Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-24

people and said he would rather have
! their good viii than lifelong place III
! the Council. He would have to vote TO!
| concurrence.
Mr. Miner asked if it was possible for
/! grand Jury to make a report to the Com
| mon Council.
(! mir. Bioomherg vacated the chair, call
| ing Vice-PresiGent Peters to preside, and
| replied to the speech of Mr.. Miner.
/ Replied to Mr.. Miner.
! He said he was indeed greatly Indebted
! to the gentleman from Clay Ward (Mr.
F.! Miner) for the personal allusion made to
| him. He said he was glad that it hao
/ been done because it gave him an oppor-
tunity to refute statements made against
| him. He asked Clerk August to read the
/ concluding portion of his statement madt
to the Council at it's last meeting. MI.
August turned to the page on the record
! ana complied.
! He said Mr.. Miner had been very astute
| and that he had demonstrated some in
genuity worth of a better cause 1T is
! true Mr.. Bloomberg admitted, that
/ did dictate to my steno5rapher chal-
] lenge for an investigation, but when
! read it over, and after elaboration, felt
that I would be doing violence to ms
! manhood by making such a request
| have yet to find the man who did not be-
! lieve the statements made by me- He
said he would prefer to stand upon ..lt
statement made by him at the last meet
| ing rather than ask for an investigation
| He was Of the opinion that honest men
never require an investigation, and SAID
81 say that man who has lived all his
! life in community. who cannot stanc
! upon his past reputation, is poor sort
| of man if he has to court investiga
! ton"
| No Political Ambition.
Mr.. Bloomberg said he was here to vote
! as his conscience dictated and that he
had no political ambition to foster. IL
/ said he was not there to make votes or t.
fondle the Gear public" for votes blu,
| to vote as he had always done.
i He said the result of the work Of tbs
! grand jury was a single indictment, bu'
the grand jury went further to satisfy tn.
I! clamorng public. and when it could fms
nothing else it lit upon the back OF the
; Mayor. He claimed that the grand Jur!
| could return an indictment on mucl
| weaker evidence than the Council cou!c
expel member for.
"Are we the custodians of the private
acts or business of the members Of tho
| Council?" he questioned. Are we to say
that gentlemen in private business Wh'
are members of the Council are not u
deal with corporations? Shall they nos
! represent corpora tons in other cases anc
before other bodies? So far as ! am con
cerned." he went on, II have never done
it. If others have, it is a private mat
ter, and unless it caused them to vot'
against what they believed to be the bes
for the city, nothing wrong has beer
| done
Mr. Bloo,nberg was of opinion that
| continuation of the present agitation
| would be hurtful to the city and accom-
plish nothing. For that reason. n
t said he was opposed to tn.
| He said if an investigation were to be
had and the bars let down for the pas
| ten or twelve years and the act of ever,
| member of the Council made public, i
might make material for a good many
newspaper extras, but do little else.
Damn Every Man.
"I7nless we damn every man in the
| Council, no sort of an investigation woule
f; satisfy the people, he said. land as som
| people can't be satisfied, don't propose
| to try to please them.
! He congratulated the city upon the fact
that the grand jury was able to make onl,
one return after such an investigation
and thought the time had come to drop
the whole matter.
| Replying to the question asked by Mr.
| Miner. Mr. Bloomberg said that he die
! not believe the Council had asked th'
grand jury more than it could grant, anG
! no more than they had a right to do
He claimed that it was the duty of tn
grand jury to have named the men guilty
of reprehensible conduct and indict then
| If the evidence was sufficient to JUSTLY
! the report.
! He said that he did not believe there was
| such a great hue and cry for the investi
| cation as the papers of the city had en-
! deavored to show there was. He declared
| in returning to the chair. that he could
| see no good in concurring in the Minor
! resolution, and would vote against it.
| Mr.. Miner Again.
| Replying to Mr. B'oomberg, Mr.. Minor
said he did not claim to be sufficiently
astute to answer the arguments Of the
president. but that he did want to deny
| in the onset that he was after any polit
| cal .'boonerangs," and that he was salts
| fed to permit the matter to rest without
running around for such notoriety.
| TT is a peculiar state of affairs hr
/ argued. The grand jury was unable Ia
! go back more than one year, while the
Council could go back five years. If /
wanted to- The grand jury emphasized
! the fact that one man so far CONTROLLED
|
! as he pleased A remarkab bic condition.
| It would be impossible for one man to
control a committee the size of the Street
/ Committee y
Face the Music.
! He though. the Counciu should face the
/ music. and face it man to man. Don't
blame the newspapers, he said for kick
/ ing in the face of such action as the Coun
/ Gil was evidently going to take. I've
! should clear our skirts by counting the
closest investigator and not make q
| grand-stand display and try to convince
the people that there was nothing wrong
He closed by declaring that he firmly be
lieved that the people of the city were
| demanding that there should be an in
i vestiEation. and that it should be had
When Mr.. Miner closed the vote on the
| Peters substitute was called for. It re-
| suited as follows
| Ayes-Allen. Boomberg. Bossieux Cur
| It's. Ferguson, Huber. Crimes Hicks
{ Mills. ONeil. Peters. Pollock. Russell
I: Spence, Stein. Teefey, West. yVhalen. Will
/ Inns. and Winston-20.
Noes-Anderson. Bottom Cloves. Cren
shaw. Elicit. Glenn. CARRIER argrove
| Heslip, Miner. Phillips. and Pollard-13.
On motion of Mr.. Peters, the Council
adjourned ct $50 o'clock.