Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-06
Editor The Georgian:

Editor The Georgian:
Complying with your courteous
request, | beg to submit the follow
ing views on our city charter:
The charter is not perfect as it is.
but what it needs is amendment and
not revolution. The membership of
the city council is too small. The
membership of the aldermanic
board is too large. The member
ship of all the city boards is too
large These are merely my opin-
ions, but l entertain them with en-
tire confidence.
1t is very true, as Captain English
says, that the older parts of the
city are being badly neglected. and,
as | think, imposed upon. 1t is also
true that the immense vacant ter
ritOry so unWisely taken in a few
years back is in far the larger part
Of such new territory likewise a
great sufferer. 1t would take about
fourteen million dollars to improve
the streets in what we may call old
Atlanta. OF this, about six mil
lions, speaking in round numbers,
have been expended on those
streets of old Atlanta, and it would
take eight millions to finish old
Atlanta. Property fronting on the
uninprOved streets of old Atlanta
has been paying taxes for six years
or more, and l have been told, and
it is probably true, that an 'im-
mense number of residences on
those unimproved streets can not
even yet be approached by a de-
livery wagon, especially in any wet
weather. And this property has
borne ell the burdens of city taxa
ton for more than half a CEN
fury. No one is wise enough to tell
how long it will be before the num-
ers of common people who live in
the newly taken in territory get
their streets improved. 1t will take
sixteen million dollars to improve
them properly, or reasonably, and
make them equal. Not only the
child. but the grandchild and the
great grandchild of many of them
will be living and suffering and
hoping before it is all ever done.
The task will involve nearly TWEEN
ty-five million dollars. And where
will it come from?
Why Wards Are Neglected.
This is a great problem, and we
should deal with it like fair mind
ed and just men. Why is it that
populous regions like the old parts
of the First, Second Third, Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth wards have been so
much neglected? There is one rea-
son, and one reason only, and that
is the people who live in those To-
calities are not represented in
council in proportion to their num-
bers. Two of these wards about
equal or exceed the population of
any other city in the state. Sew
eral of them, singly, contain more
voters than cities like for instance,
Rome, Columbus, Albany or Ath-
ems. The largest of these wards,
with approximately four thousand
voters-certainly that many, if
properly registered ~ have two
members in the city council. The
smallest ward, mainly new terri
tory, has, say. one-siXth or one
eighth of the population, and yet
has the same number namely two
members, in the city council.
Why should that older territory.
which bore the burden and heat of
the day and has made and built up
the city and paid taxes for sixty
years, have only one eighth of the
voting power that is possessed by
residents in new territory that did
not thus labor and contribute? Why
should it take eight men in the
Second or Third ward, for instance.
to be equal to only one man in the
new territory? The consequence is
that the smaller wards are in
clined to combine against the larg-
CT. They have smaller numbers:
each individual is more interested.
They draw an equal or greater
amount from the city fund. and they
act with more energy and thereby
get what they want. They get the
same amount. At least, as the larger
wards do; and with the larger
wards there is not enough to go
around
In addition to this, new territory
has been added on the outskirts to
nearly all of the old wards. That is
where the speculation arises. That
is mainly where the city's funds
and benefits are applied Say, for