The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-01-25

CUssIoN ABOUT DETEcT1vEs-A PRoPo-
SITION FOR THEIR REAPPCTNTMENT
DEFEATED-THE NEW FIRE DEPART
MENT oRDINACE Discussed, BUT POST
PoNED UNTIL wEDNEsDA1-REs1GN
TON OF COLONEL ALBERT oRDWAY-
OTHER BUSINESS.
A meeting of the Board of Aldermen was
held yesterday afternoon In the Council
Chamber. Present at roll. call: Messrs. Bass,
Bean, Darlington, Kellam, Lipscomb, Manly,
Scott, Smith, Tanner, Todd, Yanderyall,
Wagner, Williams, and Zimmer-14.
The body was called to order by Mr.. L. L.
Bass, and on his motion Mr.. W. E. Tanner
was called to the chair.
STREETS.
Mr.. Todd, from the Committee on Streets,
presented memorial addressed to the Gen.
eral Assembly of Virginis, asking that Bel
videre street, fronting on the penitentiary
lot belonging to the State, be widened by the
removal Of the fence on said street, and to
grant 10 the city strip Of ground six feet
wide to make Belvidere and Byrd streets the
uniform width Of fifty feet. The committee
also presented resolution directing copy
Of the memorial to be sent to our delegates
in the General Assembly. Agreed to.
FINANCE REPORT.
Mr.. Scott, from the Committee on flnance,
reported the following:
Resolued fthe Common Council con-
curring), That S110.62 be allowed and order
ed to be paid to John F. Regnault, City Col
lector, being five per cent. on S2,2l2:o6 col
lected by him of delinquent personal taxes
of 1874. Agreed to-
Resolved (the Common Council concur
ring), That S4.2O be refunded to Thomas Il.
Briggs for taxes OF 1873 and 1874, on proper,
! ty on Fourth street erroneousiy assessed ana
sold by the Collector in the name OF Smith ano
| Wiukers, and purchased by said Briggs, anc
that thirty dollars be refunded to William d.
Valentine. being the tax for 1875 on S2,000
of city bonds enormously reported to the
commissioner of the revenue. Agreed TO-.
| Resolved, That the following petitions be,
and the same are hereby, rejecteG-yiz Ol
John G.. Gibson, for reduction of assessment
on improvements on lot on Graham street !:
| of A, D. Williams, for refund OF Tatable
proportion of tax Of 1875 on building on
Rockets street destroyed by fire on 9th of
July, 1876; of NJ. c. Hagerty, for reduction
| of assessment on house on TWenty-eightb
street between Broad and. Grace streets and
| of Trucheart e. Keenan,, propreors OF the
! Euentnq Journal, for reduction lp personal
tax bill of 1874 to correct alleged error IN as
SeSSment.
On motion of Mr.. Kellam the petitions Of
! Messrs, Hagerty and Trueheart & Keenan,
were stricken from the last resolution and
the subject recommitted to the committee.
The rest of the report was agreed to-.
PRINTING AND ADVERTISING.
Mr.. Williams, from the Committee on
Accounts and Printing, reported joint reso-
luton for the payment OF sundry bills ;
which was agreed to.
THE DETECTIVES.
| Mr.. Bass, from the Committee on Ordi-
nances. reported adversely upon an ordl-
nance providing for the appointment of spe-
cial detectives for the city.
| Mr.. Darlington moved to reject the report
Of the committee, and for the adoption Of the
ordinance in question.
Mr.. Kellam said that he thought that the
proper course for the ordinance to take
would be to refer the subject to the Police
Committee, He read a letter from Mayor
Kelley stating that in bis view of the matter
it was absolutely necessary to have Well
regulated small detective force.
Mr., Kellam's motion to refer to the Police
Committee was los:-ayes, 4; noes, H..
MIR. Bass sent to the clerks desk letter
from Judge Guigon, stating that in his Juds'
ment it was not necessary TO nave detec'
tive force; that they we're rather an oostrhc'
ton to public justice and hindrance to the
punishment Of crime, DC.
MIR. Darlington rose TO repel the inSinua.
ton in Judge Guigon's letter against those
as honorable men as are on the Dench or Oh
of II, He thought that Mayor Kelley, Jus.
tice White. and Mejor Poe were highly hon
orable gentlemen, and they had said that
tbev thought it was necessary TO have de.
tectiye force. He thought that the detective
was the truest man to his employer IN all the
list of people in this country that tnere
had been a smaller number OF conVictlons OF
detectives than any class OF people, from tne
minister of the gospel down 70 the mum.
hIast indiyid,1al in this land; that the jailors
of This land have let loose len prisoners for
hr;he to one criminal act of detective.
Mr.. Manly said he could not vote for the
. ordinance. No other men have the same
temptations offered them that surround the
detectives. A man loses watch valued al
. one hundred dollars. He offers reward OF
thirty dollars for it the thief offers him nfty
F dollars. That is the way the matter Is Dai
II auced, and the man never gets his Watcn
back. That is the way he is true to Dis em'
, ployers. He thought that it would be detrl
mental to the interest Of the city to employ
detectives, and he would therefore vote
against employing any detective.
The report Of the committee was adopted
(which kills the ordinance to appoint detec
tives) by the following vote:
AyEs.-Messrs Bass Beall. Forester. Lips comb
Manly, Scott, Tanner, Todd' wagner anu WE
KoSEs.0Messrs Darlington, Kellam' Vanderval'
and Zimmef-4. ,. c-.,,h o,>,,r
| ABSENT OR NOT TVoTING.-hessfS' oii'''' 9f""s
enburg, and Meredith.
| JAMES RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
Mr., Wagner, from the Committee on the
Improvement of James River, laid before
the Board the annual report of the Engineer
of James River Improvement; Which, or
his motion, was ordered to be printed.
FROM TIE COMMON c,UNcIL.
Common Council joint resolution allowing
the claims of j. D. Wood and Others for ser
vice on coroners' juries were taken up aEo
concurred in.
Common Council joint resolution trans
ferring $500 from account of discount and
interest TO account Of contingent fund was
taken up and concurred in.
Common Council Joint resolution for lay.
ing new sidewalk on Seventeenth street
from the scale-house to fish market was taken
upand concurred in.
| Common Council joint resolution for pay.
ment of salaries and compensation OF city
officers and employes 1st OF February, 1876,
was taken up and concurred in.
Common Council joint resolution trans
forrinp SiGO fr1m account of elections to &C.