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i ORGANIZED LABOR ASKS ELECTION BY THE PEOPLE Memorialize Council on Important Measures. SHOW REASONS * ' for public vote Ask That Officials of City Be Named by Taxpay ers and Voters of City. Representatives of the Atlanta Fed eratlon of Trades presented to council Monday afternoon a memorial chal tensing the growing tendency to take from the public the power to elect of peers of the city government, and es peclally asking for the election by the people of Atlanta of the city comp troller, clerk of council, city engineer, commissioner of public works and gen eral manager of the waterworks. • The committee, composed of Jerome Jones, chairman; William Strauss, R. O. Ross, H. F. Garrett and Charles W. Bernhardt, waited upon council and presented the memorial. Besides the committee, there were present a large number of other representatives of trade unions, who concurred In the action of the committee, and lent their support. The memorial was received and re ferred to the committee on ordinances. Jerome Jones, editor of The Journal of Labor, and former president of the Atlanta Federation of Trades, showed briefly the desires of the working men of Atlanta, who represent an enormous proportion of the voters and taxpayers of the city. The memorial, In full. Is given below; The Petition in Full. Atlanta, Ga„ June 3, 1907. To the Honorable Mayor and General Council of the City of Atlanta: t'nder the terms of the original char ter of the city of Atlanta the several administrative offices are elective by council. This rule obtained for many years, until It was so shown productive of combinations by which. Incompetent and sometimes undesirable men wero placed In public service. Prior to the change by which these offices became subject to the vote of the people, the citizens became very much dissatisfied and demanded a change. The general cause of the dis satisfaction, as shown by the publica tions of that time, was the tendency of public officials to combine In order to Insure their continuance In office. This tendency Is not per se reprehensible because self-preservation 1s the first law of nature. It would not be more than human that a man hold an office, which he desired to continue to hold, would seek to secure this result by confederation and combination. The result was that the council was very largely elected for the purpose of serv ing their friends, the officers, who took an active Interest In their election, 8ystem Is Obnoxious. These members of general council, while good men, were nevertheless no more than men, and being largely In debted to the office-holders for their election. In the nature of things would feel grateful and In turn would under take to secure the re-election of such office-holders. While such results were not criminal, nor any more than could be expected, under that system, yet It became very obnoxious to the citizens, and a storm of protest arose prior to and during the year 1893. The papers of that date were full of criticisms upon this method of the election of public officers. The evils growing out of the system were held before the people In glowing terms and forceful language. The dissatisfaction became so general that by an act approved December 19, 1893, all of these offices were made elective by a vote of the people. New Method Satisfactory. This rule began with the elections In December, 1894, and we respectfully submit there has never been found any dissatisfaction therewith by the citizens at large. We Insist that no protests have arisen against this method, and that the papers have never voiced any dissatisfaction on the part of our peo ple. More than this, we Insist that the changes that have arisen In this meth od have been secured quietly and with out the knowledge of ouc citizens gen erally. We Insist that the people of Atlanta would not have consented to such changes, had they been forcibly brought to their attention. We do not mean to say that the reasons urged for such changes do not seem satis factory to the council then In control, but we do mean to say that If such changes had been left to the will and wish of the people, the same would not have’ been made. First Change Made, In 1899, by an act approved Decern- GREAT CHARTER THE GREAT PANETELLA CIGAR 5 1-2 Inches 5 CENTS-ITS WORTH IT. ber 20, 1899, It appears the first change was made by which the clerk of council was made elective by the mayor and general council. The undersigned re spectfully submit that there was no demand on the part of any section of our people that such change be made. Of course, council or the particular of ficer might have preferred it in this way,. but the feeling and sentiment back of the change In 1893. and which caused a great protest of that year. did not concur nor Indorse this first change. The break having been made, It fur ther appears that by an act approved August 3, 1904, the office of comptrol ler was taken from the control of the people and placed In charge of the gen eral council. Citizens Protested. We respectfully Insist that these changes were not demanded by any change In the offices or In the work of method now being pursued with reference to the three offices last named. We respectfully Insist that the offices named should be placed where the act of 1893 placed them, namely, with the 25.00, 30.00 ahd Tailor Suits, 35.00 Wednesday, Consider former price and sale price a moment—the lowest priced Suits in the lot, the 25.00, at 12.50, are half price—the 35.00 lack but little of being reduced ito one-third of their former price. Consider the price with what they are and your needs. Voiles first of all—Voiles strictly tailored and trimmed with braids or piping, -some in all black, some trimmed in white. , Voiles in solid tan, gray and champagne. • Voiles in fancy black checks. Panamas in russet; that most popular of all the browns. And a good number of fancy checked Worsteds and Panamas. Black- Eton and Coat highest class of There are 44 Suits in the lot; Suits, of the best styles and the ioorkmanship. Good, clean merchandise without the slightest suggestion of odds and ends or doubtful styles mixed in. If you are going to travel this summer or during the next six months, these Suits, both in style and material, are certainly ideal. 