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Past Indifference the Cause of
the Present Situation.
REGISTER AT ONCE! WAKE UP!
Almost any man of intelligence will
admit that the moral tone of this
community is very low. Here in this
beautilul city we have been content
for years to do nothing, while we
ought to have seen the hand of the
corruptionist playing havoc with the
morals of our young men and women.
The town is. not only full of gamb
ling hells, but places even worse. Any
one who thinks that the authorities
of this town permit only our young
men to be corrupted ought to have
the ordinary sit on his case. Under
these circumstances it seems more
than pasing strange that any respect
able man can blandly say “No, I’m
not registered. 1 take no interest in
politics.” One feels like telling him
that he must be either a fool or a
knave. The majority of men mean
well; their intentions are all right;
but they don’t seem to appreciate the
seriousness of the situation. The rea
son this town has been for years
afflicted with officials, who in many
eases seem to have no moral devel
opment, is because these officials were
put in office by the low and purchas
able class of voters, who were allow
ed full swing in politics by the in
different citizens who are alluded to.
This low and purchaseable element
will always be registered in force, not
only because it is to the interest of
such office-holders, but because it is
to the pecuniary interest of the un
scrupulous voter, who either gets so
much money, or something else of
value, for his vo’te. Why is it that
the decent class so often fail to reg
ister in force? Have the high-toned
men of this community no induce
ment to register and vote? Can it be
that so long as their own sons and
daughters are safe, that they care not
what temptations are held out to the
30ns and daughters of others? Hardly!
For they must appreciate the fact that
vice is contagious and aggressive, and
no -respecter of either persons or
class. The more charitable and per
haps more correct view to take, is
that these self-respecting citizens are
simply going along with the tide, lit
tle thinking that it is bearing them
and those they love to the sea of
moral degeneracy. How strange it is,’
“BOSSISM”
HAND OF THE “BOSS”
APPEARS.
Rossignol Forced to Retire from First District Meet
ing—C. P. Rossignol Attempts to Pluck One
Feather Too flany to Suit the “Boss.”
Since Rossignol’s speech in the
meeting of the South Side Citizens
Club, at which he likened the Citizens
Club to a white dove, with a few black
feathers, the people of Savannah have
awaited, with interest, the plucking of
all the black feathers.
While we do not admit that a com
parison of the Citizens’ Club with that
of anything white is a fair one, yet we
hoped that Rossignol would be allow
ed to dissect his so-called “white
dove” to his heart’s content. But,
alas, alas, the mighty hand of the
boss stretches forth, and says:
“Enough; no more feathers shall be (
plucked from the ‘bird;’ it may cause;
its death.” I
While nothing has appeared in pub
lie print, Saussy (Stewart’s lieuten-j
ant) made the statement, in a public
speech at the First District meeting of |
the Citizens’ Club, that he would meet i
Stewart’s opponents anywhere, and
under any circumstances; but he also |
will be required to walk out of the ;
party if the boss decides that Car- j
son should be the man. He will dis
cover how small he is when the boss;
stretches forth his mighty hand. I
A meeting of the cabinet was called
for Saturday night, at which the •
question of Stewart’s and Carson’s
candidacy was discussed, but no
agreement could be reached. The
matter Has been delayed. But it was
determined at the caucus that the fol
lowing are to be the candidates of
* the Citizens’ Club: J
that men who show good sense in
business matters very often show
none in political matters and permit
conditions to exist which put vice at
a premium. Close-fisted business men
allow' themselves to be fleeced by over
taxation and over valuation of their
property. And some truly religious
men w'ho would not knowingly com
mit a wrong fail to see that they are
guilty of a sin of omission when
they fail to help in a movement for
the betterment of the moral condition
of their city. They often contribute
largely to convert the heathen abroad,
but complacently allow conditions to
exist which tend to destroy the re
ligion of those at home. We are
glad to say, how'ever, that we have
had more of the better class take
an interest in this campaign than in
any other in the history of the city;
and that of itself is a pretty good
sign that they are at last beginning
to be aroused. We are truly grateful
to those who have taken active in
terest sb far, and we hope ana tiust
the others to a man will join m this
movement. It is a movement in the
interest of the welfare of Savannah,
and one in which every respectable
citizen should take part, and be glad
to do so. 'Ou- leaders do not belong
to the .office-seeking class. They are
men of character and manhood whose
love for their city and for decency
will not permit them to remain pass
ive, while a corrupt machine parcels
cut offices of remuneration and honor
to members of the “gang” w'ho are
most perniciously active in enabling
the “machine” to prey upon and de
bauch our people. The members of
this “gang” who compose the make
up of this “machine” seem to think
that this community has been suffi
ciently corrupted for them to bully
and buy their way through, but they
miscalculate the American spirit.
