Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-26

Dit:
Rssoiaed. as the opinion Of this commit.
ire, that II IS ine\pedicri 10 make any
/, further appropriation for the I'M, CONVENIENT
| clths pGidic square in the city Of Rich
mond, than ma, be necessary Ia fulfil eX.
listing contracts made by The executive.
until all the work required by those con
tracts shall have been completed. and q
| iull statement of The same laid before il,,
! general assembly.
! Resoired, That the executive Of ii,is
| commonw ealit be requested To take i'm
| mediate measures 10 cocrcc the individu-
ais With whom they have entered into
| contracts respecting The Improvement Of
the capitol square, 10 comply wi,I. the
same as speedily as possible.
Statealsat Of tie ite Governor wilson Ca,q,
NicAuidS, Esq.
In the month of January 1916, The Elk
ccuiive WAS empowered, by the legis a.
ture, 10 sell certain public property i'm
the city of Richmond, and 10 expend so
much of the proceeds of such sale, as
might beneccssary, inrepairipg the capitol,
aud irupro, isg the public square, OH which
ii stands. The execution of this trust in.
volyed fwo G,s .iuct duties, one The sale
Of the properly, and the other, the an
p!icaiiou of tie money. With regard TO
the sale, tic executive was authorised 10
sell either for cash, or on credit. Had
the executive been capable of sacrificing
the public in' crest, for individual purpo-
SEES or local feelings, the property might
have been sold for cash, or on Il short
credit, and an immediate appropriation
10 the objects contemplated, wcdld have
scared il from any diversion, bat it would
not have sold for more than half the
price. That the property was judicious-
" disposed oil, needs no other proof than
tie geIeralsmprise excited by the amount
obiaiued for If.
The expenditure ofthe money is then
the only ground OF complaint. The exc
cutive is responsible for The desigs a.
dopted in the improvement, for the cha
racicr Of the agents employed, and for
The contracts: and the course pursued
with regard 10 them all, is asserted 10 be
entirely correct aud proper. As 10 de-
sign for he Improvement of The square,
no member of The executive had any
knowledge ot Il similar work, or any pre-
tension 10 I'll. experience or taste in such
matters, which might embolden them to
rely on their own skill. Ii was anxiously
desired that the work should be so exc
culed, as 10 CRAFTY our own citizens and
save ii |, ON the criticisms and sneers of
strangers. After receiving, examining
and rejecting many designs furnished nv
several persons, II was determined, in
despair OF succeeding in any @iher way,
to have recourse TO some of the northern
cities, and employ an engineer, we'll re-
commended Tor his skill and taste in
such matters. MaximilIan Godeiroy,
Esq. was so recommended: q his services
were engaged fore very moderate sum-
He was employed about three months
under the governors eye, and the room
which he occupied i'll the capitol was al
ways open 10 the members of the coun-
Gil, or 10 any other citizen who was de-
sirous ofinspectiig the progress of his
labours. The plan was Ut leu9th COM
pleted and submitted 10 the council,
which advised and consented 10 lis a.
dopiion. When the assembly convened
III Nov. 1916, il was informed of lie sale
OF the property, and Tie plan for the I'M
pTovemeni OF the square was submitted TO
their examination, by an exhibition Of il
III the lobby of the House of Delegates
The council chamber, also, where the
plan WAS kept, was always open 10 any
member disposed 10 Inspect if. AT This
time TOO, The projected improvements
might have been abandoned without any
material loss for, of the contracts then
| made, Mr.. Irents might nave been sold
for cost, and Mr.. Strode's cancelled OH
easy terms. Not Il murmur ofdissatisfac-
ton was then heard /; The work was per-
United 10 progress, and the legislature
wasfairly inferred TO have approved the
proceedings.
Injustice 10 tie character of Mr.. Code
troy, 1t ought TO be stated, that neither
the Governor nor any member of the
| council had any personal knowledge Of
him until he eame 10 Richmond, TO exc
cute the contract above referred to. The
compensation perceived, could not have
been sufficient inducement, but I've "a
vailed himsrlfOf tina, opportunity 10 dis
| play his tdleHlS as AN engineer, in the
hope that he might open the way to far
Their employment in this state. lie had
previously been very respectfully recon-
mended DIS civil engineer 10 the Board of
| Pubic Works of this commonwealth
Mr.. Paine, who was employed to superin-
| tend tile execution of the work, was well
known III Richmond, where lie was in The
employment of the common hall of the
city and had been much engaged i'll sirD-
lar works. His character was supported
by respectable recommendations
HE contracts were entered into with
due caution and deliberation when any
advance of money was stipulated for,
good security was exacted and obtained,
and prior 10 making any contract, sui
hcient notice was publicly given in The
newspapers, tliat there might he compe-
titors for The work.
During the administration Of governor
Nicholas,' MIR. GOdclroy was employed,
and hIs plan iOr improving the square was
adopted. Mr.. Orris Paine was employed
| TO SuDcrluteHu fine uubiic tvorLs ~ n