Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-04-02


ward Charter" The following Iett1
should be carefully read:
FAIR PLAY AND
Editor The Georgian:
What has brought on all the
strife among our citizens about
a new charter? Do the people
want the charter of the Commit
tee of Twenty five or not, and If
not. do they want the one pro-
posed by Council? They don't
want commission form Of govern
ment. nor a form as near like it
as this so-called peoples charter.
Let's see. Ill the fall Of 1911
an election was called for char
ter practically the same. The re-
suit was: For the charter, 2,96S;
against it. 1858. After that in the
fail elections almost a new Coun-
ell was elected. Was it for new
charter? The vote OF IS 10 10
against it shows they are not.
It is not the people demanding
new form of government. Who,
then. is it2 a set of men who for
several years have been trying to
get control of the affairs Of the
city for some other purpose than
the general good. At the last
election for Mayor, Woodward
was elected.
The first meeting of the Council
in January, 1918. when he was in
Quoted into office, one Councilman
asked for the appointment of a
committee for charter reform,
and the new Mayor at once began
to move for that charter.
How New Council Voted.
Had any body Of people asked
for it? Was there any mass
meeting or any other mode by
which it was made known to the
Council that a new charter was
wanted? Only about one year be-
fore the people voted it down.
The new Council was ready to,
and did vote it out Who. then,
were the people? The newspa-
pers and the new Mayor, mostly
The real people oppose the COM
mission government charter and
also the Committee of Twenty
five charter. and are rightly rep
resented by the is Councilmen
who DARED TO vote their eouvic-
tons and vote down this scheme.
The Councilmen and Aldermen
are not peanut politicians, as they
have been called. They are con-
tractors, lawyers. doctors. mer-
chants. insurance men and other
good citizens, and many Of them
serving their first term in public
office. why are they opposed TO
the new charter? They have been
elected by the people and they
know their constituents don't
want IT,
When a city is growing faster
than any other city in the United
States. when the health OF that
city is the best. when no word of
graft has ever been uttered
against its officers and when most
Of its citizens are contented and
happy. why should we have
change?
Here are few figures about
our city that may not be known
To- everybody:
The city's tax values have IN
creased in the past three years
Ss4.S46.4Ss. and the income S4S7,-
$3.50. over 90 per cent.
The building permits for 1910
were S7.405.950. and for 1912.
s9.9S7.444. an increase Of about 30
per cent in two years.
The improvements put down
through the Department Of Con-
struction are for the last eight
years as follows:
sewers-From 1905 to 1908.
e6.SS miles: from 1909 to 1912,
1870 miles
sidewalks and Curbing-From
1905 to 1908. 1855 miles; from
1909 to 1912. 14S.22 miles.
Street Paving-From 1905 to
1908. SCI miles; from 1909 to 1912.
SCI miles.
For the first two items about
800 per cent increase for the four
last years. and for the last item
over 500 per cent.
Besides. this department has
looked after rhe building Of the
three big Gf-posl. plants. built the
E-uwgoG Avenue bridge and at
tended To- nil the repair work.
Who Demanded Change?
Gould NC do any bette. under
any otnc- ro-m of government;
are we not doing splendidly now3
Who. then. is demanding this
changer We must 20 back a few
years and look at the history of
this city. / have been in the city
2S years and have carefully OBJ
ser-ed what has happened in
political way. Some years ago
two factions existed in the city
and one or the other ruled. Some