The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-06-20
The park-The Committee.

Quite unicues--AQeTe so'u''~aA 49, - . !. i
they took place looked to some SOFT VI ue,
liberation upon the question OF park', ana
% snr,. report as 70 the result OF those de-
s,s-s,,ons-if against park, the reasons
.h.,efor and Ii in favor Of one. plan Tor
;.s construction. If this is not fair inter
rretat;on of the meaning of the resolution,
we should like to know what is. Here IS the
resolution rs adopted by the City Council on
Monday the 9th instant:
"Resolped, That 1t is cur duty to at once
MAN. Law out, and construct 6rst-eisss pIp-
tic mark in the immediate vicinity OF the Guy,
Of such magnitude as to afford drive 70 anu
from and within It's extent OF seYeral mlies,
and diversified with field, wood, ana water
scenery: and to that end that a cofnmittee oi
seven members Of the CITY Counciis CONSIST
ing of one from each Waro ana d chaEthth,
he annoipted to devise and perfecta scheme |
snd Man for perfeSting such work and OBJ |
rsin,n,, the means therefor !; and that the city |
or town Of Manchester and the Chamber Of
Commerce Of Richmond are invited TO APP |
7,oint a ike committee to confer with and
ala in devising and carrying out such pro- |
iec.; and that the said committee report with |
in one month" raf
In accordance with, the resolution invita-
t,ons were sent, to the authorities Of Man.
chester and TO the Chamber of Commerce to
meet the committee and take part in its de
alterations. These Invitations were ac-
cepted, and committees from both the in
yted bodies were present on Wednesday
evening to unite in the consideration Of the
question.
What was donef Why, after discursive
debate, which consisted mainly Of denuncia-
r;ons Of the park, the: subject was referred
back to the Richmond City Council for
further instructions, gentlemen declaring
that they did not understand what the
Council intended they should do! Upon
the question Of doing nothing and reporting
bsck the resolution of course the invited
committees gave no vote, and they were
permitted to 60 as they came, their errand
being entirely fruitless. A singular end to q
convention Of gentlemen very clearly called
together to do specific thing. The late
Judge THOMPSON finding In one of his courts
case involving very small sum of money
and a large volume Of testimony called the
li.igants together and suggested to them
that thew relieve the court of it. and that'th
matter should be referred to mutual friends
FOR adir $tment. The. papers were handed to
gentleman who undertook the care OF
them, and the parties retired. Failing to
agree the custodian of the papers returned
them with these remarks: "Take the pa
"uers. Judge; we've been goseonding and
chaterizing, and broke up in Dustin de mu-
ntinv.o And. this is q fair description of
the action of the committee on the park on
Wednesday.
Mr.. TALBOT said all Richmond was park
a novel fact; for if it is, it is park without
a city, and park in which there are foun-
dries, and FORCES. and mills, and courts, and
yrog-sbops, and restaurants, and chandler
shops, and junk-dealers, and drays, and
shaye-tai mules and niggers," and i'll which
The means Of rest and recreation are hard
work.
Mr.. DAVENPORT wanted improved county
roads. which we would be glad to see; but
which he would find it an uphill business
TO get the people of Richmond to construct.
Mr.. WnITLocK was indignant at the idea
that the people on one side of the city should
have their hnds enhanced in value by park
and those OF the other sides not derive that
advantage; and this is point that we should
make note of. Localities for parks are Sc
lected for their natural advantages, and Mr..
WaITLocx by arraying private interests in
opposition to this natural guide places per-
petual obstacle in the way of a public park.
Did any one ever hear of q park running all
around city? of hedging in city by such
public grounds?
And here we take occasion to enter our
protest against this mode of opposing propo-
sitions for the general good. It springs from
avarice and jealousy combined, which, if sue
cessfully exerted, must defeat improvement
in al DIRECTIONS. This spirit is ever vigilant,
bu. always wrong. It hesitates not to de-
feat the greatest enterprises, when it can,
through fear of sectional and sometimes even
@! personal injury to very few citizens, |
when the success Of those enterprises would |
rebound to the material benefit of those very |
localities and persons. For, as we have be-
fore said, the prosperity of city is like the
SAD Of the tree dilfusing itself in every part |
and every extremity. Take tfe park, for
Instance, which, through its good must add to |
the consequence and thrift of the city, no |
matter where it be located: it is just as
accessible to tho people in one part of city
as to thoseof another, by means of the pre-
sent means OF travel. Shall'we have no such |
public blessing because of this jealousy Of
the sections: The spirit is q bad one, and |
should be discouraged universally. Wher-
ever it prevails it cripples commerce and re-
taIds the growth Of population. And what
do those who indulge it gains They fret
their brief hour as ephemera, and die with
no better consolation as citizens than that |
they may have accumulated little money |
by thwarting the public good and that even
that little money they leave behind, going
naked out of the world as they came into
it. Their minds may by such time be dis
turbed by the reflection that that little sum
might have been larger had they helped a
little more to promote the public good and
increase the general prosperity. The policy
controlled by this spirit will never make a
great city--never achieve any great public
work for the promotion Of the comfort and
happiness of society.
Mr.. McCANcE wanted wharves and river
improvements; which we ought to have. and