shall incur the ill-will of
no faction. We are. of course, booking
out for our own interests and espouse no
| mans quarrel Since the election of Mr.
/ Russell and myself, we have tried earnest
ly 10 do our full duty by the large portion
of the community whom we are called up
on to serve and We are modestly Inclined
10 the belief that we have
been successful. 1t is our in
tenion TO stand for reelection and we
prefer 10 Stdiiu DcIOIe the people OF the
county, rather than before any bakers
dozen of their number. This is said with
no desire to offend the present Council
and is simply an expression of what we
believe to lie the fair course and the right
policy for US 10 pursue. We realize that
We owe our election 10 one Council and
Therefore, are moi in a position even if we
were DESTROYS of 20 doing, TO cast any
slurs upon this method of election. Our
position simply is that as the court is real
y a county court and as all its expenses
are betrayed by the county, the people of
the county should have the privilege of
e,eCting its officers. We are willing to go
before the voters of the county on the re-
ccrd we have made and confidently expect,
if the bill becomes a law that we shall re-
ceiVe a re-e{e ctiOn."
so far as relates TO the fate of the bill
in the general assembly, we have no pres
ent antcipations of defeat. We expect
TO receive the support Of the members Of
the legislature from the county and that Of
the senator from this district We antici-
pate further that the movement will be
popular and that the people will favor the
enactment of the law that places in their
hands the selection of the officers of the
court.
1--WE have chosen purposely to select the
time when other court house officers are
elected as the time when The clerk and sher
if of the City Court should be elected. be-
cause we wish 10 stand our chance with
those we think occupy the same position
towards The people of the county as we 10
AS ! have said we are not endeavoring 10
antagonize any individual nor any faction,
nor 20 espouse the cause of any man. We
wish TO go into the contest that we antici-
pate will take place in October of next
year with a fair chance to win. and this is
all we desire We snail make a fight thar
will have It's basis in the record we have
Tt
successful. AS TO the certainty of this
conclusion and expectation, time alone is
able to reveal"
Mr. waring Russell Jr., was elected
clerk and Mr.. Edward ]. Wha.en sheriff
of the City Court by the last Medrim adj
ministration. The election was contested
by Messrs Collins and Sheftan the then
incumbenls of the offices, on the ground
that the act by which the terms of the
latter were shortened had not properly and
legally accomplished its purpose The
case was fought before Judge Faligant in
the Superior Court where il was dec dea