The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-17
Start Over and Start RIGHT.

Start Over and Start Right.
The special committee Of five. anno,n
cd BY the Council, to recommend n Mo
LOT me proposed High School buildIn.
assigned the work to a eub-comm,tto
OF three. consisting of Mcssrs Ann,
Whittet and Glenn. Three member o
the School Board, Major Capers, cho,r
man, and A1essrs. Ebel and Hutzler wor,
associated with the committee. ana = ~,
me several plans had been received tn,
SIX men named examined them and final.
~ discarded all>but two-the Bryant plan
and the BlauveltNplan. The members rs. OF
the Council all favored the first; the
members of the school, Board oil favored
the second There wax d tic, ana it
seemed that the deadlock, would never
be broken. when the menhers Of the
School Board were politely informed ,ho+
their office was merely advisory ana that
they had sno vote. Messrs Bbel and
Hutzer then retired from tho contest.
out Major Capers, who regarded both
plans as excellent. decided to give his
support TO the Bryant plan, in order that
the joint committee might be able to
report to tho Council. Notwithstanding,
he does not believe that the Bryant
& building can BIO constructed within tho
limitation, as to cost Of S2Ou,UVu Whereas.
Mr.. Blauvelt accompanied his plan with
q bona fide bid from a contractor. and
offered to give bond to the extent OF
forty per cent. of the cost. The other
two members Of the Council Committee
tconcu1red in the report and many citi-
zcns have doubtless gained the impress
sion that tho question is settled.
Not So The Finance Committee has
made no appropriation and the Council
has taken no final action, either on tho
appropriation or the plans.
The Times Dispatch is fully persuaded
that the procedure has been wrong from
the first and we recommend an entirely
new deal. If any citizen of Richmond
were going to Qut up an office building.
an apartment l,oruse or a hotel to cost
$500. ooo would he trust q committee Of
three or four citizens with no expert
knowledge Of architecture, to select q
plan for him? Would he not rather en-
ploy an expert architect to go over all
the plans for him and recommend tho
most available? And shall the Council
this High School building? VIII the
Council permit Messrs. Mills, Whittet
and Glenn to choose q plan for $780,
0OO building? VIII 1t not do as each pru-
dent member would do on his own ac-
count, and call in the services Of an OK
pert? Let the taxpayers reply
The proper course to pursue Is to go
back 10 tho beginning and start right The
first thing to be done Is for the Finance
Committee TO move an appropriation of
10000 for the building and site. Tho
community Is overwhelmingly in favor
Of q new homo for the High School and
there is no use in further delay. In
its report W the Council tho Finance
Committee should further recommend
that tho entire subject DO committed to
the City School Board. with authority to
select suitable plan. advertising IL
Tor atNltlonal plans, and en-
ploying an expert TO give his opinion
OF all plans in competition, and finally
10 erect the building, the action of the
School Beard to be subtect TO final re-
view by the Council. II tho Finance
Committee will make such recom-
and the Council will adopt
IT, this matter will be disposed OF in
q business-like way and the work will
be done right.
The School Board hus an excellent
record IN the matter of erecting public
school buildings. Our Information is that
It has. under absolute authority of tho
Council erected from time 10 time ten
such buildings IN the city of Richmond
and In no instance has the appropriation
,een exceeded.
Trust the High School building to the
school Board and we may all feel sure
hat The best plan VIII ba chosen and the
BEST building for the money erected. q
With the School Board 1t will be labor
II love.
s--~----.-------a ,
What Is Democracy?
Al .t4.