The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-05-24
TApyxRrrssMENT.1

To the Editors Of the Richmond Enquirer
Dear sirs 10 reading Mr. D. J. Saundefs' card
In your paper OF Saturday, found that ne had
misrepresented me a. we'll NJ the COMMITTEES, no
| doubt unintentionaliy. l addressed him note
| on Saturday, calling bis attention TO the second
section Of bis card, and requested MIN 10 coIrect
IL In your next paper. Not having heard from
him, or seen any correction In your paper OF 10
day, | am under the necessity OF appearing IN
| your paper for the purpose OF placing myself and
| the whole Committee right before ths public
The section reads thus;
secondly. Yeu state that the Committee on Light
proceeded to discharge duty deyolved upon them
| by the Council. and appointed Mr. Hagerty; and
that was the rub will state, for the Information
| hes been nv course en- this subject. As soon a.
heard that Mr. Wypne had accepted OF the appoint
ment Of superintendent OF the petersburg rallroao
| Saw Mr. Hill, Chairman of the Committee on Light
and several others Of said committee ana stated 70
them that Mr. Wynne was aeiing In violation OF the
ordinance and there ought TO be some action taken
by the committee on the subject that If they wished
| to continue MIR Wynne, that the Council should
change the ordinance. Mr. Hill called a meeting OF
| tbs committee and the committee decided to con-
| tInue MIR Wynne, as am informed. He was CON
tinued In Office by the committee from some time In
January until a.ier the election In April at which
time MI Hill offered the resolution which is pub
lished in the Enquirer" of to-day. which is in these
words:
Reserved, That the Committee on Light be author
| lied to appoint Superintendent o. Gas during the
interval of the contested election now before the
Wnen Mr. Hill offered that resolution he stated
| that the object was to continue Mr WyDne in office
until the contest cl sed and the committee wished
to get the authority from the Council. large ma
ority of the Council never would have vot-d for the
resolutions if they had supposed that the committee
would have placed either ct the part
making it to their interest to delay the hnal com,
pleton Of the contest ! say for my self have had
| confined to my bed at the time his communication
| to the committee WAS made,
Now. I have to say that the Committee was
| HI hat nj fr(
the LIST of January until the Goth March; that all
| the meetings were the regular meetings required
| by the ordinance, and that no action was ever
taken; or was the subject of appointing Mr.. Wynne
ever brought before the committee at any time, be-
fore my resolution of the 18th of April was passed
by the Council. For the truth Of this statement,
the committee and the records OF the committee
proceedings will bear out. The records are kept
by d. ]. Saunders, Jr. (the son of the PresdenD
aud there not one stroke of pen on that subject
in them.
I admit that Mr.. Saunders did tell me that Mr..
Wyune WAS violating an ordinance and he could
have brought the matter before the committee, but
he did not do So ! intended to bring the matter
before the committee soon rs MIR. Wynne made
ont his annual report which ought to have been
done by the 5th of March, bu. Mr.. Wynne did not
hand in his report until the 25th of March.
then called the committee on the Goth and the
Council on tho 2Sth of March-which was only
ten DAYS befor the e!ection-at which meetings
nothing was said about his being removed. Mr..
tiqu, I stated that it was to place Mr.. Wynne in
the Gas Works. do not recotct making such
"a statement although might have done So
| certainly did not expect to vote for any one
else than Mr.. Wynne. Bot, when he resigned,
l thought it cur duty to put some one in the
Works; and believe if he had sent his resgna~
ton to the Council, they would have appointed a
Superintendent pro tenn ADD think they ought
to have appointed one OF the two whom the people
EXPRESSED preference for st the polls cannot
conceive how Mr.. Hagerty could proloug delay
the Investigation Of the contested election by be-
Ing 10 the Gas Works, as majority Of the commit
| tee voted against him, and they could have fixed
| the time for closing the Investigation. The Conn
GILL at it's last meeting, xed the time for the 10Th
of june and refused to leave it to the committee,
so that they, having majority against Mr.. Has-
erty, could close it at any time. Nor do believe
| that the appointment of Mr.. Uagerty Superinten-
| dent pro ten, could make one vote good or bad.
