The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-03-16
work Ar THE CAPITOL.
The Proposed Reorganizatton or the
Police zBoard. -sa

The Proposcd REORGANIZATION or the
Police fBoard. rs Z,
49,, ----- I t.s,r-
MEETING oE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON
COUNTIES, oFIEs, AND TowNS-RICH-
MoND POLICE Discussed : THE FIGHT
aopENED-FREs OF sERGEANTs, sHERIFFs,
AND OFFICERS OF PoL1CE-THE CAUCUS
LAST NIGHT-PUBLIc WAREHOUSE
:LEAsEATHE CANAL BILL. &C. =
The Senate COMMITTEES ON Counties, Cities,
and Towns (Mr. Flnnev, chairman,) met in
the Registers Office, Capitol building, yes.
terday morning at 10s O'Clock, to consider
the bill referred toit, proposing to 80 amend
the charter of Richmond: as to re0rganize
the Police Board. The bill is in gu bstance
the same as that recommended by the Com
mon Council, and which was lost in the
Board of Aldermen by. a tie vote. Judge
Guigon, Mayor Carrington, Police-Justice
White, Judge Meredith president Of the
Board of Aldermen), General j. r. Ander-
son (president OF the Common CounciD, and
q number OF councilmen were present by
invitation There was petition, signed
by about seYenty-five or one hundred we'll
known citizens and by some others, praying
|forthe passage OF the bill, referred to the COM
inittee with the bill itself. The small num-
Der Of signatures attached to the petition
was unfavorably commented upon by oppo-
.nents Of reorganization.
Mayor Darlington stated that the men,
bers OF the Police Board were present, but
did not propose to say anything, il ut all,
until the petitioners side was presented.
For his part, he asserted and deted contra
-. ~, ~ Spt1 onY1H
was as faithful and effective as any in the
country, and he believed it would be wise
to leave we'll enough alone.
| General Anderson made the opening
statement in favor of the bill. He expressed
the belief that the measure was approved by
nearly all Of our citizens who are out OF
politics. The object intended to be accom-
plished was to prevent municipal affairs
being SO largely controlled by policemen,
and to make the Police Board perfectly in
dependent Of the police. BE enlarged upon
this view, and gave as the result OF bis OBJ
servation and experience the opinion that
at present the choice of councilmen and city
officers is in great degree determined by the
influence exerted by the police force.
Judge Guigon said the general complaint
OF citizens with whom he had spoken to on
this subject was that the police OF the city
interfered too much with politics, and in
stead of being policemen they were politi-
clans. They certainly had great political
influence, and they made Use OF If. His
idea was that the police should haYe nothing
to do with the politics OF the city, and Just as
soon as they interfered at any election they
should be dismissed.
Judge Guigon said further that the prac-
tice of rewarding political favorites with ap-
pointments to the force was quite natural,
and was unavoidable in the present system,
yet was highly preiudicial to the city's in;
| terests. He declared that some OF the best
and some of the worst men he knew were
members OF the force.
Police-Justice White interrupted Judge
Guigon to ask him il he meant to say that
these bad men had been appointed through
fraud, OF that they were appointed by the
present Board. '-1 '.. - g..
| Judge Guigon replied that he meant to
saw that they were appointed through poll
tical influence. When tbeywere appointed
he could not say On that point he had not
| informed himself.
| Alderman Pickrell briefly endorsed the
bill and was authorized to say the same for
Mr.. PulIiam, who had been present, but who
had been compelled to leave.
Judge Meredith presented oil the argu-
lrnents that have heretofore been used against
the proposed change in an eloquent and
forcible manner. He characterized the plan
yestipg the power Of nomination OF commits
sioners in the judges as unjust to the Coun-
ell and to the people whom the Council rep
resented, and maintained that the police did
not exert in city politics the wonderful
power ascribed to them. He didn't believe
that six citizens could be found, with posi-
ton and qualifications necessary, to accept
places on the Board without pay. In case
any change was determined upon Judge
Meredith expressed bis desire to see the bill
so tar amended as to allow the Board to be
constituted OF councilmen or OF citizens
chosen by the Council, without nomination
from any quarter.
AS to the impossibility Of securing six
citizens to serve as commissioners, General
Anderson, in bantering way, pointed out
the fact that Judge Meredith not only served
without pay az police commissioner, but
also as alderman. He believed that there
were other equally patriotic citizens here.
Judge Meredith said there was this differ
ence: Three or four thousand OF his fellow
citizens had honored him with their votes
and requested his services, and that he felt
bound 10 obey their call; but that in the
other case there would be no such honor
the appointee would be honored only by the
appointment Of Judge Guigon.
At - O'Clock the committee arose to meet
this morning at the same place (Mo!or Boy
kin's office 1T 1880 O'Clock. 1t is under
stood that Colsnel John 81. Guy will speak
this morning in favor Of the bill. -.
During the proceedings yesterday there
was little misund derstanding between Sena-
tor Moffett and Police-Justice White, which
o1.sp 1o6 cnan6ilU
PAY OF sHER1FFs, sERGEANTs, AND POLICE.
The following bill has been reported from
the Joint special Committee on the Revision
of the Criminal Laws:
1.Be it enacted by the General Assembly
of Virqinia, That sections 33, 35, and 81 OF
chapter $50 OF the Code of Virginia OF 1873
| be amended md reenacted so as to read as
| follows:
Section SO. To sheriff or any other Of
ficer, for an arrest for felony, one dollar; !;
and for conveying any person charged with
or convicted Of felony to Jail, or from one
Jail to another, for each mile Of travel in
going and returning, ten cents. The Of
hcer shall. also be allowed for the support
of the prisoner during the. removal, and Tor
assistance to make the arrest or effect the
removal, such charge as may have been
ueCce SdtilJ py Ahu, W DS~saS"h
/ by his own affidavit; and where he has as
,sistance, by the affidavit also OF the per-
son employed by him, such charge for
assistance not to exceed, where it is
III making an arrest, seventy-fve cents
per day for each person employed to
assist him. The said officer shall also be
allowed for conveying any person convicted
of felony to the penitentlary three dollars
per day for each day during the removal Of