Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-05-29
HINKLE LEAVES COLUMBUS.

form of government bad for their
business in Columbus have made
good. They started out to "get" the
city manager, and they have gotten
him. H. Gordon Hinkle, who came
to Columbus last January to take
over the job of giving the city of
Columbus the novelty of a business
government, picked up himself and
family Friday and shook the dust of
Columbus from his feet. Blackjack
ed in the dark and threatened with
death unless he left, and the mayors
home blown up because he had failed
to fire" the city manager, hinkle
decided he had plenty and de-
parted.
1t is unfortunate that in leaving
he failed to hand his resignation TO
the commission in the reg Ilar way
aad that he took occasion to charge
rhe commission with failure to sup
port him by permitting him to make
a house cleaning" which the com
mission has denied. That is rather
beside the point. We believe
we would have been no slower than
Hinkle in giving up the job had we
been in his shoes. He had personal
proof of the determination of the
lawless element to make good their
threats against him, and the better
people of the town apparently were
unable to exercise any real control.
Some few citizens of Americas
who have declared themselves against
the commission-manager form of
government for this city, as has been
proposed and as many of the best
business men here contend is sorely
neHded, have seized upon the Column
bus situation to ridicule the efforts
of4the proponents of the change here
and are pointing to it as an example
of the folly of such a change. The
tact is, the Columbus situation is
rather unusual. But is may be said
with equal truth that if Americas is
inhabited with as many crooks and
gra1ters, professional job-holding
politicians and political hangers-on in
proportion as Columbus, a similar
situation here would not be unlike
ly, should the change become effec-
tive by anything short of an over
whelming majority of popular vote
Municipal vice, corruption and inef-
ficiency die hard everywhere, and Co.
lumbus is going through ar expert
ence that several municipalities have
gone through when they undertook
to clean up and install an honest gov
ernmet.
intelligent people will not be
greatly influenced by the compare
sons with Columbus spread about bv
the opponents of a change here. We
all know Americas is not a crook
ridden, graft-infested city and its adj
!. locates of the change here admit the
4 resent and recent administrations
nave been honest and INTELLIGENT
but they do assert, we believe with
4 ust cause, that the city has not been
as e1hclently governed as is possible
because the present form of govern
ment will hardly permit of efficiency
IL II did, the city of Americas TODAY
under the administration of bonast
ana conscientious men, would hardly
have floating debt of S146,OOO in
addition to its bonded Indebtedness
All that the advocates of the CHANGE
ask Is that the men who govern the
Guy be given the chance to make
good and to liquidate the city's debts
Perhaps the new commission 90 10
lumbus was unfortunate in pickino
man for the first city MANAGER
from all accounts Manager Hinklo
was a highly competent and honor
able man-just the man, from the
standpoint of ability and trainirc
that city like Columbus needed
but ne was q Northern man. and II
requires considerable time for NOV
from the North to really learn 70
know the Southern people. Rparod
Inherently, he must change manv of
ms habits and customs if he would
not offend unconsciously. He can
aot al ilrst understand many things
demanded of him in the soutb
thlngs that to him seem unimnor+o,.
but which nevertheless are reoarIaS
as important by Southern naonla
Hinhie RULED many people; he made
enemies because he was not accus
Toned TO common Southern cour
'esies' de took off his gloves and
started in without ceremony tn hon
I die the situation as be found ana =.
his judgment dictated it demsndoc
ana all people looked alike 70 hin,