The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-30
MAYOR GOES ON
STAND Tonight
Called as Witness in Pollock
Wise Investigation by
Council
PUBLIC INTEREST GROW
No Success Thus Far in Trying
to Shift Fight OH Health
Officers.

The Pollock Wise investigation
comes to the front again Tonight, With
public interest apparently increasing
with each successive sitting of the
committee, Mayor Richardson is sched-
uled to be the star witness tonight
and IL report has it right the chief
point In his testimony Will be the In.
terest shown by Mr.. Wise in the May.
or's approving the amendment to the
ordinance allowing dairymen to feed
swill. 1t Is already in evidence tina.
two days after the ordinance was
signed the money was paid over ~ Mr.
DIETRICH, although It Is also In evil
dence that Mr.. Wise several tines
asked for the money even before N.
t'oun.il ncted.
1t does not nppca' that Sir. wise
urged the Mayor 10 sign. or exerted
any influence with that official
merely that he shovel great Interest
in the approval OF the measure, and
several times asked whether or not IT
present at the last session Of the COM
mittee have expressed the view that
distinct efforts were being made to
turn the burden Of the inquiry from
Messrs. Wise and Pollock and centre
public attention on Chief Health Officer
Levy and Reporter Robertson, whose
directly conflicting testimon% was one
OF the features OF the last hearing.
Inspectors Back Levy.
Many efforts have been made with
mucl, conflict of evidence, to show that
that it was all right. or that 1t woulo
be ali right, after the Health Board
| recommended "a change In the ordi
nance. and that he told Messrs. Pollock
and Wise to tell their people to go
ahead. and feed the swill, and that they
would not be molcsted.
DIR. Levy has again and again denied
| making any such statement: has test-
ned that he did not know Messrs. Wise
and Pollock were em.loyed attorneys
and therefore could not have used tho
expression your people" and that the
utmost assurance he gave was his In
struct!ons from the Health Board not
| TO use any strenuous or unusual meth
| DDS Of catching dairymcn pending ac-
| ton bv the Council. The inspectors
have backed their chief In tris-that
| he told them not to go ont of the way
or to take their time from other ana
! more important matters, but II theY
| saw dairymen feeding the waste to
report them and IN one case AT least
/ a dairyman vas reported.
r n
attended the sessions the question OF
how President Peters formed MS coin-
mittee and the Instructions of Or.
i Levy to his inspectors are irrelevant
to the present Investigation, which was
i distinctly ordered to determine whoth-
er there was any impropriety or NE
gali,y committed by Messrs- Pollock
| and Wise in accepting fee Of Soon
from the dairymen While members OF
the City Council.
i Never Approached Board.
The evidence has shown that neither
OF the accused men appeared before
the Board of Health in relation to the
matter, though certain dairymen not
among their clients did. There ts con-
/ fict in the testimony as to the number
! Of times they approached Or, Levy. and
| discussed with him the propriety Of n
change.
There has been some disposition to
i criticize Chairman Richardson sor some
of his rulings. especially as to confer
ences between tho accused Councilrlen
during the examination or Wltaessss
Mr.. Richa rdson has explained that ne
4 did not object to their comforting
! What he has objected to was Mr.. Pol.
lock. who has kept in the BACKGROUND
4 suggesting to Mr.. Wise the questions
I which the latter should ask the Wit
nesses. The chairman holds that II
Mr.. pollock wishes to conduct the
eros -eyamina ton he may do 50. put
that he cannot examine witnesses
4 through Mr.. Wise. city Attorney Pol
lard has advised the chairman as TO
!, the rights OF the accused to hold rea-
sonable conferences rs the evidence
progresses.
Three Possible Views.
There are apparently three possible
/ views open to the committeeman who
) are sitting as jurors In the case:
Whether the accused attorney-Councll-
men accepted the $500 to secure the
. passage of an ordinance, in which case
: the matter would assume It's most seri-
! Gus aspect; whether there Is any I'M
: propriety In Councilmen appearing as
: attorneys before the Chief Health OH
GER or any other department head, es-
pecially when it does not appear tina,
that official Is advised that the Coun'
cilmen were acting as paid attorneys
which opens the question of council
manic proprlety and legal ethics, II
which there may be wide divergence o.
opinion and which is probably covered
by no law, and finally whether the &C
cused. after accepting their employ
: ment, really did anything al all Z
bring about the change IN the law
which was chanGed, accoFu'Hs 10 !He''
bers of the Health Board, at the re
quest Of Messrs. Benttie and Saunders
and without the intervention of Messrs
Wise and Pollock In any capacity. Thi
g last construction would probably b.
g beyond the province Of the investlga
y tors, but would be matter between
, the attorneys and their clients.
P ? Virgiiniians at the Hotels