Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-11
CHARGES ADMINISTRATORS
WITH BIAS AND PREJUDICE
lContlnueL from rirst Pago.

WITH BIAS AND PREJUDICE
l. Continued from First Pago)
lions between the petitioner and tho
Administrative Board to be settled
| through other chunnels--tho grand
jury if the gravity OF the charges war
rantcd
Councilman Jones moved that tho
committees resolution recommending
the rejection of the leasing offer. to-
eether with the petitioners Indictment
of the Administrative Board, be re-
fcrred back to the Committee on Pub.
lie Buildings. Properties and Utilities
for thorough sitting of the charges
Under the circumstances, he said, such
sitting was due both the board.
whose motives and practices have becn
impuEned, and the Council, whose ac-
ton is supposed to be predicated, in
part at least. on the boards findings.
The motion was hotly debated for
thirty minutes. and then defeated bv
vote of - to ). the members voting
as follows:
Ayes-Councilmcn Haddon, Jones and
Pollock-3.
Nocs--Councilmcn Atkinson, Butler.
English, Pitcher, Powell. Powers. Rat
ciinc, Rogers, Scaton, Sullivan, Walsh
and Peters-l2
COUNCIL. UNANIMOUSLY
REJECTS LEASING PROPOSAL,
With the motion to recommit de-
feated. the committees resolution
recommending the rejection of the gas
lease offer was placed on its passage.
and was passed by unanimous vote.
the three members who had voted for
q rccommittal coming over and Joining
the ma jorty.
Il have never in all my experience In
this body heard such an indictment of
branch of the city government" said
Councilman Pollock, speaking to tho
rccommittal motion of Councilman
Jones. This body cannot ignore the
grave accusations contained in the
paper just read. While I believe that
the figures and tables presented by the
board were honestly prepared and are
true. 1t is the duty of this body to
refer The matter for an investigation
to dispcl the suspicion that must re-
main if the charges arc ignored"
Councilman Haddon was equally as
emphatic in his demand for an investi-
cation. The Southern Gas and Flee
trio Corporation. he said, has made tho
charge that the board has been guilty
of padding and classifying it's figures, +.
and this charge is now recorded in /
the Council records. For the sake of /
clearing the Administrative Board OF (.
this stigma and for its own sake. he I
said. the Council should demand n sif,- !
ing OF the charges.
WOULD TREAT CHARGES
WITH SILENT CONTEMPT I
Councilman English thought that
the charges should he treated with
silent contempt. If they were as grave ,
and serious as they were portrayed 10
be. he said. It was matter for the I
grand jury. and the Administrative
Board. as tho party aggrieved. should
be the one 10 seek redress. \ refer
ence to the committee, he said. would
mean n useless delay in disposng of
the gas leasing question. about which
the Council, he said, has long ago made
UP it's mind.
This view of tho situation was sup
ported by Councilman Pitcher, who
frankly told the Council that, as n
member OF the Public Utilities Com
mittee, he had been in no way in
nuenced by the boards report as re-
CARDS his attitude TO the gas lease.
lie did not believe, he said, that the
boards report had Influenced the vote
OF a single member on the committee.
AS far as he knew, he said. each mem
her OF the committee, long before the
matter was referred to the board had
made UP his mind 10 vote agains, the
lease.
NO AMOUNT or INVESTIGATION
WOULD GRANGE OPINION
Councilman RatClife, another mem
her OF the committee, told the Council
that no had been ready long before
the board submitted its report, TO vote
for a rejection OF the lease, and did
not see what could be gained by a