The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-31
FOR POLITICAL REASONS.
AID. DIXON WANTS DTsrENsARY
KEEPER O'KEEFE REMOVED.


of the Dispensary Ordinnnce-AId.
DixOn's Reasons for Wanting a
Change in the Dispensary-Says Mr..
OTGeefe Was Opposed to the Adj
ADMINISTRATION and Has No Right to
the ONCE.
Alderman DiXon's dispensary ordinance,
terminating the terms of the present in
cumbents and placing the city dispensary
under the control of council, is still the
most interesting subject of political talk.
As has been announced the fight which
did not come off at the meeting last week,
is to be made at the meeting of council
Wednesday afternoon. Alderman Dixon
says che ordinance will certainly be call
ed up on It's second reading and he believes
that he will win the fight Mr.. OKeefe's
friends say they do not see how this can
be the case. They do not expect any of
those who have declared themselves
against The ordinance TO take back water,
and they claim that Alderman Dixon has
made no gains since last Wednesday.
With a meeting of all the aldermen pres
ent in the city in attendance
The dispensary ordinance would not APP
pear to have much show. With Alderman
Tiedeman in the chair, and Alderman
Thomas, Mills, Graham, farrell and Will
Iiams voting against it, the ordinance
would only have three votes sure,
Aldermen Dixon. Bacon and
Doyle, with Alderman schwarz
doubtful the above status is subject to
contingencies
1t IS understood that Aldermen NILS
and Graham EXPECT 10 leave the city this
week If they should leave before the
Council meeting Mr.. O Keefe wiT be out
two votes. Should Aldermen Wells and
I Haas. who are now absent. return before
The meeting Mr.. Dixon would be in one
VOC and perhaps two. Mayor Myers is eX-
pecled TO re urn tomorrow. Should he be
in the chair Wednesday, Mr.. Iiedeman
would be able 10 cast a vote against the
ordinance Should the Mayor not return
until after the meeting, Mr.. Tiedeman viii
not have a vote except in case of tie.
The politicians are SUN specializing as to
whether Alderman Schwarz will have an
other batch of bread in The oven requiring
his attention Wednesday afternoon.
Alderman Dixon, in discussing the mat
ter. said that he will offer the ordinance
and urge its passage, no matter what the
status of the board may be. when the
.
| derman Dixon, "a large majority of the
! board expressed its approval and agreed
that il was on the right line. As to why
| this change of heart on the part of SO
many members ] do not care to say. The
1 impression which Mr.. O'Keefe has sought
to create that the fight was being made
! on him because he would not purchase
the dispensary supplies Of adminstra lion
/ supporters is unfOunded for the simple
/ reason that there are only three wholesale
| druggists in the city. aud all three are
! administration supporters 1t is inmate
! rial to me which one of these houses Mr.
! O'Keefe patroniZes. l never heard of Mr.
| Lippman in this matter until I saw an in
! terview in the Morning News, in which
/ he was represented as having approached
/ MIR. O'Keefe on the subject of the pur-
1 chase of dispensary supplies and demand
/ ed a share of the business. Mr.. Lippman
/ has never spoken to me on the subject"
THE meat Of the whole matter is simply
! this" said Alderman Dixon The dispen-
! sary was created and Mr.. O'Keefe put in
/ charge for partisan purposes. The record
! shows this, and such being the case he
| has no favors to expect of this adminis-
! trati0n. The dispensarY was re-established
/ by the Myers board before it went out in
| 1896 or 1897, and Mr.. E. j. Kicffer was
elected keeper. The Meldrim board came
/ in and one of its first acts was to repeal
! the dispensarY ordinance for the evident
/ purpose of getting rid of Mr. ILieffer, who
/ was q supporter of the Myers administra-
! ton. The drug store system of dispensing
/ medicines was continued for a short time
and then the dispensary was re-establish-
ed and Mr. O'Keefe elected keeper Mr..
! O'Keefe had been running a partisan pa
/ per in the interests of the Liberal Club.
1 His paper had failed and he was in debt
/ to leading members of the Liberal club
! for money advanced in its support With
gfa. .I..l
long to reach the conclusion as to
why the dispensary was re-estab-
lished and Nc O'Keefe elected
| keeper. i was Liberal Club move en-
urely."
Another thing" said Alderman Dixon.
| Mr.. O'keefe was elected for four years.
! He is the on.y city official elected for
such a term. all others being elected for
| two years, and Council exceeded its au-
| thOrity in olectng him for four years. If
| this election be allowed to stand. Mr..
! O'Kecfe's term will have begun under the
Meidrim administration, will extend
/ through the Myers admin stration and
into the succeeding Administration. This
administrator would have no hand in the
/ selection of the disDensary officers what
/ ever"
why do you desire to take the control
Of the dispensary from the sanitary board
and place it in the hands of CouncI?"
! Alderman Dixon was asked.
Il have no desire to do that" he sold.
Il am perfectly willing for the sanitary
/ board TO remain in control They will
have the regulation and supervision of the
| dispensary, as il has always done. l sim
ply think the election should be in the
hands of Council, as all other elections
are"
"Who is the administration candidate TO
| succeed Mr. O'Keefe?" Alderman Dixon
was asked.