Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-25
TELEPHONES
A I7LIMSY REASON.

All the reasons advanced in support OF
.he Common Councils refusal to concur
IN the Minor resolution are fiinsE, pht
the flimsiest among them is the one 'ilat
investigation would further besfnlrch 'iie
citv. The city cannot be further besmirch-
&c unless it be by the suspicious that VIII
be excited and the undesirable adEer-
Using she will get as the result OF 'l1e
.hush-up' policy on which the Common
Council set to its shame the seal of its
approval On the contrary, thorough IN
,cstication holds out the only hope Tor re-
moving in any degree the stain upon
Richmond that has been put there by the
grand jury's report and deepeneo by out
side discussion of. and differences drawn
from that paper.
This discussion and those differences
make 1t obvious that the impression Is
abroad that the legislative department OF
,ur city government. has been honey
combed with corruption. and that idea,
taken with the effect Of the developments
in the police investigation, is causing
Richmond to be looked upon as modern
III,
high carnival That she is not. But the
fact remains that the Common Council
has declined TO avail itself of the oppor-
tunity to do its part towards showing that
the picture is over-colored, and has there
by failed ANONYMOUSLY to do its duty to
itself and the people.
The grand jury. owing TO lack of speci-
1s,,,if 18tn
could only return one indictment to the
court Nevertheless. their report was an
Indictment of members Of the old Coun-
ell, names and number not given. re-
turned to the Court of Richmond citizen
shin. That contention cannot be success
fully controverted. Members of the old
Council are as much under indictment as
was ex-Alderman King. The Boar Of Al
dermcn recognized that fact and courted
a trial The Common Council has resort
ed to an attenuated subterfuge to avoid
trial, which, whether justly or unjustly.
will be accepted as a plea of guilt some
where among the members of the present
body who were also members of the last
lower branch. Furthermore, whether
Justly or unjustly again, the new Common
Councilmen, who voted for non-concur
renee, cannot escape liability to the charge
Of shielding the guilty, which charge,
however untrue, would put another blot
on the city's name. That is the state Of
the case, and there is no rubbing it out.
No, the argument that investigation VIII
further besmirch the city is absolutely
without force except the force of recoil
on the Common Council SO as to leave it
naked to the severest sort of criticism
for not awaiting itself of the only means
of rehnbiIitating Richmond's reputation
as far as possible and proving that she is
no: as black as had been conceived. That
only means consists in reversing the &C
ton Of Thursday night, uniting with the
aldermen in making thorough inyestiga-
ton. exposing the guilty, II any there be.
and vind!cating the innocent. The grand
Jury's report by its very Indebtedness is
a sweeping indictment. Just in pro-
portion as it can be discredited
will the blot that rests upon
Richmond be rendered less dark
But after all, we have not presented the
worst feature of the matter-a feature
which alone should constrain the Council
TO reconsider and Insist upon turning on
the light The vote against concurrence
n the Minor resolution cannot but be
construed as an invitation to resort to
crooked methods OF intluencins-as putting
premium on bribery and corruptjon
circumspectIy practicea.