Atlanta Georgian., 1913-03-12
Council Denounced for OBJ
structing Vote by Citizens on
Peoples Document.


Advocates of genuine charter re
forms were indignant today at the ac-
tion Of council Indefinitely delaying a
submission of the matter to the peo-
! Pile Many suggestions for a big mass
meeting t. protest were heard on every
side and some significant develop
ments in the charter reform ight are
expected within the next few day.
Mayor Woodward declared toda} hat
many persons had urged him to cl. an
Indignation mass meeting in fro N"di-
torium He said the general f.. .es-
sion Of councils action Was hey
had endeavored to complcste the whole
matter. so as to bewilder everybody.
1T Ia the same sort Of petty poll
tics they have been playing all the
time" he said Their whole game Is
to preserve all the little petty politi
clans in office, and they are fighting
every move that might loosen the grip
Of this little clique on the city gov
| eminent
would NH REFORM WoNS'
"They would XIII the whole charter
/ reform movement They have dismiss
ed the charter revision committee Of 25
without acting on it's recommendations
But. mind you, have not approved the
resolution abolishing that committee"
Joseph Loewus, Of the Second ward,
asserted that councils action revealed
gross insincerty, He pointed out that
council created the committee Of 25 and
dismissed IT before hearing it's report,
at the same time declaring they were
acting in good faith and thanking the
committee for It's work.
Councils charter was prepared in
secret. heard Alderman Nutting tell
an official yesterday before the meet
ing to keep the copy he had secret from
everybody That doesn't look like rep
resenting the people to me-" he de-
clared.
Plans Kept Under Cover.
When Alderman Nutting and the
fourteen other councilmen offered their
resolution providing for certain charter
amendments. II was the first time these
plans had ever been made public. They
were not even read in council, and the
resolution contained no provision for
informing council Of the complete con-
tents of the resolution. Only Council
man Claude Mas"n's motion instruct
! ing the clerk to furnish copies to the
members Of council prevented what
seemed to be a plan to adopt them
| IL.
sion by the council in open session.
The plan is to have the amendments
made into law by the legislature with
out submitting them to the people at
all
Vote BY People Blocked.
Having caucused in secret and franz
ed a program under the guiding hand
OF Aldine Chambers, X-councilman and
defeated candidate for the mayoralty
by James G Woodward, council pro-
ceeded to block a vote by the people on
the new charter as smoothly and easily
as the running of well oiled machine
Alderman James r. Nutting, who has
succeeded to the position of floor leader
for the reactionaries since Mr.. Cham
hers' retirement began the action with
the introduction of resolution to dis
miss the charter revision committee OF
%. The report Of this committee had
/ not even been read
on an yea and nay vote to adopt the
| resolution the yeas were 13 and the
nays II. Singing criticisms, hurled
at the clique caused several who had
! pledged themselves to the caucus pro-
gram to waver But the majority
| stood firm, though most of them took
pains elaborately to explain their votes.
Majority "Siened Up."
Then the real work of the CAUCUS de-
/ veloped The members were signed M.
/ While the resolution to refer the new
charter of the committee of 25 TO the
| legislature instead Of the people and
/ providing for certain Slight changes in
the present charter without any ex-
precision by the people was signed bv
enough councilmen to insure its adop-
ton. motion by Councilman Claude c.
Mason to postpone action for two
weeks Was adopted. The wonder today
is why council postponed action after so
clearly indicating that its mind was
fully made up.
Here are the members who stacked
the cards for the meeting by signing
the resolution.
Nutting, Spratne, Maddox. Van
Dyke, Greer, Sisson, Baslin. Han,
Thomson, Ashley, Smith, White. Ma
( son. shepard and Wardlaw
Here Is the Resolution.
The resolution iu mart f,l,,,-e.