Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-04

| The resolutions printed above were the
| result of the conference held last night IN
| the hall of the Chamber of Commerce
| for the purpose of considering the pres
! ent condition Of affairs in the government
| of the city. On the committee were ap-
pointed Messrs. John Garland Pollard.
J. D. Crump, James Gordon. John c..
Freeman. and DR.. J. n. Upshur.
The feature of the meeting is also given
above-the announcement that the COM
promise of the recent gambling cases will
| not close the incident but that the min
listers, some of them at least, propose
to expose the witnesses who were pro-
tected by the disposition Of the cases.
1t was stated by Rev. Mr.. Beauchamp
that at least sixty of the witnesses
names are to he given out These. it's.
ella lined. will affect some of the churches
of every denomination in the city. ana
that in some cases the official bodies of
churches will be brought into the scat.-
dal.
Owing to the fact that the meeting last
night was by invitation it was consider
ed remarkable that as many as fifty or
sixty of the best citizens of the city
should be present The conference was
informal and harmonious Only one
voice was raised against the action Of
the IlccllIlS. dHu III tllrtC liz
| Collector thought the time was not ripe
for mass-meeting and the organization
of some body to take q hand in munich
pal affairs
It seems certain that the coming mass
meeting. which will be held as speedily
as possible. will result in a strong or
ganization.
The general concensus of opinion as
gathered from the talks in the conference
hot CHI no a pffnr.
to arouse public sentiment to such
pitch that not a single demand of the
public will be overlooked.
The police force the Board of Police
Commissioners, the Chief of Police. ana
even the Mayor, came in for criticism
during the meeting. and it was intimat teo
that the investigation or police affairs
was not sincere, but was intended to
go only far enough to create the impress
sion that a thorough probing was being
prosecuted.
Great dissatisfaction was expressed at
the compromise of the gambling cases
and over the action of the Board OF
Police Commissioners in permitting Cap
tain Angle to resign from the police
force while under charges, without
full investigate of charges against him.
Details of the Meeting.
The meeting was called to order by Mr..
John A. Lancaster, who called upon Dr.
r. L. Goodwin to lead in prayer. DR..
Goodwin prayed for the welfare of the
city, and that the officers of it should
perform their duty, giving a faithful and
honest account of their stewardship. He
invoked Divine aid in the work of con-
structing righteous and pious citizen
ship, and prayed that the meeting should
prove for the good of the city.
At the conclusion of the prayer Mr..
John C. Freeman was unanimously select
ed as permanent chairman of the meet
ing, and he took the chair. In doing so
he said that this was his first connection
with the movement, but that he would
fill the position as best he could under
the circumstances.
Mr.. John Garland Pollard was selected
as the secretary of the meeting, and then
the chairman called upon Mr.. Lancaster
to state the object OF the conference This
he did in a clear and concise manner,
demonstrating that he had given the ques-
ton mature deliberation. Mr. Lancaster
said he was not accustomed to public
speaking but he showed that a It the confer
ences which resulted in the calling of the
present meeting he had been advised of
things that had been going on in the city
for some time that horrifed him.
He had suggested that a mass meeting
city might know what was going on He
called several friends together, and con-
ference was held. He showed that the
parents of the city did not know the con-
ditions that permitted hundreds Of boys,
white and colored. to congregate for the
purpose of gambling. but that they should
know it. He referred to the recent devel-
opment in police circles as being along
the line that it was first hoped that such
meeting would accomplish. He thought,
the meeting should either indorse what
was being done in municipal circles or
hold mass meeting for the purpose of
creating public sentiment against these
growing evils. He declared that to be the
object Of the conference, and moved that
1T be entirely formal.
With this understanding, Mr. Freeman
called for an expression Of opinion from
those present.
DR.. Hawthorne Leads on.
DR.. j. B. Hawthorne said that in
the incipiency of the movement he had
argued, and it was agreed, that the minis
ters of the city should not take a lead
fnsit so as TO obviate the impression tina
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