The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-09
CITY MAY LOSE
MORE THAN $4,000
If Council Pass Committees
Ordinance Chaos Will Reign
in Police Court
CAN DEMAND TRIAL
UNDER STATE LAWS
Confusion Certain if Resolution
is Enacted-Outgrowth
of Pollock-Wise
Investigation. .

Richmond will lose ten thousand
or more dollars year and the State
OF Virginia will gain about as much.
II the ordinance that Ia recommend
ed for passage to the council by, the
Pollock Wise investigating committee
becomes effective.
AS startling as the case may APP
pear. the facts bear out the declara-
ton. Briefly told, the condition Is
this:
Councilmen G.. X. Pollock and Geo.
z. Wise defend at least -tenths
of the people who are brought into
police court. If they are placed In a
position, by reason of their connec-
ton with the city government, where
they cannot defend a person II he
ie charged with an ordinance viola
tion- they must, per sc. defend their
clients under the statute. Defending
the clients under the acts OF the leg
islatnre, these attorneys would de-
mand conviction for the State and
not q conviction under an ordinance
violation. q matter that the city deals
with. And the fines would go into
the State treasury instead of being
sent to the city's exchequer
There are many interesting matters
that crowd around the speculative
argument anent this peculiar state OF
affairs that has arisen because of the
report of the investigating committee.
Messrs Pollock and Wise, as is well
known, were technically accused OF
accepting a fee to influence the MEM
beers of council to amend an ordinance
governing the feeding OF swill to COWS.
The council passed the ordinance,
neither OF the members, however. vot-
ing on the ordinance when 1t was
passed by the council. They con-
| tended they were within their rights
as attorneys In representing the dairy
men, their clients. In securing a
proper ruling by Health Offlcer Levy
on the existing ordinance.
state Gets II All.
With the report indicating the
two lawyer-counctlnen was the re-
commendation of an ordinance which.
IL enacted, win prohibit any mem Der
of the municipal body from practicing
in any court in any matter In which
tfc city is involved.
Time without number men and wo-
nfen are brought into Pofice Court
on charges that can be tried as or.
dlnance violations or az violations oi
the statute. For instance. a crowd oil
negroes arrested for playing that mos
fascinating game of crap" They
are fined SIS each. Six of the seven, Il
will be said. pay their fines. This
money goes into the city treasury. anG
on the police book the negroes are
fined as disorderly characters under
the ordinance violation. The seventh
negro doesn't pay the fine and Is sent
to jail in default.
The State of Virginia pays for the
/ board of this negro while he is In
jail. The city that has just received
the fines of his companions does not
support the man who is in jail.
Knowing this to be the case. the
lawyer members of the Council would
SO il was said by a man who Is In
~close touch with the situation, demand
that their clients be tried under the
State law. If a conviction lies, the
prisoner having been tried under the
statute and not the ordinance, the
fine Will go into the State treasurer
Office and not into the Office OF the
man who controls the eity's finances
Crutehaeld Ia Silent.
Justice Crutchfleld was asked
Thursday morning for his opinion re-
garding the situation, but declined Il
be interviewed. He admitted. how.
ever. that he had a right to place q
case on the ordinance docket or In
the State column, and that when fine.
were paid In disorderly cases the cit,
got the money, and that when mer
and women were sent to jail unde,
security or In default of the fine, the
State paid the board bill
But that ordinance hasn't passed
the Council. II has only been REQ.
commended. Couneilmen in Richmond
have got little sense yet" said the
One John as he turned and wrote a
discharge for a person who had serv-
ed two months of a ninety-day SEN
tence in Jail.