Wake up and register! Teach them
a lesson they won’t soon forget!
A snow-white dove signifies purity,
but if the Citizens’ Club dove has any
white feathers the public is excusa
ble for failing to discover them, as its
tail is composed of black feathers,
and it has a habit of constantly keep
ing its tail turned towards the com
munity.
Stovall, for senator.
Anderson, Lawrence and Rourke, for
the legislature.
W‘atch this prediction. Rossignol
and Saussy will be no more, and
others who desire to clean house for
the Citizens’ Club, will be relegated
to the rear. Nothing clean can live
within the walls of the Citizens’ Club.
Those members of the Citizens’ Club
who have started out to rid the party
of Garfunkel, Mcßride, Garity and
Creamer gave encouragement to Ros
signol, but the boss said: “No; these
people have been tried and found to
be true to the cause, have always
done my bidding, and I will not swap
them off for Rossignol and Saussy;
I must have men with me who wild
do what I say.”
The announcement is made, through
the Morning News, that there will
be no more meetings, for the present,
of the Citizens’ Club forces. And
why? They must first patch the leaks
in the ship; she is leaking badly, and
the pumps cannot keep her afloat and
will sink unless the leaks are stopped.
We have heard from Rossignol by
card, published in the local press.
Saussy’s message is en route. Look
.out for a “holler” from him. It is
bound to come. Saussy, Rossignol
and others in the so-called Citizens
Club will pass into the unknown; Gar
funkel, Mcßride, Garity and Creamer
will forge to the front, and the Citi
zens’ Club will be itself again.
Watch the outcome.
Speech of Mr. R. R. Richards
At Fourth District Meeting, People’s Democratic
League, flay Bth, 1906.
“I assure you that it has been
quite a surprise to me this evening
to be called upon to talk. I came
here this evening for the purpose of
listening to the speeches of gentle
men well known to you, and have
been enjoying myself. ’I don’t be
lieve I would have come here at all
had I known that I was going to be
called upon, but inasmuch as I have
been honored with a call, and you are
a large and representative body of
citizens, I feel that I must say some
thing, and, as has been suggested,
will make it short and sweet.
“What we need in this community
is a change of administration. The
party in power, as you well know,
has become completely corrupt, and
that is the reason why they should
be turned out, that is the reason why
all good citizens who have the in
terest of the community at heart
should work hard to the end that they
are turned out of power. They have
been ‘weighed in the balance and
found wanting,’ and those .of you
who listened the other evening to
that able and eloquent and straight
forward speech that Colonel G. Ar
thur Gordon made, know that the
time has come for a change to be
made. Now I believe in striking from
the shoulder, and striking hard. As
Colonel Gordon says: ‘Come out plain,
and to the point, and shoot for the
bull’s eye.’ You well know the influ
ence here that has ruled this com
munity for so long a time. Why, to
day, in talking to one of the citizens
here, who is a man of influence, I was
surprised to hear him say to me —
and we were in absolute solitude —
and without, thinking »r a moment
that it made the least impression
on me, that it was impolitic to make
a change, because it was so expen
sive to the community to make one,
and I asked him why, and he said:
‘Those in power know the ropes, they
are grafting as all of us know, but
they can do it more economically than
a new crowd who doesn’t know the
ropes.’ Now What do you think of
that? We should keep in the experi
enced rascals, because if we put in
a new crowd’, they will cost the com
munity a lot of money in trying to do
the thing up properly. It strikes me
as farcical.
