The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-28
AND RECORDER CLASH.
FRIENDS EXPECTING AN ENCoUN-
TER BETWEEN THEM.

Recorder BroyIes Severely scores
Mayor Woodward for Releasing
the city COnvicts ON Christmas
Dny-CnIls the Custom Vicious ana
Dangerous and Says IA Great Deal
More--MRyOr Woodward Says the
Recorder Is Exceeding His Au-
thority.
Atlanta, Dec. 2E-The friends of Mayor
Woodward and Recorder Broyles are ex-
pecting personal encounter between these
two high city officials when they meet
face to face.
1t all grew out OF an official request by
the Recorder to the chief of police TO re-
arrest the prisoners liberated by Mayor
Woodward on Christmas day. The Re-
corder, in a card, rasps the Mayor fore
and aft, denounces his action as idlotlc
and says he is a hlndrance to wholesome
administration of the law.
The Recorder says many of the cases
were marked return" so that they could
be committed to the state court after they
had served out their city sem
fences. He scores Mayor Wood
ward numerically. He quotes
city ordinance that gives the Mayor
the right to order releases from the city
stockade only in cases of less than $50 fine
or thirty days confinement. and then onlyV
accompanied by a written recommendation
from the Recorder trying the case. He says
these prisoners We're given their liberty
not only without his recommended ton. but
over his written protest. He charges that
the Mayor turned loose upon the commune
ty many notorious thieves and felons who
had not only been convicted of gross Vio-
lations of the city ordinances, but who
would have been bound over later on for
trial by the state courts. He characterized
the custom which Mayor Woodward cited
as justification of his act. as Illegal
and based on a false sentimen atty.
They Soon Return.
1.-THE debased and vicious characters
confined in the stockade," he continued,
when released at Christmas do not use
their liberty to enjoy the quiet and law
full pleasures of that sacred holiday sea-
son, but to plunge anew aud deeper into
the most shameless debaucheres and ex-
cesses"
He claims that this Is substantiated by
the fact that many of those released have
already been resentenced for offenses COM
mltted within a few hours after their re-
lease. Because of their knowledge of this
custom, he asserts that every year on
Christmas eve foul mouthed wretches,
drunken sots and lawless characters gem
orally have fun sway upon the streets of
the city, insulting unprotected ladies, run
ming riot In debaucheries and openly vio-
lating the code of God and man, knowing
that IL arrested and convicted they will be
pardoned out IN a few hours. IL the name
OF law and order, decency and common
sense, and the God-fearing and law-abid-
ing people of Atlanta, he denounced this
custom as Infamous, outrageous unlawful
and idiotic
How About state COnvietsf
He asks what the people of the state
would think of Gov. Gambler, If he should
. at every Christmas season indiscriminately
turn loose upon them all the convicts in
the renitentlary without regard to their
crimes and sentences He is too good a
citizen and too wise ruler to even dream
of such a thing, he says.
And yet" he continues, such action, un-
like the Mayors, would be legal. / think
II is high time that This Custom should
be completely uprooted and cast aside
upon the city's garbage heap and carted
out of the city limits with other decaying
matter. In lis present location, its deadly
exhalations are poisoning all the air
around ii, and il is becoming demoralzing
TO our police force, paralyzlng to the arm
of the court and generally subversive of
law and order"
Mayor Woodward says the Recorder is
exec eding his authority and trying to
make himself out a bigger man than the
Mayor. Chief Manly did not order the re-
arrest of the liberated prisoners. but will
submit the communications to the Board
Of Police Commissioners tomorrow after
noon.