The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-22

nUL III UVLU
1. AGAINST G UNION
Before q largo gathering OF citizens
last night in tho Manchester Court.
l,ouse, Charles IT, Page. former City
Attorney, made an address OF nearly
/ three hours' length against tho COLI
solidatlon or Manchester with Rich.
mond. In the course OF his remarks
| he bitterly assailed The Times Dispatch
flor Its position on the question OF
I union OF tn. cities, alleging that 1t had
suppressed an account of former
mass meeting at which he had been
J the chief speaker.
! Mr.. Page sought by statistics Of the
| finances OF boil, cities, by alleged UNI
constitutionnltty OF the ordinance, by
| future doubts and other arguments, to
! ldation would deprive Manchester OF
her rights. Hcssaid further that Rich-
mond would benefit by, Nfanchester's
revenues, and that no safeguards cx-
listed In the ordinance provisions.
ut is no question of good faitll.n he
exclaimed. There is no reason to doubt
Richmond's good faith But who
would exercise good faith when encl,
department is clumoring for It's quota
OF annual appropriations"
He said that one member OF sthc Rich.
! mond Council, Mr. Lynch, had said that
Manchester would whistle" before she
got what the ordinance called for. He
declared that Mr.. Zimmerman had as
serted that Ee would vote for the ordl-
nance because he knew compliance was
merely optional,
"Rlcimond can't 30 but so far with
its wards" he declared. He said that
Manchester wouldn't get anything but
what was legally provided for.
! NNhnt Richmond Needs.
'When he referred to the street ap.
preparation OF 30 per cent. OF Manclles-
| ter's avenues subject to the approval
OF tho Richmond Council, he called II
a sop
/ "Whcn Engineer Boiling asked for
\ s2,ooO,oo0 he had gotten only $4,000.
\ If Manchester is IN need, Is Richmond
| the proper place to so for help under
the circumstances"
That Richmonds tax rate was as
| cending and that N1anchester's for
Imany years had been descending were
! facts He also declared that Rich-
] mond's building code was burden'iomc.
| and that reliable citizen had inform
ed him that from % to SO per cent. was
added In Richmond besides the actual
construction cost. Under consolida-
ton, ho said. the sewer tax would be
another burden. and that AIanchester's
exemption OF this tax was based on
false grounds, because "a citizen un.
der the law couldn't BIO taxed locally
for the public use of a sewer
What Richmond Wards Get.
He averred that in no event could
Manchester hope to get over $4,000
yearly, since Richmond Is now COM
PEELED to divide 100000 between
seven wards, and further that this ap1
preparation was not divided equally
between the wards. since one ward
had received slS.5O0 and another only
$500. He declared that he could wish
for no better evidence that Mr.. Pol
lard who, he declares, stated that in
event Of consolidation that not / cent
would be diverted thatswould. other
wise be spent In any ward in Rich
mond.
f The LANDLORDS OF Manchester. he said.
showed that $4,000 had been spent
in building in one year.
still they say we are trying to
obstruct progress
"Alanchester has now s24S,0O0 In s
per cent. bonds callablc, which can
be funded at per cent, thus saving
s2,4oQ.S0 in one year at per cent.
Headeclared that the 80 per cent. OF
all revenue clause was badly drawn.
Manchester will not get 80 per cent.
OF water revenues. amounting to $4,000.
until Richmond furnishes water from
the Richmond department.. This Is not
a. hridegroom's spirit, he continued.
Tits a spirit from start, to finish of
making the last dollar out OF the trans
action
He said that the right of N1anches-
ter's representation In tho Council in
to naught. The Richmond Council
could continue to disapprove, and the
result would be that she could force
Manchester's representatives to agree
or retract its voice.
City Attorney Goodwin. he. alleged.
had agreed with him in that the gas
clause was practically worthless and
that Richmond couldn't be compelled
to lay the pipes or mains unless she
so chose. n
lie wished to emphasize that the fire
clause promised Manchester only "ad-
3equate' protection. ''Wc will have to
take what Richmond chooses as ude-
aquate, and no better" He said the
Richmond committee had rejected the
proposal to give Manchester "as good"
fire protection as in Richmond. The
schools had been given only adequate"
facilities also, he declared.
IT think we've got adequate facili-
ties now he said. in rejolnder. He
thought 1t best for Manchester school
children to stay at home, since sour
young girls will be thrown with the
vices and temptations that exist in any
large city. Keep your boys, and es-
ipecially your glAs, at home." he adj
vised.
# Not one word about police pro lection.
he said. was In the ordinance. He
stated, however. that Manchester need
ed no better police protection. He
quoted from figures that Richmond's
police force was insufficient He jdwelt
at length upon the possible nbolishing
OF the court. Take from a community
It's court, aud what Will the conse-