The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-26
NJ AJORITY VOTE
ONLY IS NEEDED
Council Can Easily Adopt New
Government Plan Demanded
by People.
OPINION BY CITY ATTORNEY
Ordinance Committee Will Put
Question Squarely Up to
Council.

! Only majority vote OF the mem.
hcrs of each branch Of the city
/, Council is necdeI for the yirnplifica
ton Of he cits government along the
lines laid down in the reporteof the
! special committee according 10 a for
NAL opinion rendered yesterday by CITY
ATTORNEY Henry Il. Pollard Mr.. pot
lard gays that II follows from his
opinion and from the study which he
has given 10 the matter, that there is
no rule of tho Council which requires
the further reference of either of the
pending papers To any committee. aud
that both Will be before the Common
Council for final disposition OH re-
| port OF the Ordinances. Charter and
Reform Committee, before which both
| papers are now pending
Needs Only MnjorIy.
IL has been tho current belief that
the more important of The two reso-
lutions providing for the creation Of
an administrative board would require
two thirds vote, and under The same
rule would require further reference
TO the Finance Committee thus ne
cessitatins delay and making 1t iul-
pcrative to secure more votes than
were at present announced in tie ia :
vor. Mr. Pollard holds that the reso-
luton is not In Itself "a crea ton OF any
ONCE but is a request to the State
Legislature that il create cerain char
ter of1lce1. Even after the Council
acts. the Legislature inay or may not
so amend the charter. though the uni
torn practice has been heretofore to
grant such amendments when asked
for by the city authorities In the usua |
form.
The companion paper is merely an
1,r Ia.
the Council itself without more ado.
redistricting The city into four wards.
far fetched construction has been
placed on this by the opponents, who
hold that since It. in it's final clause.
requests the Judge OF the Hastings
Court TO appoint commissioners to
correct the POLL books previous to the
spring election. this would require q
two-thrids vote.
Business afcn Are Active.
But Mr.: Pollard says that that re-
quirenicnt as to correcting tho poll
| books after the ward lines are changed
Is provision OF state Law. and nc is
therefore clear III his view that neither
of the papers presented by the special
committee requires for its adoption
more than = majority vote. II would
| appear, therefore. tina. the plan for
providing simplifed government Is safe
liit DustISSS men VINO are push
ing the scheme can be assured Of TWEEN
ty-one votes in the Common Council
and thirteen IN the Board OF Aldermen
These pledges have not yet been Sc
cured but the active workers express
the greatest confidence OF passing both
ordinances. unamended. in view of the
ruling requiring only a majority vote
ye Counct.men Divided.
From present indica tions, the Coun-
Gil viii divide on The two propositions.
/ Some earnest advocates OF the four
ward plan Of redistrioting have not
yet committed themselves 10 the e,n.
ployment of sn administrative board
Conversely. a number of advocates of
the administrative board favor retain
: Ing large Council or some other than
the four, Wqrd plan OF redistricting.
; The Washington Ward delegation Is
. said to be solid against the four-ward
plan, fearing that South Richmond will
be submerged IN a large ward OF which
It would be comparatively a small pcr.
ton but at the same time several
members OF the South Richmond deIege-
ton favor the idea OF creating an ad-
ministrative board. elected al large, for
i transa elton OF the business aHai.s OF
the city. The South Richmond MEM
bers admit that SONS form OF redie-
tricting Is Inevitable. and on any bns!s
OF equal population unless tho city
lad twelve or fourteen wards, South
Richmond could no longer remain as
49, tlnraJ : -, CD -