The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-03-15
HOPE TO SHIFT
BROKEN PLEDGE
THROUGH MEET
Gathering Planned for New
Lyric Theater on WedneS.
day-NeW Candidates for
Poll Tax Collector Sought.

"i"9oi MoulcNtIue ava the Other Two
n emhcrs Of the city commission. who
are struggling and squirming daily in
AN effort to escape from the pledge
that they made before the election,
that they would support the movement
for the city manager amendment to the
government of Memphis, have now hit
upon another new idea.
Why not shift the burden to some-
one else? They have cried Let the
people rule" from the housetops, but
most OF the people they have found
are In favor Of the new plan OF city
government and are ready to rule them
selves In that way But II some sort
OF public meeting could be held, no
matter particularly who attended il
the majority members OF the city COM
mission think that they might be able
to make a better showing at Nashville
next week, when the city manager bill
really gets before the legislature.
Therefore, the word has gone down
the line TO all city employees who wish
to retain their jobs that a mass meeting
may be held ut the New Lyric theater
next Wednesday night to give the peo-
city manager plan. No official call for
the meeting has been sent from the
city hall or from the newly formed COM
mittee which is supposed to he assum-
Ing part OF the responsibility of the
pledge breakers for their attitude,
III enough people can he gathered by
The various city employees and their
familicst O fill the New Lyric-and II
through n series OF resolutions against
the city manager plan-that pledge,
which keeps staring them In the face,
can be shifted, lost or carried away SO
NJ tfV,ts atKafkr
at Nashville next week, something at
least will have been accomplished
That Solemn Pledge.
For that little pledge, signed in black
and white, In going to be the big stum-
bling block at Nashville In the way Of
any substantial progress toward the de-
feat OF the city manager bill,
This Is the pledge. signed Frank l..
Monteverde, A, ID, Mason, C.. w. Miller /:
I'VE pledge ourselves unreservedly TO
the city manager plan OF government
as proposed by the business mans com.
mlttee, and agree to enact and support
| legislation to that end"
| Members of the legislature know what
! a solemn pledge Is, and they are usual
| ly mighty slow In opposing any local
| hill, backed by all or large majority
| Of "A local delegation, and known to
| have been part of the successful cam
| paign issues IN the election at which
| tho legislative delegation was chosen,
| In Memphis, as all men know, 1t was
| not alone the legislative delegation
elected in November that was pledged
to this plan, but the opposing tickets ,ssts
In the city, election IN August were
also both pledged to It, the only diff
| ference being that the defeated Macon
| ticket called for n referendum on the
| charter, while the successful ticket
| pledged itself TO the charter amend
\. ts,. IA 1lT
The "city fathers" who fathered the
| city manager plan, but are now re-
| pudatng It, evidently feel that they
| are losing ground all along the line.
| only this week. for example recalling
| that several members of the city rec
| reation commission had come out OPEN
| ly for the charter amendment, several
of them, in fact, having been members
Of the committee OF 100 which adopted
| the plan as outlined in the bill, the
| four majority members OF the city com
mission decided to fill the recreation
commission with their friends and dis
miss the men who have been giving
their time and money to the work
| freely for the past five years
Seeking an excuse for dismisslng from
| the commission such men as Dr. r. b.
| Maury, j. h. Rozier, Judge J. M Steen,
| Milton S. Bnswanger, C, c. Hanson,
and the only woman member, Mrs. j..
| NJ Mccormack, the mayor and COM
mssioncrs discovered that all the COM
mssioners were appointed temporarily
| in 1914, and continued to serve the peo-
| pie OF the city ever since-without pay
but should have been regularly ap-
pointed In tho following January, ac-
cording to the terms OF the ordinance
| creating the commission, Some OF their
| terms would have expired TINS year
in any event, so clean sweep was
made, and friends of the city admins.
tration. and presumably enemies Of
the city manager plan, were appointed.
The new members are Dr. c. c. VIM
frey, who has succeeded Dr, r. Il.
Maury, as chairman; Gilbert Schloss,
who is the new secretary; 7, n. Buck
| ingham, NJ. w. Swayne S. G. Hodges
and Hardwg Peres. The eX-offieio
members are the librarian OF Cossitt
library, c. n. Johnston, who was form
erly secretary Of the commission; Whar-
ton s. Jones' superintendent OF the
city school system, and J. T, Willing
ham, OF the park commission.