The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-01
WOODWARD is QUEERED
Action of Atlanta Mayor in Toledo, O.,
Roundly Condemned by Council
Members-Tdlk of impeachment.

Reports in the New York, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Louisville and other news.
papers concerning the actions and ut
terances Of Mayor James G. Wood
ward Of Atlanta during the conven-
ton OF the League of American Mu-
inequalities ut Toledo, Ohio, have had
very &squIeting effect in Atlanta,
and particularly upon members of the
general councl.
The reports OF nearly all these pa,
pers state that Mayor Woodward was
sufficiently in state Of intQxication to
cause comment, and that when in that
condition ne stated, among other
things. that there was not an honest
man in the city of Chicago.
Members Of the Atlanta general
council are very much perturbed, and
they declare it is certain that some ac-
ton will be taken.
They assert that an effort will DO
made TO adopt a resolution apologizing
to all the cities Of the League Of Amer
lean Municipalities, and paFticulrly TO
Chicago and Mayor Dunno, for the
words and acts of Mayor Woodward.
This same resolution, 1t is said, Will
go further and declare that Mayor
Woodward at the Toledo convention IN
no wise represented the character, the
feeling or The sentiment Of the people
Of Atlanta,
Some members favor adopting a res
olution calling upon Mayor Woodward
to resign, while others are in favor of
at once commencing impeachment pro-
ceedings.
Councilmen declare that there are
three features to the acts and utter
ancos of Mayor Woodward. The flrsl
is the humiliation and Disgrace which
they believe has come to Atlanta. The
second is the destruction of the be-
lief ali over the country that Atlanta
has clean politics, a thing. about which
the city has boosted. The third Is
the failure Of the Atlanta delegates 10
secure the 1906 convention for At
lauta. q thing that was believed to bs
easily possible.
Members of council are apparently
very indignant, and declare that they
cannot afford to overlook the Toledo
incident.
A dispatch from Toledo says
Mayor James G. woodward, when seen
this evening in regard to the state
ment 70 the effect that impeachment
proceedings might be brought, said
"Oh pshaw! There's nothing to 1t.
Don't you worry about my being i'm.
peached. The situation is this: All the
corporations are against me because
I control them, and some of the pa
pers are fighting me because the cor.
porations control them.
'Impeach me! Do you suppose the
people wOalI see a man 1mpeached
who had a chance to make half
million dollars grating and turned it
down? They tried to impeach me once
before, but they did not do it?
Haven't | got a right to speak my
mind as well as anybody else? l de-
livered the same speech as I starteu
to deliver the other day down in Geor-
gia, l never said that I was entirely
opposed to municipal ownership.
believe that every city should ov"
its own water, light and sanitary
plants"
1t was then suggested to the mayor
that perhaps it was not so much the
speech that had gotten him into bad
repute as his physical condition. He
laughed and said:
well, was l drunk? Who said I
was drunk? l didn't know it if was"
His parting volley delivered to Clerk
Johnson Of the St. Clair hotel was:
I'm going home, and when I get there
just watch me. Why, I'll make them
like me. They'll never impeach inc.
In two weeks you will receive a letter
from me as mayor of Atlanta, Now
mind what say Then handing
Johnson s. bill he departed.