Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-01-23

ing OF my steam and you blowing Oh
yours, after which 1 went my way re-
lOicing. and you went yours
Nov, I'll tell you what said 60 Mr..
Snead. met him on a steet-car and
got TO talking TO him. told him that
Rountree had said that the Mayors
salary would not be touched and that
had said TO him that wanted mine re-
duced il other city officials were cut
down."
Where is there q person in the
world who would assert that such .
conversation was in the nature of a
bribe2 And again:
Upto this point Mr.. Rountree had
listened To the Mayor in silence, only
giving evidence OF HE feelings by the
pallor OF his countenance. He now
broke i'm and asked:
Where did that conversation be-
tween us take placer"
Il think IL was at the corner OF Gov
esnor and Franklin" replied the May
or.
Il deny emphatically." said Mr..
Rountree, with great emphasis, that
| ever said anything about the Mayors
salary"
Henry you did" said Mayor Tay-
lor in loud tone. III l were never
going TO sea my wife and children
aga n l would assert that it is So"
II most emphaticaliy deny that re-
ferred TO the salary of the Mayor"
said Mr.. Rountree again. Il do moi
see how l could have done so for have
criticised the salary OF the Mayor more
III ,a( n
For services rendered, the Mayor
should not get any salary, bur il the
Mayor would do his duty as laid dowr
by the City Ordinances, he would vel
earn his salary.
ibid ever come to see you while
the ordinances were in your haDds?'
continued Mr. ROuntree.
No, sir; you did not" replied the
Mayor.
But Mr.. RoUNrREE clinched bis de
NAL by the following statement:
AT the time that the conversation
occurred between us on that street, ,
went on Mr. Rountree, "the ordi
Dances reducing the salaries of certain
city officials were not in existence, anC
l could not therefore. have said any
thing to you about not vetOing them
They were then being considered
by the subcommittee / knew tina
| you had vetoed the ordinance reduc
ing the salary of Mr. Knowles, and
asked your reason therefor, as I knew
the subcommittee was working alon,
the same line, and their labor would
be thrown away il you we're goirg {,
veto the ordinances recommended b,
tenn. You told me that il 1 woulI
come to your Office you would tell m
why you had vetoed the ordinance re
ducing the salary of Mr.. Knowles.
l will swear" continued Mr.. Roun
tree impressively, rising 10 his feet
that never in my life have rsferre,
to the Mayors salary except in tn
public manner l have mentioned"
Mayor TAYLOR must have felt tn
absurdity of his position hen he said
Il don't charge you with trying t
bride me, for / don't believe you in
tended it that way, bat you certainl
said in a dictatorical manner that
must not veto the ordinance, for m
salary would not be touched. No, sill
you certainly said shat"
The above disposes OF the Who'll
question for he admitted that no al
tempt had been made to bride hir
and that statesman" Snead ha
blundered as usual in his spread-eagl
attempt to make it appear so.
1t is we'll that the matter was inves
tigated thoroughly and that the May
or has been made to confess the falsit
OF the allegations.
The head of our city government hs
always posed as the leader of th
white. n-bucket brigade" Tbs
element is solidly in favor OF a cut i
the salaries of what they consider tn
high-paid officials. Mayor TAYLo
hoped TO blind them to the real issu
by raising the race cry. He has sig
nally failed and his last condition
worse than the first. 'Twould be we
for the Mayor to remember that
art is long, and time is ieeting,
And our hearts though stout an
brave,
Still, like nutfied drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave"