The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-02
NEED NOT REMOVE
THEIR SHOW CASES
Broad Street Merchants Score
Pronounced Victory In
Common Council
FEW OTHER MATTERS
ARE PASSED UPON
Members Vote to Close Scott Alley
Despite Protest of Mayor
Colored Almhouse
Sold.


Whipped into line by the persistent
organized protests OF Broad street
merchants, members of common coun-
Gil handed the mitten to the recom-
mendatiOn OF the committee on ordi-
nance, charter and reform at a meets
ing Monday night. and by vote Of
20 TO rejected the ordinance coma
polling the removal Of show cases
from Richmond's greatest business
thoroughfare
1t was complete victory for the
merchants and q victory more sweet
in that 1t followed close on the heels
Of almost as pronounced a defeat at
the hands OF the council COMMITTEES
only a few nights ago. At the COM
mittee meeting. large delegation OF
merchants was present. The latter
made addresses, citing reasons by tha
score why their show cases should
not be tempered with, and finally SUBJ
mitted lengthy petition asking that
the ordinance be not recommended.
In spite of this, the measure was en-
dorsed by a vote of eight to four.
At the meeting of common council
Monday night all was different. Again
were merchants present but this time
the atmosphere of opposition which
prevailed at the former meeting had
given way to one of sanction. From
the very expressions on the faces OF
the merchants-none of them seemed
worried in the slightest degree--it was
evident that they were sanguine OF
victory This sanguininity was in
creased with good reason too when
councilman after councilman rose and
expressed himself as being opposed to
the ordinance
Pollock Our,,stss Measuye.
A declaration which probably had
no small effect on the final vote waa
that Of Mr.. Gilbert X. Pollock, who
declared he had not been present when
the committee acted on the ordinances
Had he been, he declared. he would
have voted against It. He then en-
tered upon q strenuous opposition to
the measure, characteriEing Ii as an
injustice in view of the protests OF
the merchants
LAT first was inclined to favor the
measure" said he, ''but after learning
OF the attitude of the merchants cons
cerned many OF whom ara among our
leading business men, ] changed my
mind. These merchants have right
TO be heard and. as tar payers and
large tax payers too. their wishes
should be respected"
The remarks of Mr.. Pollock called
forth heated reply from Councilman
Lynch, who declared himself surprised
at the stand taken by his COLLEAGUES.
Mr.. Pollock had voiced not one word
against the ordinance at the time u
was drawn up. declared Mr.. Lynch,
Neither did any one else" he added.
Since that time. however, Mr.. Lynch
declared that according to his belief
every member of the council had been
properly seen" by the merchants
he lor n
Madison ward Is dead against the
ordinance / am surprised"
Would Move Gradually.
Mr.. Lynch then went into tho
various objections made to the mea4-
ure. Chief among these he said was
the claim that II the merchants Of
one thoroughfare should be forced ~
remove their show cases. the Same
rules should apply to all. Such =
sweeping ordinance would be certain
to be defeated. he declared. On the
other hand he expressed 1t as HIS
opinion that II start could be- made
with the Broad street merchants. Il
would be a simple matter to gradually
go after the others. and finally rid the
city OF projecting show cases Alto
geSler.
Hardly had Mr.. Lynch had time to
regain his seat when Councilman
Morgan Mills was on the floor with .
declaration that to pass the ordinances
would be breaking faith with the
merchants. The speaker called atte1s
ton to the fact that. comparatively
recently Council passed an ordinance
granting the merchants permission to
use showcases Of the sort under dfs-s
cussion To force them to do away
with these articles now, he said
would he rank injustice.
Huber Grows Personal.
Then there followed still more OPP
position TO the ordinance. Mr.. Huber
took exception to the statement OF
Mr.. Lynch that everybody had been
properly SEEM, He denied that he
had been approached, and then he
yeered the discussion into rather
personal channel and declared that
III people like Mr.. Lynch would qutt
standing around on the streets tnere
would not be any congestion n9
only congestion he had SEEM" he said
was that caused by loafers hanging
around In front of stores"
Councilman CARRIER followed IN
this personal lead by scoring the eight
members of the Ordinance. Charter
and Reform Committee who had voe~
ed for the recommendation OF Tho
ordinance.
zone of them" said he. .is a coal
dealer, One sells oil, One Is an M
dertaker. One operates lathe. AM
other il fronls South Richmond. but B
don't know which branch OF CouncN
he is In nor what his business ~
There are some people whose bustH
ness Is conducted behind a screen
however. None of the members show4
goods in q case. and therefore don4
care whether they are removed or nofs
do, and there are a large numbeN
OF merchants who Will be anected ~
the cases are removed. hope thu
Council will not place hardship g.
this kind on them.
Councilman Umlauf favored IL
adoption OF the ordinance, declar1n4
that, in consideration OF the mone&
which had been spent bg tho city III
! identifying and improving HroaM
street, the merchants should pc VIII
| ing 10 do their part. E
! Hfs plea awaited nothing, howsve
and after Councilman Selph had AM4
| ciared that TO pick out Broad sefe
merchants and forcs them = 49,