Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-04-15
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fett0~ Citizens Averse as | am at ali tines,
to controversies of any kind, it is with unaffected
regret that feel impeed by sense of duty to
you and to myself, to engage in newspaper one,
forced upon me by the extraordinary proceedings
| OF the City Council, in relation to the act to
amend the Charter of the City of Richmond,
passed March 29th, 1851, which is to be submitted
to you for your rejection or acceptance, on We'd
nesday next, the 10th inst. My absence from the
city has delayed this reply until now.
Before proceed to notice the report and reso-
iutons OF the Council, beg leave to call your
attention to the participation had in the PASSAGE
of the said act, and the circumstances under which
it was reported and passed.
When was before you soliciting your suffrages,
in public and in private, avowed myself in favor
OF the election of the officers of the citv nv the
people, principle for which they had been for
more than year, and were at that time, clamor-
GUS, and much dissatisfaction was expressed in NV
hearing, that the bill which had been reported at
the previous session of the General Assumblv.
and actually passed the lower House, had not be-
come law This reform was demanded, SO far
as could judge from my intercourse with Won. bv
an overwhelming majority of the voters of Rich
clpe, unhesatingly pledged myself to use
my best exertions, in the event of my election, to
carry out their will upon this subject. You hon.
ored me with your confidence and I was
returned as your Delegate to the General AS
semoly. On the second or third day of the
session, l asked leave of the House to with
draw from the files of the Clerks office "the
petition of the citizens of Richmond asking for
an amendment of the Charter" which had been
presented at the preceding session and was sign
ed BY more than five hundred persons; this leave
was accorded to me, and Immediately presented
the same petition again and asked its reference to
the Committee of Propositions and Grievances,
which was ordered. The petition is in tho fol-
lowing words:
"We the undersigned, being fully impressed with the
Importance and necessity of eecng the public officer,
OF the City OF Richmond by the people Themselves in
stead OF as now, by the Common Ha respectfully petit
ton the General Assembly Va. so to amend to charter
OF said city, as to authorize the said officers or such as
in their wisdom they may think proper to be elected by
the people at their Charter elections and also to amend
me SAD Charer SO as to allow precincts of election to
be created in each of the three wards OF the CITY in III
ELECTIONS for General Assembly and for Congress- one
precinct in the city being too crowded Tor fair
and ful election. The undersigned will ever pray,
l&c." r''
Time and again | went before that committee
to ask that bill might be reported in accordance
with prayer OF the petitioners; but l was put
OF, because the committee was engaged with other
applications, and had many persons in attendance
upon it. who were from a distance, until
became SO engaged in my contested election, as
to leave me but little time for anything else-
Frequently, when would be in attendance upon
the committee of Propositions and Grievances,
waiting an opportunity to press this application,
summons would come from the committee of
Privileges and Elections, commanding nv attend
ance upon them. Thus the session waned, and
had almost despaired of being able to get the
lcommittee to report upon it in time to present it
Tor the action OF the House-urged and pressed
upon the subject day after day, by first one and
then another, of my constituents, who repre-
scented to me thata storm was gathering over
my head, hichwoud, unless averted, involve me
IN political Observation-Disclosures of nv oft re-
peated pledges-Ilaid with frankness nv position
before the Committee, who in kindness and cour-
tesy to me, agreed to report bill which had pre-
pared very hastily and imperfectly, in order to
give 1t a place upon the calendar, and to insure
its being reached before the close of the session.
with the promise onmy part that l would perfect
the bill on its second reading. Before the bill
reached that stage, it was apparent to me- that if
it took its ordinary courseit would not be reached
at ALL and determined to try the effect of an ear
nest appeal to the House, to extend to me an act
ofpersonal favour, and to permit the bill to be
taken up out of its turn and to order it, without
the usual delay, 10 its engrossmen and final pas
sage.
This appeal was needed, and the House by an
! unanimous vote, permitted in this instance, what
| they had uniformly refused before that time
There was but little time for all this, and NV pro-
mise to the committee of Propositions and Grie-
vances, had to be complied with. In order to do
this, hunted up the bill which had passed the
lower House at the preceding session, and suppo-
sing that it had been prepared with due care and
dellberation by my predecessor, (who had some
experience and skill in legislation and the prepa-
ration of bills, and who was familiar with the
charter of the city, or under his immediate super
vision, with some few additions and alterations,
which shall presently notice, presented it as a
substitute for the bill reported by the committee,
and it was passed.
The fourth, fifth sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth. ele
venth twelfth, thirteenth and seventeenth sections
OF the act OF 1851, are literal copies of the act
OF 1850 The first section is the same as in the
Dill OF $780, except that it provides for the cleo
ton OF Recorder, and leaves out mathematical
Surveyor, Clerks of the Markets, Weigh Masters,
and keeper of the Powder Magazine The sec
ond section differs in this, that it provides that the
election shall take place ON the third Wednesday
in May next, and annually thereafter, on the first
Wednesday in April. This alteration became
necessary because of the lateness of the session,
in order to allow time to submit the matter to the
people for their rejection or APPROVAL the bill be-
ing passed only three or four days before the
April elections were to have taken place under
the charter of 1872 The tenth section is the same
in the first part except that the words, the third
Wednesday in May" are used instead of first
Wednesday in April" The whole of the proyiso
in this section was added, in order to provide for
such vacancies as might occur in the offices be-
tween the passage of the act and the period fixed
for the election.
The fourteenth section is the same, except that
it provides for the appointment of Commissioners
by the Hastings Court instead of the Mayor
The fifteenth section is the same, with the excep-
ton of the time for holding the poll The six