The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-01

1fc1 asG1sS1f4AleG0a1
OTTO Il. KAHN.
would get rid of an nl,ominable
condition arising out Of TINT In
formal influence In committees
known Ms political influence.
Whom I say this. ain not blaming
any one. A committeeman Is but
hu1ran, and willie he may wish to
choose the best man, yet there Is that
other thing which makes him feel
that upon his choice depends his own
election and that of others In his
ward.
..You VIII hardly believe me when
tell you that when went into
Office the greatest known factor In
1ocnl notifies were the men In the
gas department
Cline was when city officials would
| rather insult the most prominent clt1-
| zen in Richmond than offend one or
| these men.
..I thank God 1t is not SO now, and
| 7 have done all could to break 1t
| up.
ga man In the city government
| who is afraid OF the city govern
n,ent ought to be Kicked out of
| 1t.
ssrrhere is not n man in the City
/ Hall who gives am hours study to
( the subject of city government.
ss.Nhy, the City Council Will settlt.
4 great questions In ten minutes
which would engage the british
| Parliament for three months.
Men never heard OF before will
| come into the Council and settle ques-s
| tions of taxation in three minutes,
about which great men wrote and died
without settling.
Internal Conceit.
! ssNobody. on this earth has ever yet
come within forty miles of settling
this great question of taxation, and
4 ret You elect n man from n stall In
the market to tbs Council, and aic
feels TINT he IL capable of framing II
tax ordinance for the city of Riclimo nd.
n And I say to you that II there Is
any one curse greater than another
upon city and State governments, 1t is
this Internal conceit which rests III
the minds OF men about tax lcgisla.
ton.
"If the street railways Of this
city were taxed as they ought to
be taxed. could tnkc the amount
and pay off the city debt OF
$4,000, O0O.''
Coming back to committees the
Mayor said the Finance Committee
would chew and grind for nights and
nights over things so picayunish as not
L
ton. when the great financial inter
, ests of the city were absolutely
, neglected. He declared that in the
. me thods of making up a budget the
committee proceeded year after year In
direct violation of the charter
. Charter Dehed.
: For one thing he said, .the char.
ter requires that the rate shall be fixed
levery year, and tax rate has no,
! been fixed Tor Richmond in twenty
: Years.
i .That charter is defled by mem
q sworn to uphold it, ana If talk
6 to them about 1T, 1t has no more
effect than If talked to n lamp
q post or al frc-plu:s.
}, '.And why don't 1t have any effect
e 1t is because they know that the poo
: rle don't give durn whether they
o observe the charter or not"
f In discussing the question of waite,
2 rights, the Mayor declared that tn,
o city's rights We're being invaded yea
: by year by private corporations an,
that. for one, he would defend then
!. with force If necessary.
II IT said this In n speech the othe
: night, and some men looked ut me il
q absolute amazement. as much as t
say, What an awful thing: grea
q city going to arms to protect 1t
% rights"
Z .Why not, may ask? A few year
Is ago a two-cent corporation parade
: belts around them. and with pistol
! in their hands to protect their rights
admit that its cause was Just, an
the fact remains. But ] want to sa
that if I had been in Office, woul
have disarmed and locked evory on
Of them up, IL it had required ever
soldier In this State to do IT.; and
would have Informed them that, fc
The time being, was the only shoot
ing man in this city.
Force of Arms.
"Ir n corporation may go to arms
to protect Its rights, why may not
n great city do the same thing:
IT say that no private intere st
however great, should be permitted
:" opcrate to our own hurt, even thOuG
:, they employ the machinery Of IL
:. courts.
p; II deny tho right of. the courts to
ia Injustice; and if they follow tho Law
and tho laws are wrong, we made Il
~ ~, Laws, and some day we may wnke |
~ and unmakc the laws.
~ "I'm warming the people against
allowing wide ODcn franchises"
y the Mayor snld, "for If "a citizen
" complains Of haralships tmposcd by
W corporal lions, their hirelinEs VIII
IcnOuncc him AS II bluclSEunrd and
~ II Annncl-mouti,cd fool.
- IT am talking for tho future no.
~. Our streets are gone They've got tt
~ roadway, the subways under II
q. streets and tho wires over the street
10 10 and We are at their mercy"
~ The Mayor took several moro war
~ shots at corporations and their u
W legged mercless methods and ttrnir
~, from this subject, he dwelt Mt leng
~, upon proposed Improvements for Il
~ city.
o. He said move was on foot to p
" In an up-to-date heating apparat'
In st. Johns Church to lessen the da
ger of it's destruction by fire. and d
/ clarcd That the tirno would come VIII