Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-11

1,st preyious TO the meeting OF 'iis
Board Of Trustees of The proposco Var
,ncie library last evening the impression
pretty generally prevailed that the COM
mit,eo would give itself the coup DC
--aco End adjourn sine die. But this OK
oectation was very quickly dispeiieo'
There were present President 5. l..
.,or,bcro in the chair and Trustees FOL
lock Wood. Whittet. .Jr., Armitage, WHIT
let Sr, Elicit, and Fox. Dr. laoci was
The only absentee.
Air pollock set the ball rolling Tlgor-
o,Islv tn, moment the meeting was oPen-
I'd for business. He said ne couid hot
accent or credit the statement tiiat 'ie
,i1v Council was opposed 10 the IafHesie
offer as a bare business proposlboli' lug
refusal of the body TO make the aPlto-
nria,;on for The purchase OIL the site must
rerforce and necessarily be Que 10 Some
other cause than its merits as a business
proposition.
wanted to IntcrroEntc Council
He had heard it said-other sentlefnei
here had heard it said-and he 1eit that
the impending defeat OF TINS splchola
1,,,blic benefaclion was due to that cause
many politicians on this board. and That
,here would be too much politics in the
n,hlic library if il was put into their
hands That there are too many mem
hers Of Council on il. No reflection on
The board was intended. but every one
knew that this has been SAID.
Too Much Politics.
Now, gentlemen, If this objection
is not n gentleman here. / am sure, who
will not cheerfully resign and stand aside
and let the Council appoint board
which will be satisfactory to every one
Il therefore offer resolution that we
frame and PROFOUND the question to the
Council whether their opposition is to the
library scheme itself or to the personn-i
OF this board. i believe MIR. Carnegie
offer was made in goou faith and it is an
opportunity which should not lightly be
neglected
MIR. Whittit. ST., Seconds
MI Whttet Sr., seconded Mr.. Pollock
motion. He was surprised at the ACTON
OF the Council. lie read some very in
teresting statistics about the Carnegie
library that had been offered to and &C
ccpted by Atlanta and was heartily in
favor Of embracing this offer.
President Bioomberg, who had been res
tive for some little time under these
shoulder hits. now got the floor anu
threw in = little no. shot from the othc,
side which tended considerably to check
tho ardor of tie previous onset and stem
the tide in the way il was going.
He said he as a councilman had votcc
against the library proposition and he
had given good and sufficient reasons for
his opposition from a business standpoint
Mr.. Polocks proposition was very
novel one To ask a body of tlirty-five
members to give their reason for their ac-
zion. Each member acted on his own
voiition. They might have thirty-tire sep
srate. respective. and different reasons.
How We're they TO formulate it into a
composite reply? Then they might say
something unpalatable. IN all probabilit
they would give none at all They We're
not responsible TO this board. 1le crea-
tor to the created The responsibility fo
the library was with the Council itself.
This board was only an adjunct To carr.
out the Councils dccrce-providing the
Council conveyed any to them
Change of Public Sentiment.
If the citizens of Richmond wanted this
library they could get it. They could
have 4 100000 bond issue. But the truth
was that in his opinion, there had been
enlightened change of public senti-
mont and the Council was faithfully re
flectinS that sentiment. The old Council
had voted for the library and created this
board. but the new Council had voted
81 to 3 against it. They had come To the
conclusion that it was too costly a lllS-
nry and expensive monument for ti,ci..
to build to Mr.. Carnegie. The Council
mud citizens realize that il is not such a
golden opportunity as they thought That
they arc not getting what they thought
they were
MIR. Fox SmooIhs Things.
Mr. Fox was averse to doing ANYTHING
that would look like reflection on III,
Council Every man had a right to his
OWN opinion and right to exercise il,
hut he wanted Ia know what it was that
the Council had done exactly Had they
rejected the Carnegie offer or had they
merely rejected the site. il the former no
wouic move TO resign. 1t was useless for
The members To waste their time coming