The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-12
Now Reading EvldenCe,,,,82 4
But Will Have Public ~
Inquiry.
HOLD MEETINGS IN
SENATE CHAMBER
Will Probably Get Through ThisS
Week, But Will Sift Whole "a
Matter Thoroug All
Present and Show 8saS
& ing Interest," in sI
Work. 8Ess "a

4. second investigation is to ii . l,nA@
into the affairsso OF tho State Library .s
ana this time the inquiry wi e be coll- -Ff
Quoted by tho Library Board Itself. the n
body met last night with reference Sto 8
the subject. ana devoted thoS Sen tire Il
time to reading the testimony taken
before the Legislative Inycstlgatins8
Committee. Pending the comp ct1on#ot8 t8
tho task Of studying the 7&9 evidences M
here tofore adduccd, the sessions OF tho
board will be executive, not5evcn8L Iii b. 81
%r9rian Kennedy being present. tier ss
this preliminary work is over, a III " -
gever the board will hold open meet
tinEs In the Senate chamber, and Will
examine witnesses and go into tfless
situation fully on its ow n account. The
testimony before the gislative8 COM
Emittee makes over. one tn housandg pages
of typewrittenmnttc tier. and its reading
may require much OF to- lay. SIteis the
Intention OF the board to- go on wi liSS
the INQUIRY rs rapidly as possible, and
tho body will probably sit day ana V
night until the hearing is compile ted. ~ 9tG
zs@jAll the members are "A p re sen tS$ ana "A
they are alternating in the york of \
frending. 5
Fs The studying of this evidence at thesS
outset is made necessary by reasonHOfS
tile fact that the board has &bu tsEoneS N
copy. and Messrs Gordon, Fish burns
and Garnett. who reside out of y the
city. have not had q chance to read it..sss
Official Statement.
$$ The board gave out the 81 Glowing NJ
official tement las t6ni ght: 5
"Ihe Library Board, now in ses-588sss
klon. nrc engnked5 In rendinE the s453sg.
srtcnOgrapllic re port 5 Of the tes--ES2sss
tinlony before he cgihlnt I've com sS;sS
having had no oopportmnit tss tn 4 read 5ss s8
Ills @ evidence, ii NJ there IL ii Only
one copy at the comm,,nd a AZ II
board ,S
pom the e 80 nc lusl ION IL sas
reading OF Sthis 5te Atlmon VI ttieYesssyii sSs
~ be a public lleMri aE Of furtherg tess Nj Sss1SS
I'M tlDlOIl VIII a sA8t Ne u sennt 4 } cham ber,
which lias been kindly offered thessssss1
l,onrd by His Ilxccllcncy, the GOy--55f14.s II
& erI0r. s5 9 5ts
..nurlng the cntlin,= Of "a the
S report here II N no sg93ss ai3s
3S2 one present except he Il II EN- hers sgs
OF the honrd, !, the public having
nircndy lnd mn OppOrtunit tys 81 ~ lSsI glSSsI
& henrlnE thix#eyidcncc.''3; $3i 3f6s Ss33
AllsSpecu 5sS ssisssE
lis a mere matter OF speculation
as to how onE the board vii | require
3reach$ts conclusions, but 4 t Is Sprob-s
able that the entire matter may be-
disposed Of within8t the present 4 week
Mr., A G.. Gordon, & OF Staunton, 81
chairman of the board and Is presiding!
Sat the ymectinEs.aT The members will not u
discuss the subject OF the Inquiry In
any manner Wha atever$ hey ond tho ON l-SS
bcial sta atemcnts given above, which was
adopted by the board and written hy2s
IA = z = hnr af0r
8be definitely stated who vii Y be- the
witnesses. but tit Is a pretty SAT- guess y
that nll the library Il employees. from
Mr.. Kennedy down, I'LL be "a put ons988
the stand. Mr.. Kennedy was 4 In "a his
office where last nights meeting & was n
held. up to tho inc tho board wont
into session, and then he was 9eXcus
He declined to talk about the 4 lhrtar,ys;. ,'5
situation and to all inquiries relating
to tho sub biect. he answered that much
as $lle would like to he oblig cling, 1T was K
not proper for him to say {nnythlngSat$3 XII
this time. rs Il IA jsa ss6 Sss8s
Is Full Of Interest \
Tho present status M OF tho al State
Library situntionls Is quite q remark -BS
able one IN many respects, and the
man does not 1.-Two who can predict thef ii
outcome With any reasonable assur-s
sance that his View is correct. 5ss ss5$
Tho Legislative COMMITTEES was named
ITO look into the cost OF public schools W
books in the State. AS the book g in-Si
curry wore on there was talk OF irregu4B
flarItics in prices paid for school travel-Ss
Ing libraries by AR. Kennedy, and the
committee went into this question. When
tho librarian canle to make his answer
8it was claimed that he dealt with mat
tiers outside the schoolbook k matter, and ~
thus "et down the bars'' and opened
tho way for broader inquiry by tho
committee. Then It was Il that tho hiss
2tory-seling ana hlstory-writing eptsodeaS
nnd all manner of questions relating TO &
general library affairs We're taken up.
The interest which centred around tho
library matter seemed for a time to have
quite overshadowed the schoolbook in-Sf
qu!ry though the latter had been prac-S
5tlcnlly completed before the former was !
begun, sl3 5ts 3s 5t5S "A sI $5i{ sSfs
Alleged Friction. III
Meanwhile there has been much ia *
OF alleged friction between librarian
Kennedy and his assistants nearly nj "!
of whose testimony before tho conl-f
mittee Was adverse ato him, For some #
time there has been q popular Impress
sion that somebody would have to 80 "
for tho good OF tho service," but no
one, OF course. can say In what light
the hoard Will View tho situation after
the members have carefully. sifted the II
matter for themselves. 3l.3 " 81
Il. The resignation Of Librarian Ken7S&s
snedy is In the hands OF the board. soEs
that II the body shall find against him.
1T is 3presuned that the rcslgna ton
Will he accepted. Tho X prcsentatlo ss
OF ,hls paper by Mr., Kennedy oyer q X
month g SO to the board would indlpatA
that he does not desire to serve longer
if the board shall conclude tina he Il
iis not the proper man for the place, ,f ,aRss
1t was reported ynsterday that the
Sorlglnal copies OF the 10 terH w llictss$
passed hetwern librarian Kennedy ana