The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-01
- Z I
Pollard M Comlbl'atsM 9 3 4 It's Mayors
Financial Views and
CritiCizes Him.
COMBINE LMOST
BEAT ! BUDGET !
Jefferson and Marshall Ward
Members United to Defeat It.
Absentees:s Sent For to Save
the Day School q each
ers Were Much in
Evidence

Evidence.
The opening feature of remarkable,
not to say unprecede ented, session of the
Common Council last night and this
morning. was q severe criticism by
Councilman Henry r. Pollard. Jr., sub
chairman Of the Finance Committee, OF
Mayor Carlton mccarthy and tho figures
adduced by the Mayor IN his recent
speech as to the finanoes OF the city
and the bonded debt, and his plan OF
present abstinence from bond issues ano
future extingulshmentfot,tt fot the debt of the
city. It Is q curious coincidence. too.
that at the very moment when Mr.. p OIL
lard was paying his II respects to the
Mayor in polite but caustin style at the
City Hail, His Honor was. vigorously
criticising the Finance Committee and
I Its budget Recommendations for the year.
Mr.. Pollardsi speech was not unex-
pected. When he rose to his seat many
of the members knew that he would
have something to say IN reply to the
Mayors structures on the IAinance Com
mittee. as, his address was regarded by
/ the majority. Fof s tho members. Mayor
Mccarthy was addressing Post A, of the
Travellers Protective Association at
Third and Main Streets. and neither he
nor Mr. Pollard knew OF the coincidence
OF their contrary addresses.
Mr. Pollard spo oke from n otes, but In
terspersed his statements with caustic
comments now and then IN a vein OF.
quiet sarcasm, which he Gun command
very effectively. 1t is sufficient evidence
of endorsement Of Mr.. PoHard's views.
substantially, by the other members sof
the Council that bone raised his voice
in defense or explanation at the Tpeech.
The only other speaker besides Mr. Pol
lard was Mr.. w. L. lite. who, in an
| impassioned manner, protested against
the action of the Mayor '.as an ottic la.
though he prof fessed warm friendship for
s'nah ssaa 8 aa ana sas fshSss
Mayor IN severely criticizinE certain clti-
zens, meaning the gentlemen. interestel
| IN the corpora tion which furnishes lights
| to the city. &
Remarkable Session.
After this curtain raiser the Council
| got down to the work on the budget, and
| a remarkable session ensued. The first
thing taken up was the ordinance recon-
mendation OF reduction In the city
tax-rate of five cents on the 800 Of
values.
1t Immediately became evident that
/ OPSoS%A
and Mr.. Pollard himself, representing
the Finance Committee. moved It's re-
com1rittal to that committee in order
| that the $4,000 thus withheld from the
budget might be apportioned and re-
! ported back TO the Council. There was
little. II any, opposition, and the re-
i committal prevailed.
With this disposed ofswork was begun
| on the budget. and soon developed the
| existence of the runored Combination"
| of members from Jefferson and Mar
shall Wards to amend If possible, and
! II not to defeat, the passage OF the bud
get. 1t was currently reported and as
serted that the Mayor references to the
East End in his Mechanics Institute
4 speech had furnished the pretext for the
/ combination, 1t being construed as in
end OF the city. Mr.. Mills alone OF the
Jefferson Ward members did not enter
the combination, he being a member of
the Finance Committee which had
4. framed the budget.
The first sklrmsh occurred on the
item OF public school payroll, and some
4 Of the members suspected that It was the
4 purpose OF the combine to defeat this.
/ They were soon undecaived. however, ard
members OF the combine" freely admitted
that every man of them was in cordial
4 accord with the proposition to increase
i teachers salaries. They did object to
4 leaving the fixing of the percentage of
increase to the school board. Mr.. Pol
lard, however cleared the atmosphere by
explaining that the board and the COM
mittee had reached an agreement whereby
the High School and district teachers alike
We're to receive an increase averaging
about fifteen per cent. With this explana-
ton the opposition melted away.
The presence of a group OF district
4 school teachers contributed zest and in
terest to the discussion, and during the
4 entire evening they remained, ''malking
assurance double sure"
/ The climax to the remarkable session
4 came when, after the .combine'' had
caused the failure Of the budget to re-
ceive the requisite two-thirds vote. a
motion to reconsider was made and a
Il moment later another to take q recess
and authorize the sergcant-at-arms to
4 bring in the absentees
4 MIR. Pollard changed his vote and
moved to reconsider, but Mr.. y. Iarvie
spence. of Monroe Ward, really saved
the day by making the motion for
i recess to send for the absentees.
Many members admitted that but for
i the presence of the beyy of clever an,l
4 charming teachers the members could
1 not have been kept In the hall. They
We're all present, however. when the
1 "fnal roll was called" save one. who
had been called away by illness in his
\ family,
4 When finally Mr. Umlauf and Mr.. Hu-
bcr had been brought from their homes
Z where they were under medical treatment
4 the passage Of the budget was easy bu.
even then the vote Of Mr.. Davis was re-
1 quired, lie changed and he, too, may be
said to have saved the day for the budget
Session in Detail.
The body was raped to order by
Z President Peters and tho roll-call show
cd the presence Of the following mem
bers: Messrs. Atkinson, BlIley, Can-
non, Cary, Davis, Don Leavy, Fcrgus-
son, Garbcr Gates. G. p. liobson. j. a.
!, IIobson, Lunch, Mills, Miner, Morton
, Neagle, Phillins, Pollard. Pollock Pow