The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-21
FOLKES DECLARES
STILL OPPOSES
COMMITTEE PLAN
Gross Misstatement Concern
ing Ills Position Made Clear
In Interview With Virginian

Commissioner Folkes was quite In
dignant last night when ne read A re-
port in an afternoon paper concern
ing the formation OF the admInisera-
tive board committees j MS report
gave TO Commissioners Mccarthy and
Beck, the two members Of the board
upon whose shoulders the burden. so
far as the reports from the same
source have gone out. Of having 70
withstand the bomhardment Of the
other three members of the board
the credit n opposing the commit
tee resolutions.
The records Of the board meetings
show that at the meeting OF tfs board
on September ~, 1919. on motion OF
MIR Hirschberg that the question OF
minimizing the work of the board
would be accomplished by the naming
Of committees TO take charge of de-
tail work n the various departments.
was adopted
{ The vote on that motion was four
20 one, the disSenter being MIR.
Folkes After the vote had been an
nouneed the majority asked Mr..
Foxes to change his vote and make
the proposition unanimous, This he
did, feeling, he stated yesterday,
that the pressure Of tbs other mem
hers OF the board bore weight and
j
mittee system.
on March g. nearly six months after
the committees had been active, the
question AS To the feasibility Of the
ARRANGEMENT was ra ised. and Captain
Mccarthy moved that the system he
abolished. Mr. Folkes says he felt
fubiiant. and voted with Cautain Nc
Carthy. but the other three members.
Messrs Beck. Whittet and Hirsehberg.
ayy,ta sat VITO f,nsffinS nY4
the committee system remains In
effect
That tn all there is 70 H." said Mr..
Foxes iaEr-nlrht 81 haze L .1.2Ns
been opposed to the committee l.tan.
beea Use do not believe il IN the
best thing The hoari Of hecy
should consider every question that
comes up. If there IS an detail WORK
to be done IN the aepar merits under
the control OF the boari. the heads #
the department may take steps 20 tina
end. But when questions Of moment
arise. believe, AMI have Always be-
lieved, that the board. sitting as a.
body should consider the questions,
and act according to the conditions
which may exist would be very
glad 10 have some member II me
hoard suggest thar we change this
rule The board knows how I sand.
When asked by a Eirginian re-
porter as to whom he would vote for
the presidency of the board upon its
reorganization in January, Mr., Folkes
smiled. 1t was the first smile the re-
porter had seen Mr.. Folkes pass over
in several years
THAT will take care Of itself" he
said That is too far away. and /
think II is a little indicate in you 20
refer to 1t. We stand just as we did
at the beginning, and / hope we VIII
stand this way next year, and SO far
as l can see, there - no reason for
such II question. All u us voted
when We organized. We are still
here. There has been no concerted
division Of the board on any question.
We have voted the way we felt best
for the CITY as individual members
and m sure we will continue to do
so. The talk about three members
of the board controlling things is not
true. OF course three men make a
quorum But these three have never
kept together as individuals, as the
records viii show Every man has
voted as he felt best for the interests
of the city, The only divergence OF
opinion, to my mind, has been that
Of the committee organization, and
that has caused all the comment
which has been laeaped upon the
board. And the personnel of those
who object to the committee arrange
ment Is not the same which the public
Is being led TO believe is that which
controls all the business being done
by the board"
This latter statement is borne cut
by the records. which show that
Mesers Mccarthy and Beck. consider
ed by opponents of the board as being
the minority members, have seldom
voted as a unit during the more than
a year and half existence OF the
board.