The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-09-22
"a Proposition to Reduce
Number Of Wards.
CITIZENS UNION
TAKES a HAND
Committee Asks That Jackson
Be Obliterated.
HEADS OF DEPARTM'TS
TO DO MORE WORK
an These Propositions Prese nted 10
Committee on Charter, Ordinances q
Z and Reform Last Nights ub. u
Committee to Report Next 4
Monday on Plan for z g. 53 KS
distrlcting tho City.
HH H t. d. H|s I j. 70

At a regular meeting Of the Committee
on Charter. Ordinances and Reform hold u
last night, several resolutions were offer. !.
ed and referred to suboommittees for
report. having for their objects great res
forms In the city government. The chief
matter up was that relating to tho res
districting OF the city with wards accord -8ss
considerable discussion it was referred 4
to a subcommittee composed Of Messrs.
Minor. Crenshaw and Pollard. with u In \
structtons to report back to a special
meeting Of the full committee next Nom
day night, plan redistricting the city
into seven wards, running all the lines \
from north to south.
Captain Hall offered another resolution,
which was adopted, instructing the SUBJ
committee to reporta plan&at the same I
time for five wards, instead VI seven. ;liis
BODY TOO LARGE, s
There were two other resolutions Of \
Importance offered .S one having been byS
Captain Hail., and at his request laid D
upon the table, providing that the repre-
5sentatlon In the Board be reduced from
three to two m enrbers from each ward "
anu CnIL JOW6It lIOltlf A4foSNOA
three, making Il total of fourteen lnem-#
bers instead Of twenty-ono In the Board. \
and twenty-one instead of thirty-five it,Ss
the lower branch. III y Ca ptnirf Hall ~ five
ward plan shall be adopted he vii wit NJ ~
draw his resolution to reduce the. men1-i
.bership from the several wards.
Mr., Minor offered a resolution, which
went to n subcommittee composed OF
himself and Messrs. Crenshaw and Hail.
providing to change the form OF the !.
city government so as to pulace m ore re-
sponsibility upon the Mayor, leave the n
detail work now done BY tho Council
largely to the heads OF the rious de. Il
partmerts, and have the Council deal
only with tho organic subjects OF munt'5 mi
clpal government. tfG r8l5 3s
RECEIVED WITH FAVOR.
Mr. Minor spoke briefly In support. q \
his proposition and It was manifest thaS
1t was favored by hia colleagues 55.5 5Ssg
The session OF the committee wa $ rather
nrotrncted, and the two red!striot1ng
plans-one prepared by Messrs. Minor and 4
Crenshaw, designed to have, seven ward 81
md eliminate Jackson, and the other,
known as the Pollock-Beck plan. to re-k
district MS far as possible on the present
lines-were discussed at length. but no 4
definite action was taken. Messrs Nllnor'8
Crenshaw and Bottoms spoke Tor t the \
former and hleSSTS. Foi!ooh isAho 6's"-5 -
for the latter. II & 81
Mr.. a.. B.. Williams. president Of the
Union, accompanied by COM
,nlttee from that organization, composed
OF Messrs, Jeffry Montague, John q. @
Lancaster w. M. Habllston and John
G, Hagan, was before tho commtttee, and
asked that any plan adopted be such as
10 eliminate Jackson Ward, SO that there
would be no danger of negro domination
or Of having to resort to unfair means
to get Democratlc councllmen. S8
QUOTED FIGURES. u
Mr.. Williams referred to the fact that
there were 5000 negroes and only $50 4
whites. and that It was necessary to
have tho ward oblitera ted in order to pre-.
vent the dangers pointed out,
The opinions OF tho City Attorney. here
torore printed In relation to the status 4
Of councllmen and Fire and Police Conn
Inissloners undcr the new ward appor-&
tlonment, and to the nconsttutionality
of tho proposed license tax on out-of-Sa
Iown architects, were read and filed. n
Nearly all the matters brought UP last N
sight were of much public interest, and
.hcIr progress will he eagerly watched
~ those who desire to see some municipal
reforms naugurated. % 8