The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-07

ISinr TIA venr2the humber of read erA servsu
VA ) III 734 ..beiiig al dali VI average VI
i,477, which goes to pro tina theirs are ,sa
y eat humber Of pi,le II ~ uffr1 " y
who are Interested in ~ public librar
fsdo not believe tliut YOU could ret one =, +
third ofS5tliis 3t,ntrberkih tie IN Il OLE ltS.
Swho rea.liy6wlsh8 this Rillrar ext ltisive "
preachers, college professors soho OIL teach.
ara and stipetintendet,ts, book ag ottts ant
l5i,brarlats. Now alting tic 81 cures which
lShave8 been furnished 10y one Of ssyo VI adj
vocates,B L willsgut youeto kiiidl Y explai 4
how Ito arrived ut such report " ~ n II \ we
multiply the daily average 81 ven A \; q ove
w the number OF days IL 4 tie venr,f&it
would make sa6 total $of five hut1dred and
|thirty-ninc thousarld one dred and
five, which differs sconsid erably from the
total given By tho ticlarSs's Grnrt.
Ing that your figures are orreot y = VIII
cost the tnxpay ers II n Bout ~ seven ty-fiye
cents apiece FOR. each day for5s very reader
that}visitcdS that library, bash j. tie NUM-
bci. 81! readers. at about fost I've snS day.
Of which 3ninetyGpcr cent utn would lbe the
same parties orr cburse, fot@ q long time
you cotild & not Tia In tain thai nvera sc.
as tho stuto Library would hold VI tug
greater9nun1bcr OIL its 3presei1t reader ~
ilcave Il million dollar library to come 70
d little ono hundred thousand dollar aft
fair; 50 you 3would have to loo ~ sev here
forEpntrons. VI vi }3i
81 fIthls appropriation and acceptance SO
through5tlieC Council. which 4 have no idea
1t will, believe that9 IT will cost the city
about one dollar d day, 4 for eacl vlsitor
to that library do not. mink 81 hat the
advocntes have present tod, any facts s. rom
past experience 4 ID prot TIM + the Car-
xnegie Library would be the 81 ghtest bcrln-
a t,l ia
tractors, book ngoil IS and t3ltDrarians, hs
YOU point out In, one or your cotnt11u nlcl-
lions. s5 NJ III Bf 81 "
Perhaps It would 10 we'll u call AZ
ttention4 to tho fact that IT has generally
been prominent tizens that have cd used
q good many linpro fitablo and Sexp ensive
moves on the part 70 I, y he city to spend
money 1t was Just such gprorniner 5citl-
zens a that carried M through the Church
It'll tunnel Subscription Of $500, Wv and
bought the Brook Avenue and Broad
street lot for about $4,000 and no doubt
tho memory f our older ci Items recall
other such ente rprises. FSI 81 do not think
ltgwse to cal err to- everythln that prom
5lnent citizens "a esire at the expen Sc OF the
general public unless such puplic be al.
lowed an opportunity Of pa sslng upon It's
lido mot think that YOU and your I'D y
5vocates should be \ allowed to impose a.
sperpetna tax on N y pro perty, be n e ever
so small, to support d library Of your
own choosing md kid that u objection
able to n large atorlty of Z Individual
Ia xpayers Of this city3wlthout their con-
sent. Nor do i think that S.ou,S the sedi-I
tor of tlle& only morning paper should
advocate sucfan precedent BY our Council!
tliat belong to the people. i t
STA matter which should be decided by
3as ma orityR or the people Of the city, and
t@should be sublnt tied is them and mot
to 1.-THE COUNCIL only. y S.syS an know; what
Influence is;we8 feel lie feet Of It ev cry
day. Y and the reade = well kno that Al
is5in fluence more han right SWhicx causes!
some Of the most unjust ana arbitrary
laws to fbe ena cted and 4thnt It'll essen
5tialS Sprotectst the taxpaye ant. .. sizena
by submitting to them such ma ters as
these for their approval a n "
ti y con cluslon,9I would say that the coi.,
.ditlons surrounding this library promo
tsition SO far a dvocated are tho most url-
reasonable and costly arrangement that
could be made, i do not believe s.nat Il
has been SO published tina It the pubic
understands It, for i have discussed itlwith
several citizens who have read the dis;
icussions In your pa per, and no two und err
men last Saturday and they believed 5thut,
Mr. Carnegie's gift of s1oO 900 was for the
building and books and n hat tho slJ 600
the cl was asked to give was to go 10
the running expenses Of keeping up I the,
library. must say. Mr.. Editor thut*m
understanding Of the ffer18 Is that Mr.
Carnegie was to give a building for tile
library, and that the city was to fur
'nlsh the books. I think this Id a matter
which is not ut MI understood by the peo-
pie Of the city, and I trust you will make
Iva, tNf Nor, "a,
offered and just what the city will have
to pay each year (after having, provided
the site) In order to maintain tho library.
..53 e CIV IS.
y Richmond, Va. 89$$ III
Tho tota yearly attendance at the State
Library was given IS n 7,734 Il being II
monthly average OF 1,477, q Our CORE.
spondent had only taken the trouble to
divide 7,73l by s12 he would have found
this out for himself. II #
n AS for his proposal to submit this qucs-
ton to a vote Of the people there Is no
argument in favor OF IT which does not
apply to tho appropriation for q now gas
holder, for tho settling basin, fort the pro-
posed new high school bul....ng, or I, he;
building Of q new bridge to Mancnestar,i
or for any other civic \ en- terprlse Of tlls
character.
Concerning Mr., Cnrnegle's offer II ls
contained In a letter to- Mr.. Robert Whit
tot under date Of February q. 1901 - Tie
letter in full is as follows; II 4
Dear Mr. Whittet Tho city Of Rich
,rnond. Va, with 5000 population can do
little for a public library with less than
$4,000 q year. thought to spend much
more. but If II viii bind itself by ordl-
nance Of the Councils to furnish q site
and tax itself ITO the extent of $4,000 y
year to be devoted TO the library Shall
be glad TO give 100000 for the building
needed. Ed. I'D 1
Mock Marriages.
Editor OF lThe Times Dispatch: IL