Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-22
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.

Leaders Of the opposition in council
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 so 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-
hance 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 fithts ever seen in coun-
Gil will develop, according to the line
up of to-day. The committee will sub
nit that il is a question of whether
council will recognize the sovereignty
OF the people in municipal affairs
Antis 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 e. Warren and Coun-
cilmen Albert Thomson, Claude L. Ash
ley and Roy Abernathy 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. Fl.
VanDyke one Of the fifteen to sign
the resolution asking the legislature
to enact the councils revamped char
ter into law without submitting it to
the people, conditioned on the people
repudiating the charter Of the com
mttee Of %, declared he was ready tc
accede to the request Of the meeting
Il do not think it the best plan" he
said. but sufficient number OF people
have expressed themselves to make il
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-
cided what action he would take He
said he felt sure council would 90 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-
eli, anyway The spirit with which
they are entering the contest Is evil
denced by reports that II council re-
fuses another mass meeting viii be
called and A committee appointed TO
hold an election.
Reformers Are Juhilant.
Here are some of the favors be com
ments on the mass meeting heard to-
day.
There we're several times as many
lfN't'N R-~1'iiA hc dAl'HUeQ any FaIiN
during the last mayoraIty race and
more than 1000 votes wera cast in thar
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.
Il don't think / ever saw a meeting
before when the people were so united
on question. If it had been a good
night 10000 persons would have been
present" asserted Captain J. w. Eng
lish, who presided.
1t was one of the best political
meetings l ever saw" said Mavor
Woodward For council to refuse 10
act according to its Instructions would
be a direct and absolute reputation at
the expressed will Of the people"
That meeting demonstrates what,tha
Two sides to this question are-the pI5-