“Some mention has been made here
this evening of subsidized press. No,
don’t believe that it has been sub
sidized; it has simply been silenced,
silenced by hope of office. Why, you
well know the methods which have
been pursued by the opposition. They
go to a man and say: "Wouldn’t you
like to be mayor?’ He, of course,
replies in the affirmative. ‘Wouldn’t
you like to be judge of the city
court?’ wouldn't you like to be this,
that and the other?’ and those men
think that the lightning is going to
strike them, and they don’t come and
take part in our meetings, because
they think they may be called upon
History of Peoples’s Cam
paign (To Date) Against
Corrupt Abuse of Pow
er By Citizen’s Club,
Otherwise Called
Corruption Club.
ACT I.
Messrs. Jacob S. Collins, Waring
Russell and numbers of other citizens
organized the People’s League, and
issued a challege to the administra
tion bosses. To which the bosses re
ply, through their organ,
“Rally round your bosses,
Henchmen ours, tried and true.
The insolent foe has attacked us
In our stronghold.
Let us meet them, and
Annihilate them to be
Last man so bold.”
ACT 2.
Vigorous combat in progress for
some time between contending par
ties. Result in doubt. Enter Mr. T.
Mayhew Cunningham with Democratic
Club, composed of large number of
independent citizens, bent upon im
proving political conditions. Inscrib
ed upon their banner is a platform of
principles —each one of which is a
protest against the practices of the
Corruption Club. They join forces
with the People’s League, and beat
the Corruption Club to a hasty re
treat.
Act 3.
Enter leaders of Corruption Club.
(Scene, Savannah Theater.) '
Henchmen, cohorts and otheis gath
ered near.
Leaders to Henchmen and others.
. and be nominated to some office, and
: in that way their ador as citizens has
i been chilled, and promises held out
! to them by the other side. Now, my
• fellow citizens, don’t you think that
■ the time has come when we should
[change the administration? Give us
a new deal. Let men who have prac-
! ! tically been untried go forward ana
1 see what they can do. Nothing can
’ be worse than that which we now
’ have. You can’t lose anything by
■ making a change; that is perfectly
clear to everybody, and you may be
able to accomplish a good deal; so
give the new crowd a chance, and you
■ may be assured, if you do, that you
will have an improvement in politi
cal conditions. It is preposterous to
think that men who head a move
ment like this, and who have taken
charge of it, will go back on the peo
ple, when they have come forward
and told you that they want no of.
flee—l mean the leaders, and, there
fore, it’ seems to me that their ap
peals to you from their high plat
forms should go home to every good
citizen, especially when you know
how corrupt things are in this com
munity. As good citizens, we ought
to try to improve the conditions,
and rise up, as one man, and stamp
cut the people who rule this com
munity and corrupted its morals;
that’s the great wrong that has been
done. After a while, the young men
in the community won’t know the dif
ference between right and wrong. It
you allow them to drift along with
the tide, which is now leading them
into improper channels of thought.
When we hear great men, who lead
the important movements in this com
munity', speaking to the people in
compassionate tones, asking that they
lay aside all selfish motives and self
ish feelings and vote for the com
mon good, surely their appeal will not
go unheeded, when it is for the good
of the people in general that they
speak.
"You have read of how men went
forward and voted for their worst
enemies—people whom they would not
speak to on the streets —voted for
them because they represented re
spectability and principle, and would
not stand back because they did not
tike them personally.
“When one of these men, who rep
resented justice and principle, came
forward to a man who was an enemy
of his, and said: ‘You have voted for
me. Mr. So and So?’ the reply came
back: ‘No sir; I don’t know you; 1
voted for the party you represent.’
