The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-07-11

population of 10, 900. but with proyiso
that localities with 5000 may become
cities il they 80 desire. am opposed TO
that. would not hazard the charter OF
n city like our own by the uncertainties
of a popular election. While ! do not
mean to say that mistrust the people,
do not believe that we ought to triAe
with n staple form of government and
make it subject to the whims of voters.
would fix hard and fast standard of
5000 population for city, and | would
make the Federal census the test. That
census il usually fair and complete. 1t
can be relied upon
Mr.. Crismond has been debating this
question for several days with many OF
his colleagues in thecommittee. One OF the
members of committee on organization
and government Of cities and towns is
Judge George X. Anderson, OF Clifton
Forge, n city whose charter would like
wise be imperied under recruitment OF
10000 population. Judge ID. Tucker
Brooke. of Norfolk, is chairman, and
james W. Gordon, of Richmond, is n
member. But there are also two mem
bers from the SOuthwest-Judge Mar
shall and Col. Summers--likely TO be re-
ponsive to the clamor of the stranded
cities OF their section for sure relief from
municipal burdens.
The work of the special committee on
retrenchment, from which much seems to
be expected by economists throughout
Virginia, is engaging the attention of Mr..
Crismond. 4 thorough business man, ac-
quainted by actual experience with good
business methods, he is regarded az hav-
ing good qualifications for the duties OF
that committee.
1--WE have been waiting for the data
which our chairman, Mr.. Eugene Withers,
has collected" observed Mr.. CrismOnd
with laugh, at the mention of Governor
Tyler's preference that the retrenchment
committee should come to him rather
than that he should go TO the retrench-
ment committee. Mr.. Crismond was the
author of the motion that the Governor
be heard on the expenses of the executive
department. "TwO or three times he
added, 1--WE have written to Mr.. Withers
asking that he forward us the data, but
he has replied that be expected to bewell
enough soon to resume his work, and out
OF courtesy to him we have postponed
the matter"
"Do you expect to be able to recon-
mend any materialreduction in State ex-
pense? was asked.
IL have grave doubts of it. responded
Mr.. Crismond. 81 am not at all certain
that the State government OF North
Carolina, for instance, is more economic
al than the present government OF Vir-
ginia, although the contrary has been
widely heralded. Delegate George Z.
Tarry, Of Mecklenburg a quiet but evil
IDENTIFY very sensible man, who has lived
much in the Tar Heel State and is famil-
lar with conditions over there, tells me
that there is probably little difference in
the cost Of government in the two States.
1t costs North Carolina less than Virginia
for the county administrations, but that
is because the counties pay more OF their
bills themselves. In Virginia the State
pays more OF the county bills, but in the
end it comes to the same thing-the bur
den is about as heavy on the taxpayers
whichever system you have"
"Are you expecting radical action on
suffrage by the conventionT'
"There is stout clamor among GER
tain delegates for a radical suffrage
clause" he responded. 81 deprecate that
very much. While favor some reason
able action, do not forget that we have
here in fredericksburg very docile and
teachable class OF negroes. They are not
vicious or malignant. / don't know that
blame them for voting the Republican
ticket at national elections. They could
hardly be expected to do anything else.
But in our local elections they have really
been a useful factor. On two or three
critical occasions which Irecall they have
sided with what | believe is the better
class of Democrats and prevented local
affairs from falling into the hands of an
element perhaps less desirable. You
know, we have fair elections here. The
negroes all votes, and their votes are
sure to be counted"
CAPT. 8. J. QUINN.
sTn this city one hears things about
Washington; over in Charlottesville it il
about Jefferson; at Lexington itisall Lee
and Stonewall Jackson observed the
local historian, Capt. S. ]. Quinn
as he took refuge within his office in ths
old town hall to escape the burning SUI
AN Office, by the way, that was used al
a dressingroom at the grand ball giyer
in horror of Lafayette when he passed
through here.
An unpretentious man is Capt. Quinn
short and thickset, rather slow to speech
but filed with information about Fred
ericksburg. He is just finishing the first
history ever written of the city, and has
delved exten sively into courtand county
records.
81 have learned einteresting things
from those old records, resumed the.eap
tain, "and all OF them are not generally
known. The tradition here always was
that George Washington grew up as q
boy across the Rappahannock. | find
from the old council records that when
he came back here in 1888 an address
was delivered to him from the town o.
IL, ox,,ino infancy And In replying