The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-18
phia, Boston, or Chicago. They will no
doubt visit cities nearer Of our population
some OF the following, for instance:

Louisville. lZ3.T0b
fDsrhSs DelrSit ilSs40
Milwaukee. 155S7
TS,lSence' aISsnH sa75s
Rochester. s9,3G6
Aleghany 1865
Jndanapolis. ........... 10. So
Eichmond T. ne xt In population. $4,000
lowell fow wweia.."'.'''.'................ Ss475
Worcester 5s291
Troy 56747
Cleveland Is the eleventh city in the
Union. Pittsburgh twelfth, and the others
above follow in regular sequence. Rich
mond Is twonty-iifth in the line and Troy
twenty.ninth.
FOUR HALLS.
The advantage hoped for from such a
VISIT north is that when the committeeman
come to Judge OF the plans submitted they
will he the better Informed. The plans
themselves cannot be made till the COM
peting architects are informed, rs they VIII
be by the City Engineer, how many rooms
will be needed. -Four large balls viii cer-
\ tainly be renuired-One for the Council
and three fol court-rooms-and many
smaller rooms for offices. Ii is these halls
that make a public building cost. They
neccssitate heavy walls and heavy iosts,
|
while the whole building ought to be fire
proof, as ii were, the rooms for court re-
cords must be specially so, and ought TO be
burglar-prcof, too, in fair degree.
MATERIAL.
! With the amount OF money at or con-
troll it is out OF the question to think Of 4
City II,ll built OF tnely-drCssed granite.
The custom-house here cost s2j0.000. and
it is hardly half the size we need. Our
old City Han, which was miserable as to
roominess and material, was of handsome
design. The stone OF the iacings and col
umns was Potomac frcestone, and was soft
and easily cracked. Some OF it was re-
dressed and used in the facings of the Ely
building on Twelfth street. occupied by
\. l.. Elicit x Co.
| While finely-dressed granite is out OF the
question. 4 building OF picked granite, or
rubblc work. may not be. and either oi
these would we'll become the Gothic style
Of architecture.
THE BONDS.
Talking about bonds, the proposition tO
issue City-IIall bonds of denominations as
low as S2j and Sj0.seems n good one.
When the last water-wOrks bonds Were
issued the same proposition was made. The
Council said "nay" then, but it was dis
tinctly promised that in the next large is
sue of city bonds Baby Bonds should be
provided for.
What j. the objection?
There is one decided adyantagc-that Is.
that city bonds would then go into the
hands OF hundreds, where they now 20
into the hands OF tens, and consequently
there would be 30 many more people ldcn-
titled with the city in Il moneyed way, and
there would be so many more TO watch and
warn against causcieSS expenditures and
reckless appropriations.
RICHMOND HISTORY.
Several papers have recently referred to
the fact that Richmond has been long dis
reoardiul OF her interests i'm failing t.
make known TO the world the advantages
she possesses as place OF residence and As
a business centre It's so. What l. more,
our modcsty has been mi>cOn>trued, and
because we have failedtO brag Is many other
cities have done it has been imagined by
uniformed persons that we are making no
progress, and. in fact, have nothing 10
brae about. In view Of this condition OF
affairs it is respectfully suggested that in
layng the cornerstone OF the new City
Hall we should select a. the orator OF the
occasion some gentleman who will under
take to review somewhat the city's history
and give an account OF her present cOndi-
ton and future prospects. In this way We
might truthiully present To the world Il fail
picture OF what Richmond is. and not lay
ourselves open to the objection OF purSu-
ing ihe Dragging methods unhappily now
20 common elsewhere.
ELECTRIC LIGHTS.
That we are TO have IA City Hall i now
fixed. That we will have electric light
for streets and parks is also pretty well de-
termincd on 10y the people. y few inter
cstcd folks may kick against il for awhile
but they viii have TO give away in the end
There was the same fight against gas by tai
low-candle makers. There was the same
fight against railroads by the prOprietOrs o.
stage-cOach lines.
All the same. it is the duty Of the city moi
to surrender unadyiScdly to any one elec
tric-llght company. II ought TO hear iron
al before closing with any; hut we ought
not to 5e made to suffer much longer the
repIoach Of being called "Richmond. The
darkest city in the Union" That viii
drive people away. IT is alleged that peO'
Die come here from all parts OF the country
TO see our railroad depots, and they all &c
away SAYING, "Well, never saW anything
like them before: but they will hardly
come here 10 lose their way in the darf
and get drowned in the dock. No, tha
would be asking too much.