“So don’t be misled by the adop
tion of that platform by the adminis
tration, because they are not sincere,
and you know from their past life
full well that they are not sincere.
i “I have no vituperation for Mc-
Bride. I think that Mcßride is an
> unfortunate man, who has simply been
led astray by being in bad company.”
“Boys, this thing looks bad
for us—looks like we are beat, but
let’s try a ruse like the pursued thief
who joins in the hue and cry “Stop,
Thief!’’ Let us adopt our enemies’
Platform of Principles. Let us pre
tend we are going to reform. True,
we ain’t going to do it, because we
can’t —we know we are past reforma
tion —but some good people won’t
think so, if we tempt them with an
office or two. Let us try this game
on anyone for County Treasurer, to
beat old Man Russell; and on any
willing subject that can be seduced
THE PLATFORM OF THE PEOPLES
DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE.
We advocate and will work for :
1. The suppression of bossism and is machinery.
2. The suppression of policy shops and gaming houses-
3. The elimination of all grafters from positions of ev
ery kind in the-public service.
4. The protection of faithful public officers against
dictation and intimation in their offices by political bosses.
5. The election to public offices of worthy and capable
men who will give us a clean administration and who
shall have full latitude to their duty and be directly re
sponsible to the people.
6.. An impartial and fearless administration of the
law and a square deal all around.
by a promise of a City Court judge
ship. And let us manufacture into
voters and fighters a lot of newly ar
rived Greeks and Turks, who don’t
understand the English language; but
will obey our orders —when translat
ed to them.”
Act 4.
Fight renewed around Court House
Corridors. Many fraudulent natural
ization papers taken out. .And new
ignoramus citizens made by whole
sale. Combat continued in front of
City Hall. Killed and wounded or.
both sides removed, and much excite
ment created. No arrests by admin
istration Police of Corruption Club
participants.
Act 5.
Enter United States District Attor
ney and Officers. Looking for the
fraudulently naturalized persons, and
their advisers. Leaders of Corrup
tion Club surrender,, and plead guilty.
Gang of Conspirators against law
broken up. Much rejoicing among all
classes of respectable citizens.
Act 6.
Corruption Club poses as a reform
er, and says prayers at meetings, as
well as curses (prayers not recorded).
Congregation composed of convicted
leaders and their adherents, and new
candidates for office and their ad
herents. Satan in their midst smil
ing serenely.
Act 7.
Rebellion in Corruption Club
among office-seeking adherents, some
of whom really want to reform, but
can’t and are kept under.
Act 8.
Administration orator attacks Chief
of Administration Police. Wants him
removed from office for dereliction of
duty and general unsuitableness for
the place. Compares him to a dirty
black feather in a white dove’s tail.
Strenuous resistance by attacked
Chief. Row in Corruption Club. Ad
ministration orator squelched tempo
rarily by bosses. No 'such reform
wanted by Corruption Club.
Act 9.
Club orators make new departure.
Divide between candidates for County
Treasurer. Better element say Club
too good for Corruption Bosses. Re
formers in Corruption Club try to
take charge of the machine. Old
bosses grin, hold on tight and sing
this refrain —entitled:
“Jaw by Jaw,
We pledge ourselves through tmciF
and thin,
To labor still, with zeal devout,
To keep the ins, us devils, in,
And keep the outs, the wretches,
out.
We pledge ourselves though much be
reft
Os ways and means of ruling ill,
To make the most of what is left,
And stick to all that’s rotten still.
Ours yet the days of place and pelf.
And tho’ drones who take the honey
We pledge ourself to cram ourself
With pockets full of public money.
To quarter on that social purse,
Our henchmen, cohorts, heelers,
bummers.
Nor, so we prosper, care a curse
How much ’tis at th’ expense of
others.
Such are the pledges we propose,
And though we can’t now offer gold
There’s many away of buying those
Who’ve but the taste for being sold.
So here’s with three times three
hurrahs,
A toast of which you’ll not com
plain:—
“Long life to jobbing; let these days
Os peculation be our gain.”
(To Be Continued.)