The committee coul 1 not well go beyond the con-
testants because the people preferred one or the
other, and no competent man would take the place
for SO short time. So much, Messrs. Editors, in
| reply to MI Saunders card, and now permit me
| to give you some Of the facts 10 this case.
As before stated, when the resolution was offer
| ed, had no mention CT voting for any except
| hr. Wynne, as Superintendent pro temp0re Soon
| after the resolution ives pass ed l understood
! Mr. Wynne intended to resign, and when | saw
| him, asked him about it. He told me he would do
so. stated to him that felt relieved. as did not
wish to vote for a to violate an ordinance as
he had been doing for some time in accepting auo>
| ther appointment, while he was Superintendent
| of the Gas Works.
Mr. Wynue did cay to me that he wished to be
relieved from the duties of superintendent, and
| would resign.
On the 5th of May, I sent for Mr.. Wynne, re-.
questing him to call at my office, when would 20
| up with him to the meeting. Mr.Wynne called at
my Office, wrote his resignation, gave it TO aud
asked me if it was satisfactory. We went to the
| ComI.ittee meeting together and when his resg-
nation was offered aud received, he m ade no oh.
jection although Dr.. Mills called the Conn ittees
attention to the clause in the charter which re-.
auired him to hold on to the office.
| To questions asked him. he did state that if the
committee wished, he would remain and do tho
best he could; but the time Of the year had arrived
| when the works would require more time than be
could devote to them, and he thought 1t best 10
have man who coud give them his whole time.
The committee certainly thought that they were
| doing as Mr.. Wynne wished them to do.
cav Mr.. WynDe on Saturday, the 1th l GER
| tainy did not understand from him that he OBJ.
jected to or was displeased at the course of the
committee, but on the contrary thought he was
| pleased, for We had conversation on the subject
of jocuar character.
| On this occasion Mr. Wynne asked me what time
I expected to install Mr Hagert,a 1 informed
| him if did not leave Richmond would summons
the committee on Tuesday, the 10Th. lie said he
| would have the inventory made out, aud asked me
to send Mr. Hagerty down on Tuesday morning,
| which did.
The Council met on Monday the 9th; nothing was
| said about ii, and the committee, of course, sup
posed that if their action not satisfactory the
Council would at least not acquiese in it, aud al
| though was on a committee, with several mems
| bers, and the whole Council met on the 18TH |
| never heard one of them say that they dissppro-
we'd of our action until the meeting OF the Council
| on the 18th. except Or Mills and DR. Rodiey, who
expressed their disapprobation in the meeting of
| the Committee
When Mr. Wynne told me he would resign, l
said to him, that he would relieve me as well as
| the Committee, because, we did not wish to put a
man 10 the office who bad been, by cur sufferance
violating an ordnance which he had sworn he
| would obey.
will further state that 1 used all of my il Ia.
ence to get Mr. Wynne to resign.
| Iu his protest Mr. Wynne says be will not sur
| render the Gas Works to the Committee or the
| Council, but in his communication to the Council,
which was accidentally mslsid, he says he will
| give it up to the Council In any way or at any
| time they may Indicate
| If tbs Council comply with his reauest as the
Commit ee did. suppose he will send in another
protest dc not see what object Mr. Wynne has
| or what and Can be accemp ished If the Council
had no right TO delegate the power to tn Commit
tee it was busiDess o. his 70 be protestn against
their action, even if is Illegal when he has been
violating the ordinance himself and receiving the
profits OF that violation II at least comes with bad
grace fiem him. In all Of Mr. Wynne's communi.
cations to the Courci he he's yer ce stated
he did not consider the paper he haL ded me for the
Committee. was not his res ignation. be called it
by that nt M. and do not believe he will ever SAP
10 sny one. that he did not consider it absolute
and unconditional resignation, because I do not
believe be would dc ceiye me. who have stol up for
him against the attacks of some CT thu COMMITTEE
and even sgainst those of MIR D Saunders him.
self.
The Council in approving CT Mr. Wynne's course in
refusing to obey the directions of the COMMITTEES
have put Mr.. Wynne over the Committee, while the
ordinance puts him under the Committee. Upon the
ammo uncement Of this vote. and three other mem-
bers of the Committee on Light. felt bound TO re-
sign our seats as members OF that Committee.
Respectfully. NIB HILL
N B-Since writing tho above, have seen Mr.
Saunders and presume his correction will come