The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-30
MAYOR ISA PROPHET
WAS NOT SURPRISED At RESULT
OF THE ELECTION.
POLICE NOT USED UNFAIRLY.
THEIR ONE INSTRUCTION PREsER-
WALTON OF PEACE.

Were to Look to Mr.. Cunningham
for instructions Relative to Lines
and the Positions of Voters, the
Mayor Says-DepIores the "ScriIn-
mages." but Does Not Consider
Tint the Election AbOundcd i'm
Them 10 Greater Degree Than
Have Elections in the Past-MayOr
Charges That "ScurriIOus Attacks
on the Administration Had Much 10
Do With the Defeat of the Union
Club.
Il am not at all surprised at the re-
suit of the election" said Mayor My
ers last night. From the beginning of
the campaign l have felt that the
Union Club was doomed to defeat. That
its defeat was so overwhelming was
largely due to its own conduct. Its
scurrilous attacks on the administra-
ton, on all city employees, almost, and
its general disregard of the decencies
which it stated it would observe, tend
ed to bring it into disrepute and to
prove the falsity of its original claim
that il was to be a movement for the
purlncatlon of politics.
1T was not an administration fight
originally The city administration is
only indirectly interested in the county
offices. But the Union Club leaders re-
fused to allow this to be. They per-
sistently stated that they were at work
to turn the city offices over to their
own henchmen, that they proposed to
Gisplace a great number of city off
GERS and employees, and the natural re-
suit was that these employees, acting
in self defense, went to work among
their friends to defeat it.
The SO-CaIIed Reform Movement
Outside of this, the public did not
seem to take much stock in the claims
of the so-called leaders of the Union
Club, that it was a reform movement
Back of the novices put at the front
OF the club, the general pubic saw the
workings of the real politicians who
were to profit in the event that the Ur-
ion Club was successful. These poll
| ticians have been discredited and turn-
ed down in the past, and the pubic
did not want them back in power again.
That is about the way 1 look at the
election, its results and the causes
thereof"
What do you thiAk of the claim
of Union Club leaders that the police
were used against their voters and
that they were not given fair treat
ment?" Mayor Myers was asked
That is not true" said the Mayor
1.-The instance of which that complain
was made occurred before the polls
were open, when there was such a
general fight.
Instructions to Police.
THE instructions the police had were
| for them to preserve the peace. For
any further instructions they were to
look to Mr.. Cunningham. the manager
of the election. They were under his
direction, in so far as their work dur
ing the actual voting was concerned.
| The lines were to be established I'M
der his direction, and his instructions
were to be followed. l received no
complaint, nor heard of any from him,
| that his Instructions to the police were
not carried out.
Il saw nothing during the time that
l was about the Court House to indi-
cate that the police were not doing
their duty and that their instructions
were not being followed. | did not find
it necessary to give a single order or
direction to the police during the day.
l do not consider that there was any
more violence or fighting than is usu-
ally to be found at an election.
Regrets the Disorder
80 far as the scrimmages about
the court house are concerned, l, of
course, regret that there are such
disturbances. but it is the outgrowth
of a system of which neither party is
guiltless. The Union Club workers
and so-called 'sluggers' and those of
the Citizens Club came together. as
was to have been expected, and in
the disturbances resulting the police,
I am satisfied. did their full duty. 1t
is always the case that after an cleo
ton those who lose raise the cry that
the police were against them. 1t has
been the case in every election for
the last fifteen years, or more.
suppose it will be for as many years
to come"