The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-01-13
LOCAL MATTERs-

| MOu0ay ftR
noon, Messrs. saunders, Alien, Denoon, Rodde,
Whitfield, 0rattan, Glazebrock, Dimmock and Ha,
tkias. Absent. Messrs. Grcanor, Hill, Richardso,
Gretter and Robinson.
LiaHfe'.-The records Of the last meeting Wa
read and approved.
Virginia Mechanics Instifate-Mr Grattan. fro,
the Finance Committee, to whom was refsrred
petition of the Mechanics Institute asking I
have its real estate and personal property exemp
from taxation, and also to have 0OO0 worth 1
| bonds exempt from taxation, reported in faror
| exempting the real estate and personal property
| but sdeerse to exempting the bonds.
| On motion, the report was adopted.
faaaace.-hr. Grattan offered8 q resolution n hic
report to the Council, on or before the I'd Monda]
/ in March next, detailed statement Of the amou q
| OF money which will be necessary to be expende,
| in its department during the year commencing til
| lst of March, showing the objects for which It 4
| to be expended, aud also statement of such oh
jects as the committee ia of opiuion should be ex
| ecuted during the year, with an estimate of tn,
cost of each.
Increasing The Night Hatch-on motion of yr
Grattan, so much of the Ordinance pro viding fol
the increase of the Night Watch, was so amended
as to put the same in force yesterday.
Hetgtfs and HeGsnres.-On motion of Mr.. Glaze
brook. a resolution was adopted, authorizing the
Sealer OF Weights and Measures to occupy the
Grand Jury Room as an office and for the keeping
the weights and measures 10, nntil otherwise or
dered by the Council.
PtM Fire DspdrtBlsna.--Mr. Whitfield offered q
resolution, which was adopted, instructing the
committee on the Fire Department to enquire into
and report upon the expediency of establishing a
paid Fire Departmen instead of the present polu
tiry Fire Department.
Dadyd Aonsy.-Mr. Whitfield offered the following
resolution, which, on being put to vote, was de.
Jcoted:
Resolved, That a committee Of three be appointed
to enquire into the expediency Of repealing GER.
tain section of an ordinance passed December I'D.
1857, providing for the board and lodging of ne
groes within the corporate limits of the city of
Richmond; and should said committee deem It ex.
pedient to repeal said ordinance, they are hereby
Instructed to report an ordinance for that purpose
to the next or any subsequent meeting of the
Council for their adoption.
Helping the ibor.-0n motion of Mr. Grattan, an
appropriation of 81 600 was made to the Humane
Benevolent Society, to be properly distributed
among the poor.
On motion, the Council adjourned to meet again
next Thursday evening.
STATE AGRICULTURAL SoCIBTY.-Some
few weeks since a committee from this society De
titioned the City Council to direct the opening of
poll to allow the tax payers TO say whether they
were willing an annual appropriation of $1,000
should be made 10 enable the Society to continue
its Fairs in or near Richmond. The petitioners
neither asked nor desired the Council TO make the
appropriation. until the tax payers themselves
should give them instructions, and were willing
their petition On two occasions this committee sta
ted concisely,the reasons for their petition The
Western sqnare is entirely too small for their exh
biiions withou: the sr+e t.and that belongs to
individuals and can be occupied no longer, they
are compelled to secure other grounds. TO enable
them TO do this, they compelled to have out.
side aid. and as Richmond IL the most suitable
place for the Fairs. they prefer locating here to
anywhere else. If they cannot get the assistance
asked for here, then they must seek it elsewhere
az ia
nual Fair to be held.
At a meeting of the Council held last Monday AZ
ternoon, Messrs. Saunders, Allen, Denoon, Whit
field, Roddey, GIazebrOok, Grattan, Haskips and
Dimmock being present, this petition was taken
up and read. Messr5. Denoon, Glazebrook and
Grattan opposed it at length. Mr.. Denoon saw no
power in the charter for the Council TO open the
polls. The Council had the right to make the ap-
preparation not and for one he was ready to act
upon his own responsibility, without convulsnu
the people by referring the matter to them. II the
Council believed the interest of the city required
the appropriations they should make it without
pu tting the people to the trouble to vote upon it,
Mr.. Glazebrook opposed the petition because the
voters of the city had not asked to have a poll
opened. The petitioners had-no said where they
intended to purchase grounds and, if they had, he
was opposed to endowing that any other society
by funds from the public treasury.
