Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-23

| the conditions that bond issue
should be placed before the city could
| redeem ii. That meant the losing of
| that property to the city of Atlanta.
! The people overwhelmingly Tepudiat-
| ed that transaction last year Tn
| daunted by the reputation of last
| fall Of their scheme to dispose Of that
property they have stealt'lily placed
It in the present charter, giving the
Mayor and General Council the right
to sell, exchange or lease. AS 1t would
| be illegal to lease for a term of five
years, as they could not bind future
councils their evident intention is to
| sell that property or exchange ii. That
| is most valuable piece If property
| to the city of Atlanta, and | can not
| believe that the people viii favor such
| disposition of it.
/ Takes Authority From Voters.
The General Manager of the Water
works is elected by the people under
the present charter. The public come
in daily contact with the business of
| that office, and they have expressed
II at the ballot box that they desire
to have something to say as to whom
they shall transact their business
with. The provisions Of the proposed
charter place that officer under a
| board and entirely remove him from
the people.
The Chief of Construction, the m Dst
| important business in the city. is also
placed under a board, that board to I've
elected by Council, and the people
have an opportunity to vote for COun-
ell, so 1t is easy for any person to
judge for himself as to what effect or
weight he would have in that depart
ment when it is so far removed from
him.
wish again to emphasize that sec
ton Of the proposed charter which
deals with the fee system. Under sec
ton 479 of the present charter the
Mayor and General Council has pow
er and authority to establish Zoe
bill for the officers of said city. Sec
tiOn 499 Of the proposed charter con-
tains preC sely the same words Of sec
ton 479 Of the present charter, exc opt
that the words for the officers Of
said city have been omitted. There
can be but one meaning to this, and
that is that they have eliminated en-
tirely the establishment of fee officers
in order that they can establish a fee
system to apply to each service tine
city does for the citizens, and under
that section a II reads it is within
the power of the General Council to
establish a fee bill for services rem
deTed to the people that would even
surpass the ad valorem tax. 1t is
entirely too much power to give to
any set of people who will meet in a
Darkroom caucus for the purpose O.
getting up such a document
Product of Back Room Caucus.
The history Of this charter move
ment this year ought to be very vivid
in the minds Of every citizen. They
have been slapped in the face by the
General Council at every turn they
have presented themselvo- to the
Council in the interest OF charter re-
form notably the mass meeting It
the Kimball House, the mass meeting
at the Auditorium, and the postal caro-
vote Of over $500 people demanding
that all charters be submitted to them
to be voted upon. You were finally
met with the statement on the Coun-
ell room floor that they would not
trust the people: th-t the people did
not know what they wanted, and that
they, the Council would give them
what they pleased, finallv resulting IN
the peoples charter being thrown in
the wastebasket and me back room
caucus charter being substituted
therefor 1t appears to me that it is
a display of a great deal Of gall for
I that body of men to ask the people &c
indOrse such actions as that and APP
prove of their work.
Let me again implore the people If
this city not to go to sleep over this
matter-it is of too vital Importance
/ to them and to the future of this
city and her grOwth-but to go OUt
tomorrow and bury { is charter in
an avalanche of votes, and by that
action forever put your imprint Of
disapprOVal upon such secret work.
Respectfully,
JAMES G. WOODWARD. Mayor
Committee Explains It.
The sO-Called Citizens Committee
issued the following statement:
To the Editor Of The Georgian:
There has been so much misrepre-
sentatiOn as to the contents and
meaning Of the proposed revised
charter that we ask you to print this
in the nature Of a correction
This would scarcely be necessary
under ordinary circumstances, but on
account of the fact that the criticisms
Of the charter have come from the
Mayor of our city. whose position
necessarily commands more or less
attention, according to the point Of
view, we thought it might be well to
lay the exact facts before the voters
of the city.
II SDOulu De clearly understood lildl
he exact issue before the people in
his matter is between the existing
.harter Of the city and the proposed
'eVised charter. If the proposed re
used charter is in no respects an i'm
rCVcment over the existing charter,
hen the revised charter should not be
adopted.
Old Charter Copied.
But if il is an Improvement over
ne existing charter, then it should be
dopted, without regard to what
Jews people might entertain on the
eneral subject Of forms Of govern
nent
Mr.. Woodward critiCises the pro-
ision of the revised charter on The
ubject OF the management Of the
lakewood property. This criticism is
'ntirely unjustified for tn. reason
nat the revised charter has in it the
exact provisions, word for word and
letter for letter. that are contained in
ne existing charter
These provision were inserted in
the existing charter by an act of the
General Assembly of 1904, page 80.
and are retained without change.
These provisions have been in the
rharter for twelve years, during which
ime Mr. Woodward has served the
sity in various capacities, as Mayor
md Alderman and he has never seen
1t, az a tribune Of the people, 10
make any execution TO il before