Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-17
dowed them with powers that they dic
not before possess
Judge Christian strongly favors
Them.

Judge Christian strongly favors
Them.
Just before TAXING his seat hr. bpps
asserted mat ne Would hot aedln ~
10 the Council unless hc were p..la =
saiaIy CONNIE usuratc WIN Jie NVih
which devolyed upon nlia. SAID ne.
con truthfully say That 40 al ny SCI.
m tnat BODY never got any t"ius uu'
"a silk NAT. and caught the ID because
l took that. , 800,
iinued laughter AS soon as II slnsiusu,
Judge Christian Was introduced anu
MADE the concluding speech. ,,,.,
After few words Of introduction
JUDGE Christian said ,
AS Is well known to most OF you, aiii
no new convert 10 the theory that lhe
systtm OF government by CvHhl7slVna
is far preferable 10 tnat b. committees
when later obtains m must OF tnt u
partmens OF this city. twenty !sai ,
ago. wnen / WAS In the city Couhcii'
drew ana was instrumental IN SIZE
passed the ordinances ESTABLISHING !"
boards OF Pubic Iu.tItsts ana Io-lue
Comm sslonors Seven years ago l nt p. d.
To u4a4l atl secure me pdssae- OF eh'
bal tstaDiia.ing the board OF re ,o4i'y
missiOutfs, ana in tDc niue duui 80
which / made two years ago, III tiie optn
lng OF TINS CHAMBER, 4 AGAIN edleu a.
tentOn TO the Importance OF making .hl9
change. " mise 1 was as wen si'iaii., .
tnen as | am now mat the 'cOminisslyii A.,
was lar pref -rdD.e to the eohllhi'tee' 80
was not prepared then, a. ] am now "
present that contrast between the i"o,
when ought TO be sufficient, 1 thlhh, u
convince the most sAepticai, not ohty ~, ~
the property OF the chdhbe' Dut VI ~
necessity Tor it
After disc.aiming any intention OF re,
hecLng on the personnel OF the huhiCipai
government, Judge Christian sdlu ihIn y
lne stamp ana characters OF Juuse sislS
dith Judge Crump, Peacny X. bidttdh'
Ioseph *. Anderson. Brad y T. Jonh-
son. James Aired Jones, Johh II. rus T,
JJnn Purcell, Isaac DdNcnpoit, JI' taf ~
~ Walker. Thomas W. Mc1dh.e' butloh
. ii,as- f. l. Glasgow, ANA Others Who
we're fsutiar figures 90 our clty .el--d-
.nre twenty years ago, are no" cohSp'e.u-
.us bs th..r aDsln,~, ana ."dt, go
.u0ugu We nave as sOOd ndt-I'ai n'Ae ~
.iaN from now a. SIZE ever nau .."e
.eumond was city the Judge ialG
Town the proposition mat mo- man hdh !"
lieut o. ave 30 "a commonly, anu thl'.
.Ae protection ana PRIVILEGES Oh us boe-
.rlmcnt ana us mdtefla4 4nu 7ocid vi
-AnlzaLOus without bcinG w.-in5 % j. 81.
n4s part Oi ,ne public burdens on lhd1
.oytrnm. nl aul those ora lnlldtoh-.
Judge Christian commenced "a. some
.-uItu oI the necessity for GOOd
government. and after quoting
uanN figures from the Auditor 3
reports TO show that the city
annual expenses are I'm excess OF her 100
lal revenues. JUDGE Christian assert u
hat there was meiy, ana mat it
vas the placing of thc mana sement OF tnt
apartments az the c'ty's Affairs un4-r
the control Of commissioners.
THE TWO FORMS CONrRAsTED.
The speaker next discussed some Of tn
inherent cNIiaC lcIisLlcs ff tne Two TOO Jus
of governm nt. He first took mp the
.oVcrmcnt 10y council. ard argued thar,
Each member of the Council is ass a.ri
l three or four different committee, cone
sequently has voice ana tdk.5 part
ID the control OF three or four Inherent
departments of Oh city. The conseq -en--
# this Us ,hat each IN mber has MS TN
and attention so Gis erred and dlss latrl
that he feels no src.ln. interest In any
one department. He hasn't the time
10 master the details of al, ana in con-
these details, instead Of being the 300 ster
Of The sup rlntCndcut n. the denartmcnt.
as cont mpia,ed, ne is frequently his
-erVaul.'
After some further discussion Of the
.omm.ttccman's duty Judge Christian
took up the argument III favor of COM
.nis sion Is. said he.
- small numb Of commissions Il
viii call them 'bOardsD-say five or six
would lv giving each board control OF
all the departments of a common or eF
quasi common nature, do the work OF
and dispense WIN twice -..r ..
Committee. &. q board of public
gas. water. streets. James river and
grounds and build.ngs-thus doing away
AT once with five committees. \ sanitary
l0ari might have control Of-say, health,
a mshOuse, cemeteries, charities, and
markets-thus doing away with five other
committees. \ board Of finance might
nave control Of finance. claims, and sala-
ries. and, accounts and public printing.
doing away with three other committees.
The Police and Fire commissions could
remain as now constituted, doing away
with the c0mmitte on Police, Fire
Alarm, and Police telegraph
The speaker referred 10 Memphis as
city governed by commissions, which had
prospered under such government. lie
then detailed some Of the many improve
ments which hove taken place in Rich
mond's Fire Department since 1855 when
~ was taken out OF the hands Of commit
tees and placed under the government Of
boards.
DARKNESS. RATHER THAN LIGHT
judge Christian called attention 10 the
administration by commute ~ the
Light Department. After giving details
Of expenditures since 1850. he character
ized the Light Department as one Of
darkness. and said;
THE city. II is said Is known 20 have
lost by peculatOn and ma administration
together. al least $4,000. and how much
more Will probably never DE known; and
these things seems 10 have been going
The committee. or anything having been
said about them Does any on, believe
this could ever have occurred with a
commission se.ec cited as the TWO We nave
are selected. with the publ eye centred
on il from the beginning 10 the end of It's
adm. nlslr4tiOn, and with no pledges made
10 the 'helers' 10 be redeemed; For one
] do not. And remember, too, my friends,
IN this connection, that the Gas Depart
ment is the only one that has yet been
investigated Whilst / don't know, and
therefore don't pretend TO charge. that
there Is anything wrong in any Of the
other departments, ! don't think IL rea-
sonablc 10 CONCLUDE. that the loose
ness'-to put II mildly-is confined TO one
department, but that where there is so
much that has already come TO light In
one, there IS apt TO be found that there
H. something rotten IN some of the
others. / can't prOlOng this part of the
discussion. If this exhibit Will not con-
vince you that the committee government
is failure then nothing Will"
NEED BETTER GOVERNMENT.
The speaker set forth that the city
Han. which, by a vote OF the people
was not 10 exceed $4,000 had by direc-
ton Of successive Council committees,
cost four times that amount. Advancing
"a step further, Judge Christian said: Not
only is the committee government In
my opinion. both vicious In principle and
bad in practice, and condemned, as l have
sad, by every publicist that / have been
able to consult. but, in my opinion, ami
ihat Of these same writer's. both The
executive and legislative branches OF our
city government are faulty in the eX-
IRENE, and the sooner We get rid Of
government Of this kind the better off we
will be- The Mayor. under our charter.
Is the merest figure head that can be
conceived Of. The legislative de-
partment of our city government Is. ia
my opinion, even worse in the way Il is
constituted than the executive is want