The evening leader., 1918-12-03
WEST-DURRANCE COMBINA-
TION, WHICH CONTROLS
THE CITY, is EXPOSED
(Top+iD,,oJ froy,o NORM o,of

| ioo hopSu W AHu, Illey again reSofLSu
to pretenses and refused to approve
my appointment on the grounds that
they had not received an opinion, when
knew that Mr.. Hines had called up
on the phone shortly before the meet
ing and cited to them the authority
upon which based my action in nam
ing for myself deputy. Further,
Mr. Sykes, the city attorney, being
present at the meeting, gave his opin-
ion that the clerk had this power.
Also, at the same time Attorney Pea
cock quoted to council that part of the
law comforting on the clerk this pow
er, stating that he had recently looked
it up because his case in West Tampa
was similar one to mine here. Coun-
Gilman Cheyney quoted the opinion of
5udge Brandon as he had written
same from conversation on the phone,
substantiating the views of all present
except part of the council which still
hoped to be able to win the day on
pretenses and to have the thrill of
witnessing unconditional capitulation
of the Office where the city records are
kept by the appointment by their vote,
and that of Mr. Olympios, of a clerk
who would be responsible not to the
people but to Messrs. West and Dur
rance.
Ny friends who wondered why did
not go away when my reservation on
the train had already been made will
begin to understand the reasons. At
ter hours of mental toll to come to
correct decision wrote the members
of the council that | had decided to
remain and wired the commanding of
ficer at Fort Oglethorpe for release
and phoned to Tampa cancelling my
reservation on the train. To give up
this oportunity was one Of the hardest
actions ! have ever taken, and my dis
appointment gals me to this day.-But
even then my ambition to become an
army officer may not have been
stronger than the Durrance-a anti
Cheyney clubs ambitious hopes to get
their fingers on the office which I
would be leaving them.
, But the very essence of the Difficult
= ties and probably the explanation of
the tenseness of the situation lies in
the adoption of an anti i-Cheyney poll
= cy by Councilmen West and Dulrance,
and when Mr.. Lowe resigned Mr.. West
argued half an hour the necessity of
appointing Mr.. Noblit in his place i'm
mediately, pretending to be actuated
by sense of what is right, when 9TH
ers present knew that he was simply
mindful of his orders not to lose the
opportunity of putting Mr.. Cheyney's
chief opponent on the council then and
: there.
Of course, with Mr. Olynnpios's vote,
Mr.. Noblit was appointed and another
, chapter was begun.
| have fever understood just why
: tour heaviest taxpayer and foremost
business man should be harrassed and
insulted while occupying a position to
which our citizens had placed him by
their vote, by men who could not
measure up to him in scarcely one re-
spect. My blinded situation was nev-
er in the least relieved by frequent,
yes, very frequent, star-chamber ses-
7 sions of the council, usually held in
, Mr.. Durrance's real estate Office, to
, which the city clerk was barred and
{ of which the city records bear no men
: tion>
| continued to receive my orders
l from the president of the council
| which were usually of a nature which
4 made them needless and annoying in.
references, and served to upset ant
= retard my work instead of expedit.
S ing it.
: / have always taken the position
: that we should overlook each other:
7 1dulCS anu tS OlliCcIS SuDJSCC Jul per
sonal interests to the interests of The
: community which we serve. have
S almost forgotten grievances which an
e noyed me at the time but to hold il
r mind would only make harsh feelings
: l regret the time which I have taker
on these sheets could not be used tc
= greater profit in despatching ~worl
0 awaiting at my Office. But the city's
f business is your business, fellow citi
S zens, and I feel the time has come tt
Y relate the situation from the view,
l point of one who has been present a
every regularly called meeting Of the
: council within the past thirty-foul
J months.
II There can be no doubt that our city