12.50 fit- taken frnnr, them. Commizzioner of Public Workz. ; Again, the commisetoner of publlo , workr. of all the office™ ;of the city of 1 Atlanta, comce In more direct and lm- 1 mediate contact with the citizens. The etreet work, repair work, sidewalks and street pavementa, etc., njpke his office a source of complaints, and demands j on the part of the citizens. He Is doubt. ] less willing to continue In this-public service and doubtless the people will; so continue him, but they should'have the right to express their satisfaction at his services and to approve or con demn same. If this office were re moved from the people, to whom woujjl : they go with the voice of authority? To their councilman? He Is busy, he has many things to do, he has many / complaints, he has not the time. The them pleasantly, but under the ,ndl and tho voice of council would be to him the voice of authority. People 8hould Have Voice, Bo far from rcinoylng apy more of fices from the approval gh disapproval of the ballot box, we urge the election of an additional city official by the vote of tho peopje, to-wlt: the general manager of the departmeht of water works. Like the commlslsoner of pub lic works, he comes In dally contact with the citizens. Possibly more than any other officer, his department Is thrown In closer and more lntlmate re lationship with the people. They should have a voice In his election not by the Indirect method of the water board, but by the direct method of the ballot box. If the present official Is satisfactory and gives good service, he wqpld doubtless general elections, and be submitted to a vote of the people. The general argument for this Is that these officers come In contact with the people, ahd, while In some measure they serve the mayor and general coun. ell, yet this latter servlco Is Incidental and collateral, for the main purpose of their election and their service Is for the city and for the people. If theso offices are taken from the people and placed with the mayor and general council, just to that extent will they be removed from the control of the people and from the correction of the ballot box. The citizen has no remedy except by ballot. Inferior service, Im polite service, negligent service, unsat isfactory treatment, etc., may be made the subject of complaint, but unless he has the Immediate and easy remedy of the ballot, he is without his main pro tection. People Should Elect, Again, these offices belong to the people Just us the county offices belong to the people; there Is no more reason why the clerk of the superior court and the sheriff of the county should not be 1 elected by the people than there Is that similar offices In the city government should bo elected by the people. The argument urged against the election of these officers by the citizens of Atlanta would defeat the election of similar county officers by a vote of the. citizens of the county. As special argument we submit that the clerk of.counel! serves the people each hour of the day and serves the council only a few houra each month.. If the ones most served are the ones most concerned and should have the controlling voice In the elec tion, certainly the people should elect this office. Again, the city comptroller la called In a few hours each month with, the mayor and with the finance committee and aside from this his service is alto gether with, the people. We do not mean that the people have as r do with this officer ns with others, but that he has a corps of clerks and a suite of rooms where the people come to be served and where they are served. We do mean to say that for every hour he gives to the council he gives two to some department of the city or some citizen of the city. There Is no more reason why this officer should not be elected by the citizens of Atlanta than there is why the treasurer of the coun ty should not be elected by the citizens of the county, or that the board of county commissioners should not be elected by tho voters they serve. Many other reasons might be jirged, but those suggested should lead to all the reasons that should move this body to place all the administrative offices In the hands of the people. The prog ress of nil government Is to reduce, as far as possible, the control of small bodies and to extend, as far as possible, the control of the people. They muy do wrong sometimes, but as a rule they will do right more times than a limited body or select board of people. System is Challenged. Again, this Is a democracy, the pee jle own and control the county. Sure y there Is no reason why these local officers should not be controlled by the citizens which they serve. We chal lenge any good reason, we challenge any champion of the system of select ing these officers by the vote of the mayor and general council, to show any reason why this should be done that would not place the election of all of ficials In the hands of the general coun ell and state officials In the hands i county boards or state legislation. If theso people are to control, let them control, not only In name, but In fact. If they make a mistake. It Is a mistake with their own property. Certainly they desire this right, and It Is one of the privileges of their franchise and should not be restricted or taken away. Another Protest, Again, there are two offices now pro posed to be taken from the people, namely, city engineer and commissioner of public works. No reason has been urged why they should now be taken from the people that did not exist In 1893 when tbe people demanded the selection of these officers. What change has occurred that calls for the with drawal of these offices from the general election? Is there any friction? Then let the matter be submitted to the peo ple. They surely know a competent official as well ns a small body would know and undentand them. They see what Is done and they know what re sults have been accomplished and they are perfectly competent to pass upon same, and we respectfully submit that the people desire to retain the control of these offices. The engineer gets out grades and controls permanent pave menta and comes In personal contact with the citizens and they should have, what they hpve had for many years, a voice In his election. 'They have been satisfied with the present official and may continue to express their satlsfac- D _ .. tlon, and surely this right should not be Brooch Cor. Mitchell and Forsyth. be continued. But If the service Is not satisfactory, If the department Is not carried on without friction, If the em ployees are not courteous, he would un doubtedly be held responsible therefor and be removed. It Is no objection to say that It would be difficult to hold the office. We have already Indicated that other offices having like sources -if irritation, are held by officers from yenr t-. year and It Is not deemed necessary to take same from the people because the exercise of official duties may Irri tate the holder thereof. Hence, let this official whose peculiar province It Is to deal with nearly every home of Atlanta be subject to the approval of a majorl. ty of such homes. Return Offices to People. We do not desire to weary' your lion- : orable body by unnecessary remarks or to extend this communication beyond proper length, and we therefore submit the above reasons for your considera tion and respectfully urgg that no mote offices be taken from the control and s< lection of the votem, but that thoso tlmt have been so withdrawn be re turned to the control and selection of the voters and that the additional of- . flee of general manager of the depart ment of walerworks be likewise placed hi the hands of the people and the offlea be held by their suffrage. JEROME JONES, WILLIAM STRAUSS, R. O. ROSS. H. F. GARRETT. W. iJKRN’I CHAS. HXHARDT. A Book of Interest j to Old and Young We don’t know of any book that possesses so nuiph interest for everybody, old and young, as one of our savings pass books. There is interest in opening a« account to get one; there is in* terest in watching the deposits { >ile up, nud last, though far from east, there is interest at the raie of 4% Compounded Twiee a Year. Drop us a postal for informa tion about BANKING BY MAIL, Central Bank & Trust Corporation, Candler Building, BmU