The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-01
FIGHTING TOWN COUNCIL.
Chairman KidweII Answers Mayor
Nelson on Theft of Streets.

Chairman kidWeII Answers mayor
Nelson on Theft of streets.
The fight between some of the prop
erty owners in the town of Warsaw
and the town administration will not
down. Mayor L. w. Nelson's inter-
view printed in the Morning News
yesterday attracted considerable at
tention and caused much comment.
1t has brought forth a reply from
the Citizens Club, or rather from Mr.
w. NJ. Kidwells chairman of the club
recently organized for the purpose of
having the town charter annulled and
the present administration ousted. Mr.
Kidwell takes issue with the Mayor
on the matter of "subterfuges" and
"thefts." He says that it is not his
purpose to pose as a reformer, but
that he intends to protect his inter-
ests at ThunderbOlt. He calls atten-
ton to the fact that while he does
not own a foot of bluff property he
is chairman of the Citizens Club, and
of the special committee named to
make the fight on the town admins
tration.
Il own no bluff property and have
no fight to make on the street railway
company" said Mr.. Kidwell in dis
cussing Mayor Nelson's interview. "Mr.
Nelson openly charges that absolute
stealing has been going on for several
years on the part of certain property
owners. The attitude he assumes in
this matter is a rather strange one to
me. He has been Mayor for several
years, and it would certainly appear
that the proper course would have
been for him to have applied to the
courts for an injunction restraining
those property owners who committed
these 'thefts upon the public domains
from holding their plumber.
ITO me the Mayors manner of seek
ing to recover this property is to say
the least odd. Mr.. Nelson is incon-
sistent too. In one breath he says
that the fight is being made on the
street railway company, and in the
next he gives vent to the utterance
that the agitation is merely a scheme
to cover uD the taking of public prop
erty, and not a fight on the granting
of street railway franchise. 1t may
be that our Council has been lax and
has only just discovered what has
been going on. In this event 1 suggest
that the Mayor unburden himself and
let us know who has this public prop
ertv. and just what streets have con-
tracted.
1T may be that this property has
been carried away bodily, as Mr. Mel
son contends. l have Travelled from
one end of the bluff to the other on
several occasions at night, and do not
recall having ever seen our efficient
marshal. Still, he may have been
within range and had l attempted to
carry a street away under my arm 1
might have suffered arrest and impris-
onment. 1t is true that we object to
the Mayor and Aldermen granting the
railway or anybody else a franchise
under the present condition of affairs.
The owners of bluff property are ready
and willing to do the right thing, but
negotiations should be made with them,
and not with Council, who has no au-
thority or right in the premises. 1 say
positively and emphatically that the
present administration does not repre-
sent the majority of property owners
in Thunderbolt. and this majority in
the form of the Citizens Club want to
see conditions bettered."