The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-10
To PATROL COUNTY
CITIZENS WANT POLICE FORCE
THAT LAW WON'T AUTHORIZE
MAY ASK THE LEGISLATURE
TO PASS A LAW THAT WILL PER-
NIT A COUNTY CONsTABULARY.


with the Problem, which Has
Been Under Discussion Frequently.
County Attorney Asked for an
Opinion, the Substance of Which
Is known in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Seeking Protection From Drunken
Turpentine Negroes, Filed the Pc
tItion That Has Revived the Agita-
tion-CommissiOners Are Said to
Favor the Plan.
The County Commissioners discussed
the oft-agitated question of the estab-
lishment of a county constabulary at
their meeting yesterday afternoon and
wound up by referring the matter to
the county attorney for a report. An
appeal to the Legislature for the pas
sage of an enabling law is probable.
The matter was brought up again by
the petition of thirty residents of the
Eighth District of the county, in which
Pooler is situated The petition re-
cited simply that a constabulary was
nightly needed for the protection of
the people in that district and earnest
ly besOught the commissioners to take
the mattersup.
The principal need for the county
police force in the neighborhood of
Pooler springs from the residence in
the town and it's vicinity of a large
number of turpentine negroes, who
when they are paid off, at intervals of
a month, are accustomed to come into
Savannah, load up on mean whiskey
and then, returning to Pooler, get rid
of their angry passions and surplus
enthusiasm at the expense of the peo-
pie of that town.
There is no question that the county
attorney will report that under exist
ing laws a constabulary cannot be es-
tablished. The question has been fiat
ly presented to the Supreme Court,
and that tribunal has decided that
without special legislation a county has
no authority to organize a police force
and that the payment of the salaries
of its members can be prevented by
injunction, atsthe suit of any taxpayer
of the county. Even with special leg
islation, the Supreme Court has SEEM
ed to look askance at these forces of
county police, but without a special
act, expressl authorizing their esta b.
lishment. there is no question that a
county is without the power to give
them existence.
The discussion in which the commits
sioners INDUCED yesterday went on in
caucus and at the open meeting the
petition was merely read and then re-
ferred to the county attorney.
Commissioners Favor Plan.
There seems to be little doubt that
the County Commissioners would es-
tablish a police force of their own if
they had the authority to do So The
need for such a force is generally rec
ognized. When Vice Chairman A. b.
Moore, who presided at yesterdays
meeting, was asked what would prob
ably be done, he said:
I'VE have referred the matter to the
county attorney, because it is proba BILE
we shall have to have special legisla-
ton before we can establish a county
police force in the Eighth district, or
anywhere else. Personally, / favor
the establishment of constabulary.
think it's needed"
The other members of the board are
believed to agree with Vice Chairman
Moore, and the probable outcome of
the petition of the Poolerites will be
an effort to secure enactment by the
next general assembly of a law author
izing the establishment of a police
force for Chatham county. Should the
law be secured and the police force es-
tablished, 1t would patrol the entire
county, outside the jurisdictipnal linn
its of the city. and not merely the
Eighth district.
The commissioners referred to the
county attorney, for report upon its
legal aspects, the petition of A. NJ.
Barbee and other residents of Isle of
Hope, who asked that the county
would undertake the grading and paw
ing of the road that runs along the
bluff. The commissioners have al.
ready agreed to pave the Parkersburg
road, which runs back of the bluff. 1t
is a question whether the road along
the bluff is public property and the
commissioners doubt their right to use
the public money to improve it if ii is
not.
Joe Simmons qualified as a consta-
BILE at the meeting. Bills against the
county, amounting to 1926 IS, were
passed for payment.