The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-14
BOARD TO CONCUR
BY BIG MAJORITY
Consolidation Ordinance Will
Reach Mayor for His Ap-
prevail This Week.
BUT FIGHT KEEPS WARM
Business People Not Willing to
Lose Now Through Over
confidence.

Although business people are still
working and putting forth every ef-
fort to secure big vote, just as IL the
fight looked hopeless, the Board Of
Aldermen tomorrow night will concur
with the Common Council and adopt
the consolidation ordinance, sending
1t to Mayor Richardson for his ap-
prevail 1t will not meet its death in
the hands of the executive, ana, there
fore, the battle, more than half won,
will be transferred to Manchester for
final ratification.
The Chamber of Commerce, which
took hold of the matter. never lost its
head through over confidence. Indeed,
the chamber. worked night and day
for big majority vote. The leaders
knew all along that the measure would
pass the lower branch, yet the issue
was one of such tremendous Importance
that advocates of union never quit
lighting, and they haven't quit now.
Eleven Votes Pass II.
There are twenty-one members of
the board Eleven votes will be suf-
ficient on concurrence, and more than
eleven members a.e ready to cast their
ballots for consolidation. With the
big pressure which was brought to
bear, opponents in one branch would
have preferred to sec the ordinance
die in the other.
But the hardest struggle was in the
Common Council, the general idea be-
ing that the Board would vote to adopt
, without even calling special meeting
and without a flood of oratory which
will not change q single members opin-
ion. Indeed, every man knew what he
was going to do before the meeting
was called to order III the Council
chamber last Friday night. That fact
is equally true in the upper branch.
1t will take some days for the city
clerk to have the ordinance properly
engrossed for consideration by Mayor
Richardson, though he will doubtless
have it by Saturday, so that the work
may begin next week in the Southside
city.
Manchester in Line.
Sentiment in Manchester is strongly
in favor of consolidation. The ordi-
nance over there must take the same
course as it did in Richmond, and then
the question must be submitted to q
vote OF the people, where it will pass
by a majority vote. The element OPP
posed will not be able. it is claimed. to
rally enough strength to defeat it,
and with the state law amended, the
measure VIII become law IN time lol
the combined population of the two
cities to be counted in the next census
as the population of Richmond.
The utmost qualification has been
expressed by citizens generally over
the prompt and patriotic manner in
which the Common Council acted
While some members were opposed
they contcnded that they simply held
that view because they believed the
terms wcre too liberal toward Man
chester. But admitting that, the floor
/ leaders for annexation pointed on
that, admitting for the sake of argu-
ment that the conditions were liberal
| Richmond had more to gain in the enc
than it could possibly lose. The feel
ing as expressed in debate was rather
resentful toward the mass meeting
| Thursday night, in which forty-twt
citizens adopted resolutions asking thu
Council to kill something for which
the commercial organizations, thu
bankers, the merchants and citizens
were vitality pleading. Indeed, opposi
ton to-day has dwindled to nothing
and the hope Of a decade is about to b.
realized.
Measure Safe, lie Says.