Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-03
Richmond md the Legislature.

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The meeting here Of our state i-egis-
lature tomorrow will have an especial
local interest, because, among other
things. the two houses will be called upon
to amend our city charter. on the one
hand. The CITY Council asks for the cur
tailment OF the powers OF the Board or
Public interests; on the other. 1t Is IN
derstood that many OF our best ciuzens
will urge that new commissions be Great
ed 10 control municipal departments
now under the charge of committees OF
the City Council
We expect that, first and last. the mu-
nicipal affairs Of Richmond will occupy
much of the time And our city senators
and delegates will find themselves under
a cross-fre They Will have TO choose to
be advised by the City Council or by the
citizens who will appear TO antagonize
the proposition Of the City Council.
IL would have been well had the city
Council abided In good faith the results
of the last Democratic primary In the
matter of charter amendments. The
people then uprose and with mighty
voice Numbered forth their wishes as
TO the charter. Had the opponents or
charter change won by a small majority
only, the City Council, as we have said
before might very well have imagined
that IL was RS duty to do as II Is doing;
but. in view OF the emphatic primary
vote. the City Council should have been
content to LEI well enough alone.
No other two departments of the city
government have been so satisfactorily
managed as the Police and Fire depart
ments. Their management has given our
people high opinion of the commission
system. Our commissioners are men who
were nominated to the City Council by
the Board of Public Interests, and are
therefore more independents of political
influences than councilmen or council
committeeman are. This independence
enables the commissioners to be service
able in many ways that committeeman
cannot be. For one thing, 1hey can insti-
tute economical measures without the
fear Of being voted out Of Office at the
next tItAtlOUs ltt Itif VIC nav '''N
City Council requesting the city senator's
AMI delegates TO take away from the
Board OF Public Interests the power TO
nominate commissioners. and give the
City Council absolute Swing in the
matter The City Council thus mot very
modestly) says: 1--WE can do ever so
much better than the Board Of Public In
terests" We call for the proof what
committee of the City Council has man
aged the affairs of its department better
than the Police and Fire departments
have been managed? All. but it will be
said that the city Council does rot
propose 10 abolish the commissions.
Right They do not; but 1t proposes to
make the commissioners hold office en-
tirely at the will of the City Council.
So. after all. the new-fangled commits
sions will not be very much more indie
pendent of the City Council than the
committees are.
1t is to be hoped thar our Richmond
legislators will move cautiously In ask
ing for the change that the City Council
0ffndnuS. III lnlS HnhtltI We lftl Suic
that the Council is not supported by the
intelligent masses OF Richmond. Indeed.
between a proposition to add to and an
other to diminish the powers OF the City
Council we believe thar the latter would
be approved by the people by large
| majority. At this particular time the
| City Council is not strong in popular IA
vor. The investigation at the gas-works
does not show that the business Of that
| department was well managed. The
| City Council, for some years past, has
not given that department the careful SUI
pervision that IL ought to have given 1t.
/ To say the least. il is a bold move OF
our City Council TO appeal to the Legis-
lature at this time to enlarge its powers.
A public meeting will soon be held
in the hall OF the Chamber of Commerce
TO consider the subject of municipal com
/ missions and, until 1t is heard from,
we take 1t for granted that neither ouI
senators nor our delegates will make any
movement with respect TO charter
changes