MIR. Grattan was unwilling to refer the question
TO the people, believing that the Council was the
proper body to be appealed to. The city had been
liberal to the Agricultural Society, and he thought
the agriculiurdists should now do something for
themselves. They were rich and powerful, and
could better afford 10 furnish the necessary means
for their fairs than the city. lie therefore offered
the following resolution:
Resoired That the prayer of the petitioners be
rejected.
tols. Iiaskins and Dimmock were not prepared
to vote for appropriation but they were ready
and willing to let the people themselves be heard
on the petition at the polls. They would not un-
Iar rtai-a IN haf hos NH fha,,
should not speak on question of such vast impor-
taace. and should therefore oppose the resolution
just offered by Mr.. Grattan.
The question was then taken on the rejection OF
the petition, and resulted as follows:
AYEs-Messrs. saunders, Grattan, Denoon Allen,
Whitfield, Roddey and Glazebrook-7.
NoEs-aIessrs. Haskins and Dmmock-2.
Mr.. Gr8ttan then offered the following resolu-
tion:
Resided, That the Council is disposed for the
present. TO continue to extend to the Virginia Ar.
ricultural Society the accommodations granted to
it last year; but will not come under any obiga-
tions to endow 1t permanently with any sum of
money. with any property.
Mr. Dinmock opposed this resolution mean
ingless and uncslled for. 1t did not pledge the
Council for any ;hng-nOt even to give the Society
the of the square occupied last year-and AS it
entirely foreign to the petition, he could see
no reason for encumbering the records with it.
Messrs. Glazebrook and Whitfield thought 1t did
mean something, and therefore desired its passage.
They wished the country people to see that the
Council was not opposed to the Society, even
though the petition had been ejected.
Mr.. Allen thought the resolution pledged the
Council to the Society all 1t had given last year,
and was therefore opposed TO it.
The resolution being put TO vote, 1t was adopted,
Messrs. Saunders, Urattan, Denoon, GlaZebroOk,
Whitfield and Roddey voting aye; and Messrs.
DImmock, Haskins and Allen no.
Our readers will see by the above, that so far as
seven members OF the City Council are concerned,
haa, uyl. 1k1a I,aNt,
er they would contribute to the support Of the
great state Agricultural Fair, to keep it here.
Indeed the City Council have bid them seek
quarters for the future, elsewhere. If an an
nual visit of ten or twenty thousand strangers is
not worth to the business community 5000 In
cash apart from the good feeling 1t engenders and
the prejudices it couuteracts, then the legislation
need not be complained Of But il the action has
been ipjudcious-and We really believe 1t has
our citizens should take some steps to have the
error corrected before the Society determines to
remove its Fairs to another place. This can read
lily be done by circulating petitions among our cit
zens requesting the Council TO reconsider its ac
ton, and by instrueting that body 10 make the re
quired appropriation at once.
LADIES FAIR.-Neei we. remind our
readers that the ladies OF st. Peters church ars
| holding fair on Governor street, to raise mean:
for providing for destitute orphsns to induce them
tn ,sit the fair room? Need We tell them that thu
tables are weighed down with luxuries of all kinds
and that the fancy department contains articles tt
suit almost every tastef Surely not-for the pub
| lie know too we'll what exertons the far getter;
up of these fairs make to render them attractive
and il will be a burning shame If they not suf
fciently patronizel to make this one profitable. -
| Remember the object of this tertainment ant
| let not the evening pass by without paying you
respects to the lovely sales women who will smiling
| iy extend to you cordial welcome.
| LAscAsTERIAN SCHooL.-At the las
| meeting of the City Council, Capt. Dimmock, iron
| the committee to whom had been referred the res
oIution Of enquiry relative to the Laneastersal
| school, reported that they fonnd the school IL
good order and well disciplined. Each scholar ba
books and copy book at hand, and from an eI
animation the committee were Satisfied that mucl
| good il impaired to large number OF children Q
both sexes by u good system and under inteli
gent and faithful instructors, aud that the Who'll
is worthy the patronage of the Council. The n
port further states that the Lancasterian syster
has long since been abolished. III the school Is e
feSting that good which the committee think.
4 ts..kr, 4