The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-10-12
OPPRESSED TAXPAYERS
SUPPRESS THE NEWS.
Was There Anything in the Meeting
to be Ashamed Of?


triouted over Roanoke yesterday, signed
by citizens of the Fifth ward, two of
them heiDg members of the City Council,
calling on the people of the Fifth ward t.,
assemble iu mass-meeting and consider
grievances under which they assume they
are suffering.
Primarily to get the ne as, secondly to
help the movement along ~ giving the
matter publicity, The Times sent u re-
porter to the meeting.
He was fatty denied admission.
whether or not by one in authority we are
unable to say.
why the reporter was denied the priv.
ile9e of getting an impartial report of
the meeting we are unable to state with
definite accuracy. The reason for star
chamber meeting of citizens held on a
matter of public interest is not very
plain BE that as it may, The Times dill
get report of That meeting and presents
1T to the consideration of our readers:
In the first place, there were Seventy.
five or eighty people present, and two
men were stationed at the stairway en-
trance, where they challenged everyone
not personally known to them who dared
to offer to go in. At about $50 the meet
ing was called to order and IT, ID. Shn-
mate was made chairman and Deputy
IL. L.
a number Of speeches were made re-
gardinP the grievances of the people of
the Fifth ward. DR. J. n. Strickland.
II member of Council from the Fifth
ward, spoke and he held to the opinion
that his constituency were going about
the matter In the wrong way. He said
That he wanted the people to understand
mat when it came to matter of his
ward receiving any benefits in any way
that he was with them and only wished
that they could have every improvement
asked for, but he did not think it wise
policy to go to work to condemn the ac-
ton of the City Council for not granting
their recent request rs to the expenditure
OF large sum of money on Third avenue
IL. w. The doctor does not believe that
such methods will gain the sympathy
and good will of the various members Of
the City Council. 1t is thought that DR.
Strickland was c'nservati .e. in his views
regarding the MATTER and while he does
not believe that the plans adopted are
Just and proper. yet he expressed himself
as being with his constituency so far as
anything could be properly gained which
would he n benefit TO the section of the
city which he represents.
1t is understood that every suggestion
of Councilman Strickland was turned
down, and some of the members of the
meeting actually condemned him for vot-
ing in Council for the appropriation
needed for repairing Campbell and Salem
avenues
Councilmen Coulbourn aud Newton
also made speeches advocating that the
people take steps to secure some re cogni-
tion from Council so far as street i'm
provements are concerned. They were
not so conservative in their demands and
the former, especially, seemed to want to
force Council into measures.
A resolution was adopted that n coui-
mittee of five should be appointed to
draft resolutions to be presented to Coun-
Gil demanding that a pro rata share of
the street improvements Of the city shall
he granted to the Fifth ward IN accord
ance with the amount OF taxes collected.
The committee appointed was COM
posed OF j. A. Page, j. w. Fisher, T. l..
Slaughter, G. G. Riley and r. L. Bos.
we'll. AS this committee was to deal
with the City Council it was deemed
wisest not to place member Of that
body on it. What this committee can
hope to accomplish is not known. They
may succeed in getting a comm. unication
before the City Council, but whether it
will ever be considered by that body is
the question. 1t is understood that Er.
Strickland, who toDk the floor several
times during the course of the meeting
said that he had to drive over all sections
of the city and that he found she stree cts
of the Fifth ward were on an average
with other portions of the city, aud in
many instances better.