Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-06-07

take action against the officials who
contracted the debts. He charged
apparent deliberate intention on the
part of the proponents of the change
to import city manager from the
North to run the city's affairs. He
declared the city manager. by the
powers given him, would disrupt the
police, fire and other departments,
and asserted that the board of edu-
cation had been left out of the con-
troll of the city mclager for the rea-
son that the committee knew that
w. w. Dykes and the board would
fight any such proposal and didn't
want any fight. He accused the COM
mittee of cutting the first charter
draft to pieces at the slightest sug-
gestion at the first reading whenever
it was limited that any of it's provis-
ions might cost votes, and that the
draft as it then stood was but
mere shell of the original self.
Dykes Answers Fort.
Major Fort was answered by W.
W. Dykes, who goodnaturedly ridi-
culed the majors too-apparent pas
sion and lack of appreciation of
facts. he said it was very apparent
that Major Fort had not read or
studied the document about which he
rallied, and declared it was not pull
ing down the house," as his pre-
decessor had said. He declared poll
tically the city would be organized
in effect precisely as at present, with
the commission elected in exactly the
same way as the mayor and council
and possessing the same powers and
exercising the same control. He de-
clared the change applied only to the
business management Of the affairs
of the city, the charter empowering
the commission to employ a skilled
man to look after those affairs,
which they could not and were not
expected to do personally. He jok-
ingly inferred that Major Fort had
kept City Attorney w. T. Lane away
from the meeting since the latter had
proposed an efficiency man" for
the city, because Major Fort had
recently detailed to him his disgust
with efficiency men with whom be
mad had to deal too much in the ar
my. He declared the majors fears
without basis in any respect. he said
the Chamber of Commerce, Of which
he formerly was director, had been
investigating the commission-man
ager form for three years and haN
queried cities all over the United
States concerning their experiences
with it, 95 per cent of the replying
that they were delighted with it and
would not go back to the old mayor
and council plan for anything. He
said small per centage were unfor-
tunate for varying reasons, such as
Columbus recently which apparently
had gotten man who proved unsatis-
factory. He pointed out that the
powers vested in the commission un-
der the proposed charter enable the
commission to keep trying until they
find the right man for manager if
they do not find him at once.
Moral Obligations.
Touching on the city's debts, Mr..
Lykes asserted that they were con-
traeted gradually and that Major
Fort and every other citizen had had
ample notice of the expenditures in
! advance SO that if any protest was
in order it should have been made
at the time instead of this late day.
He declared they constituted a moral
obligation of the city, if not entirely
legal, and should and must be paid,
the city as whole having received
| great returns on the money spent.
He pointed out that part of the debt
came about from the locating of
Souther Field here, and stated that
this institution had brought millions
of dollars to Americus to be spent
He also mentioned the Playground,
paving, and other permanent assets
and improvements which had helped
swell the debt, and declared he was
sure the people would never repudi-
ate or question those obligations.
Still addressing Major Fort direct
ly, although speaking to the audience,
Mr.. Dykes asserted that there were
plenty of opportunities for munich
pal honors for those aspiring; that
all one needed to do to become may
or was to be elected commissioner
and then get elected mayor by the
commission, Hollis Fort, a cousin Of
Major Fort, here suggested that this
arrangement gave a man two oppor-
| tunities for honors.
Major Fort was on his feet in an
instant to interrupt the speaker with
the statement that he had declared
in his opening remarks that he had
mo axe to grind" and no personal
interests other than as a citizen and
taxpayer.
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