Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-21
Opposition Leaders in Council
Declare They Will Not Call
Special Election.
VAN DYKE DECIDES TO
OBEY MEETING MANDATE
Dramatic Fight Is Expected
When Committee Presents
Citizens Demands. i,

is'tiANi9 vi lAlN bHIpSlAitll III tuuIltll
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
vote on the charter question. Instead
of providing for an election within the
next GO days to submit both charters
to the people, the plan urged in the
resolution adopted at the mass meet
ing, a 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 fifhts 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 viii 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-
cimen 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 a leader in the ants fight, spoke
along the same line.
on the other hand. Alderman A. VI.
VanDyke, one Of the fifteen to sign
the. resolution asking the Legislature
Ito enact the councils revamped char
ter into law without submitting it to
the people, conditioned on the people
repudiatinS the charter Of the COM
mittee of %. declared he was ready 70
accede to the request of the meeting
Il do not think it the best plan" h.
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-
cded 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 the
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 viii be
called and a committee appointed 10
hold an election
Reformers Are JubiIant.
Here are some of the favorable com
mcnts on the mass meeting heard TO
day:
There were several times as many
people present as attended anv rally
during the last mayoralty race ana
more than 1000 votes were cast in that
election. This certainly demonstrates
the wish OF the public on this charter
question declared W. G. 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.
81 don't think l 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 1 ever saw" said Mayor
Woodward. For council to refuse tc
act according 10 its Instructions WOULD
be a direct and absolute reputation Of
f., the expressed will of the people"
THAT meeting demonstrates what the
two sIdes TO this question are-the peo-