Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-03-13
WILL HEAR GRIMES.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAoE)

dence. Now, If the Council votes upon
those nine resolutions which nave Jus.
been read by your clerk, and then SENDS IL
out to the city Of Richmond before tne
Grimes evidence has been heard tnat you
have adopted al OF their conclusions.
what would be worth to him the OPP
portunity TO be heard after you had con-
demned him? II would be like giving
man chance to introduce evidence ana
have a trial after you have hung him.
RESOLUTION TO HEAR TESTIMONY
Immediately following Captain Wises
remarks. Mr.. Bloomberg, observing So
luton OF the body's troubles. moved that
the resolution with the ten recommenda-
lions be laid on the table. This was
agreed to, and the Clerk then read reso-
luton No. -, from the Committee on In
vestigation, which was as follows;
BE IL resolved by the Common Counci
| OF the city Of Richmond. That your COM
mittee feel constrained In the light OF the
/ evidence before them TO recommend tnat
Mr.. Grimes be called to the bar OF the
] Common Council, of which branch ne Is
now a member; that he be asked whether
] ne desires to offer any evidence to dis
prove that submitted by your committee
| and that the Common Council. after hear
| ing such evidence as Mr. Grimes may
| offer, shall, II Mr. Grimes fail to dis
prove the above charges, and the evil
! dence herewith submitted In support OF
them expel him by vote from among Its
members.
This resolution was adopted without a
dissenting vote.
THE QUESTION OF HEARING.
Mr. Diacont asked If 1t was in order
| here to offer a resolution providing
| special committee to hear Mr.. Grimes's
witnesses. Mr.. Caskie. who filed the
| chair at that time, announced that he
| would decide that such step could not
| be taken until after Mr.. Grimes had an
nounced whether or not he would like TO
introduce evidence to disprove the
charges. The Chair then called the Mar
shall-Ward member to the bar, and asked
him If he wished to bring forward wit
| nesses.
Mr.. Grimes repeated what he had said
before, and urged the Council to give him
a committee from that body 10 hear his
case. He said he could not get fifteen
or twenty gentlemen together in an eve
ming, and the Common Council would
not care TO hear them II he had them on
hand. The Marshall-Ward member stated
| that It took the Committee on Investi-
CATION six months to complete It's work,
and he thought he should be given some
time to present his defence. Mr.. Grimes
| reiterated the assertion that he had no
opportunity to appear before the commit
tee with witnesses.
Mr.. Grimes said IL IL had not been for
his watchfulness the committee would
have had him charged with 1000 bushels oil
shells taken from the city, of which he
had no knowledge. He said there were
charges in the reports which he could
prove were not facts He was willing ID
20 before the city and show that his
record was clear. He would Ike to take
the report from the very beginning and
sift II through to the end. He said he
had been on the Light Committee himself
for eight years, and knew its workings
He had never been offered / cent In re-
| gard to q contract.
VOTED AGAINST HIS OWN INTE.
REST.
| Mr. Grimes asserted that he had stood
| up in the committee and voted to dis
charge fourteen men at the works, nine
of whom owed him money, amounting &c
over $3.50 Who in the Council would have
stood up and voted away his money In
that way?" he asked. He referred tc
other contracts, and said the lowest bid
ders had not always been given the work
The committees always acted upon tnt
advice of the Superintendent in thes'
matters. II the matter OF contracts Wa
gone into, and all members OF the Coun
ell who had been interested in such II
the history of the body were brought for
. ward. the chamber would not be larg'
enough to hold them.
FOR A SPECIAL COMMITTEE.
% a a. re
. marks Mr.. Dlacont offered the follown
resolutions:
Resolved That a committee Of seve
members OF the Common Council b
appointed by the president to hear test
mony in the matter of the recon
mendation of the joint committee c
this body and the Board Of Alderme
concerning Mr.. John II. Grimes, men
Der Of the Common Council, and tina
said committee be empowered to sen
! for persons and papers.
, This matter provoked the most e,
cited discussion, Mr.. Wallerstein b'
ginning the argument against the adoI
, ton of the resolution. He said tina
f, according to his construction OF u
i previous resolution, Mr.. Grimes woul
have to disprove the charges befoi
: the Common Council, and not before
committee thereof.
THE COMMITTEE ATTACKED.
Mr. Carter spoke in advocacy OF ii
: resolution offered by Mr. Dlacont an
. Mr.. Gunst addressed the Council ,
k length, saying that there appeared
be disposition on the part of SON
. members OF the Council and the alto
news Of Mr.. Grimes to attack n
J. Committee on Investigation. Mr.. Gun
said that the committee had spent
great deal of time and labor In inve
a tigatlng the matters pertaining to Il
! gas-house inquiry. He felt confident TIL
e the members OF that commits
= had worked faithfully and without pref
dice TO any one.
d Mr.. Donleavy asked number
2 questions relative TO the inquiry pr
a per. II would like" he said, Ito a.
e the chairman Of the Committee on /
vestigation IL 1t did not hold its sc
no sions In secret?''
"rhey were not, sir: those meetin
y were open 10 everybody" replied N
= Gunst.
- WAS not that report adopted while {
committee was holding its sessions b
hind closed doors?" inquired the Ma
i shall-Ward member.
II Mr.. Gunst then explained that I
l. committee did make up It's report viii
r in secret session, but argued that
II Grimes had been given ample opportuni
to be heard He had been summon
p 10 appear before the committee
"a every meeting at which any matter
At volying his name was TO arise. TT
n was borne out by a statement of (
K City Attorney.
Mr.. Diacont asked Mr. Gunst II
- could show by the record before
y, Council where a single witness for y