Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-21
POLITICIANS
WILL DEFY
PEOPLEO ON
CHARTER
Opposition Leaders in Council
Declare They Will Not CAL
Special Election.
VAN DYKE DECIDES TO
OBEY MEETING MANDATE

Leaders of the opposition in council
to the reform charter declared to-day
they will ignore the mandate of the
people expressed at the big mass meet
ing at the auditorium last night for
a vote on the charter question. Instead
of providing for an election within the
next 90 days to submit both charters
to the people, the plan urged in the
resolution adopted at the mass meet
ing. number of councilmen issued de-
fiance to the people and announced
that they would stand by their original
program.
Captain James w. English. who act
ed as chairman of the meeting last
night. said to-day that he would an
nounce the committee of 100 to submit
the request Of the mass meeting to
council tomorrow When that body
goes before council one of the closest
and dramatic fiihts ever seen in coun-
| ell will develop, according to the line
! up Of to-day. The committee will sub
nit that it is a question of whether
| council will recognize the sovereignty
OF the people In municipal affairs.
ants Breathe Defiance.
Alderman James r. Nutting, who has
been one Of the most active opponents
of genuine charter reform. said to-day
that the meeting had not frightened
him nor had it, developed any reason
Why he should change his position.
Alderman James f. Warren and Coun-
cilmen Albert Thomson, Claude L. Ash
ley and Roy Alternately all said they
expected to support the resolution
agreed upon by the caucus of fifteen
members Of council. Aldine Cham
bers who was defeated for mayor and
is leader in the ants fight, spoke
along the same line.
on the other hand, Alderman A. H.
VanDyke, one Of the fifteen to sign
the resolution asking the legislature
to enact the councils revamped char
ter into law without submitting ii to
the people, conditioned on the people
repudiating the charter of the COM
mittee of %, declared he was ready 10
accede to the request of the meeting
- do not think it the best plan" he
said but a sufficient number Of people
have expressed themselves to make it
my duty to vote to submit the charter
to an election as requested
Smith Delays Decision.
Councilman Charles w Smith, an
other of the fifteen. said he had not de-
cidcd what action he would take. He
said he felt sure council would go into
thorough study Of the whole situation
before acting
Despite the attitude Of many OF tina
councilmen. Mayor Woodward and
other charter reform leaders expressed
strong hope that council would obey the
expressed will of the people. They think
the chance worth hard fight in coun-
ell anyway. The spirit with which
they are entering the contest is evil
denced by reports that If council re-
fuses another mass meeting will be
called and a committee appointed to
hold an election.
Reformers Are JubiIant.
Here are some of the favorable conf
ments on the mass meeting heard to-
day:
There were several times as many
people present as attended any rally
during the last mayoralty race and
more than 1900 votes were cast in that
election. This certainly demonstrates
the wish of the public on this charter
question declared w. c. Humphrey
Martin Amorous said:
The people present last night were
voters-men from all walks of life and
all sections of the city. There were al
most enough advocates of the charter
present to carry it in an election"
Presented United Front.
Il don't think ! ever saw a meeting
before when the people were so united
on a question. If it had been a good
night 10000 persons would have been
present" asserted Captain J. W. Eng
| fish. who presided.
1t was one of the best political
meetings l ever saw" said Mayo
| Woodward For council to refuse to
act according to its instructions would
| be a direct and absolute population Of
/ the expressed will of the people"
That meeting demonstrates what the
! two sqdes to this question are-the peo-