The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-25
TO
GIVE THEIR side
Pollock and Wise Will Present
Witnesses Before Com !,
nlittee Tonight.
STILL IN THE LIMELlGHT
Question as to Why Fec Was
Paid Somewhat in
Dispute.

The Wise-Pollock investigation has
overshadowed all other matters at the
City Hall, and will again hold the
| centre of the stage tonight when II
! is expected that the evidence will be
concluded. Mr.. Wise and Mr.. Pollock
have indicated that they will call sew
eral witnesses for the defense. Chair
man Richardson has again and again
stated that the inquiry now in progress
is by no means a trial of the two men,
and he has ruled out questions which
seemed to put them in that attitude.
1t Is, he explains, merely an investiga (.
ton to get at certain material facts
which the Council and people of Rich
mond should know. and when those
facts are ascertained II will be time
enough to determine what steps. if any,
should he taken. The message OF
Mayor Richardson to the Council,
which was the basis for the inquiry,
made two principal allegations--onc
that tho two Connciimen- attorneys had
in return for the $500 fee. which they
acknowledge having received secured
the passage by the Council of an
amendment to the ordinance; and the
other that they bad made certain ef
forts to induce the Chief Health Officer
to be lax in the enforcement of the
ordinance 1t was these two counts OF
the iudictnMnt which the committee
was appointed to sift The Mayor
communicated the nature of the infor-
nation which had come TO him both
to the Connmonw eaith's attorney ana
to the Council
Two Counts 10 Charge.
As TO the first charge the witnesses
and the records a gree as to the sub
stantial facts. The ordinance was re-
commended by the Health Board. drawn
BY DR. Levy. after conversation with
Mr. Wise as to It's verbal construction:
came to the Council in tho usual way:
was secured by Mr. Wise from the
CITY Clerk. taken first to Mr. Cutchins
and then to DR.. Reade. who Introduces
and secured its adoption under sus-
pension of the rules, without the In
terminable delay of going the usual
round of committees. The ordinance
was concurred IN, signed by the Mayo.
and two DAYS later Mr.. pcltrick paid
Mr. Wise $500 in currency at his Office
on Bank street 1t does not appear
that there was any lobbying in the
Council There was no opposition 70
Health Board measure. which was
offered and Endorsed by DR.. Reade. then
the Only .UleilCdI 4I!SfLi I'll tli' ~
much for the first count On the day
the matter first became generally
known Mr.. Wise made the following
statement for publication. 10 which
Nm Pollock assented:
1--WE were employed as attorneys for
these dairymen charged with feeding
distillerv swill, practice which wac
for some time against the CITY ordi-,
nance. and did defend them in two
courts. Mr.. Pollock being my associate
counsel We also took the matter up
with Chief Health Officer Lew AS "
the hardship on the dairymen In pro-
hibiting their use of fresh distillerH
waste. which is admitted to he harm
less and suitable feed, and later an
ordinance was recommended By the
Board of Health and adopted. Both
Mr.. Pollock and myself put the Counci
on notice that we had acted as attor-
news for the dairynlen before the courts
and the Chief Health Officer and as the
records show, We We're excused from
voting. We received for our services
as attorneys a Joint fee OF $500. ana
refused further fee of like amount
offered to us in connection with the
suggested adoption of city ordi-
nance"
Ordinance Did Not Need Amending.
Two days later the Mayors mes
sage was read in the Common Coun-
Gil and the two accused members
Joined in asking for an invest CATION.
IT was on the floor of the Council that
Mr.. Wise first advanced the plea that
their employment had been TO nave
designated distinction between un-
wholesome swll and the healthy fresh
waste, properly fed. He was positive
that they had not been employed 70
secure an amendment to the ordinance.
or even suspension to Its operation
hut to induce the AUTHORITIES to make.
distinction between good and bad.
In support Of that view Mr., Wise has
since filed with the committee the le-
gal opinions Of certain attorneys TO
the effect that, as the ordinance read,
it was within the province OF the
Health Department to make such
distinction--n fact, that 1t was be-
yond the province even OF the city
Council to legislate against me
feeding of what is admitted to be
wholesome diet for COWS The CYL
dence OF Mr.. Taylor, taken last week,
is to the effect that following his
trial in the Hastings Court, when he
was defended by Messrs Wise and
Pollock. he paid his lawyers IN 1ull---
Mr. Pollock $500, and Mr., Wise $50.
1t was after that that they We're
employed by certain dairymen to get
per,nission to feed swill." The dairy
men We're vague as to where such a
permission was to come from. They
wanted the permission, wherever It
came from, but the three who nego-
tiated with Mr.. Wise agree that he
told them he could not take a fee to
secure an amendment to the ordi-
nance. but would represent them be-
fore the Health Board.
Mere Not before Health Board.
Then comes the testimony OF Presi-
dent oppenheimer, James r. Gordon
and DIR. Levy. to the effect that
neither Mr., Pollock nor Mr.. Wise APP
peared before the Health Board. They
talked over the matter with DR.. Levy,
who claims he did not know they were
employed attorneys, and who dealt
with them as Councilmen. According
to Mr.. Gordon, the Health Board had
had the matter up dozen times and
finally on January "a. after hearing
from CLYDE w. Saunders and Harry
Beattie, the board did vote to recom-
mend change In the ordinance, Fol-
lowing the Recommendation of the