Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-25
ANDERSON DEFENDS
CHARTER CHANGE PLAN
Leader Of civic Association Speaks
Before Young Mems Progress
SiVc Association.
CONCENTRATIONS OF AUTHORITY
Wants to Know Which Members of
Administrative Board Are ReSpon-
sible for Saving AMI which blocked
Efforts of Associates for Greater
Efficiency.

t.nOrtS Of tSSuciltcS fOr Greater
! Efficiency.
Il have read in the papers that the
( Administrative Board has Tiled with
/ the Charter Change Committee :, table
showing that il saved the city S,3i0ot
/ in less than three Ncais. said br. u.
Il. Anderson. co-authur of til" civic
Associations reform plan. addressing
meeting Of the Young Mems Fro
SreSsivc Association. at Springfield
/ school. last night. Il am glad t. hear
it have not had time Ia inquire int"
/ the accuracy OF the table. but ann
! willing to assume that ii is correct.
That statement is III" best ar.u-
men, for the concentration Of admins
! tratiNc authority in one head that
could possibly hc made. If a tivc-mem
! Der board has been able 10 effect
| saving of S13i.oco. how much larger a
saving could have been made lay
single efficient administrative head.
unhampercd by coordinate :tdmiuistr;-
tors OF less efficiency.
From what have been able to
learn. I believe that there are one or
two efficient mcn on the Administra-
tive Board. 7" these men belongs the
credit for the saving shown by the
table Imagine Captain Mccarthy
is pattiug himself on his back to-
night for tho share he played in saw
ing that S73i.00o. Did Captain Nc
Car,hy have any hand in it?
MAKES CLEAR WHO l..
RESPONSIBLE EoR WASTE:
That is the heart Of tho civic Assoc
ciat ions plan--inakinG it so clear viii"
is responsible for saving "r vast" that
there can he no mistake about II. II
tho Administrative Board saved $'3t,-
GOO in three years, wha; man ON that
board prevented it from saving more?
What man o. men OH that board should
Get the credit 20, this saving and bc
retained, ana which should hc turned
out for hamperin. the boards eff
cheney" There is the fault OF this
system. You cannot plac" the re-
spons ibility."
DIR. Anderson had for an audience be-
tween forty and fifty young men 70
siding in the Church iiill neighbour
hood-half ct them members OF tho
newly organized Young Mems Progress
! sivc Association. of which j. j. Wicker.
! Jr.. is president. While the organiza-
! tion hats now approximately 100 mem
! bers, explained Mr.. Wicker. there had
! been confusion a. to the date of tho
meeting fact which accounted for
J the light attendance.
The speaker did not permit tho
/ smallncss OF the crowd tn dampcn his
/ enthusiasm. For more than an hour
! he addressed his listeners on tho char
ter reform issue that is before the city
! laying bar" what he regarded as the
| cardinal failincs of the form of gov
ernmcnt now in force. His criticisms
lcd him frequently into sharp attacks
on men identified with tho present
regime. He was frequently applauicd.
PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT TO KIND
or GOVERNMENT THEY WANT
The city Of Richmoud has the right
/ to have the kind of government its
I people want" declared DIR. Anderson,
: and no group Of men intrcnchcd in
+ Office have the right 10 shove down the
/ peoples throatS Il governmental
! scheme which they do not want. To
deny this is TO deny democracy.
/ we have been attacked because. it
! IS charged. wc do not describe spc-
! ciiicaily tin. shortcomings az the pres
/ ent government in asking the city to
! adopt new form Of government. Are
/ we alone i'm that respcc Mr.. FOL
! lock the great defender OF things as
i they arc. has said that he has knuwl-
/ edge OF specific ills. Yet, when defend
! in2 his own plan before tho committee"
he makes tn" same general charge OF
! impairment, of efficiency due to pciiti-
/ cal Interference. that The civic Asso-
. citation docs. Every rival plan that has
+ been suggested has been justified by
its proponents on the same general
grounds that wc nave suggested.
The people arc sovereign. they arc
HNS"tfa D!c To hp'cbN LOT '''I' ht>l! -
for reform. The people %; this city
/ have the right to demand change in
the form of Gcvtrnmcnt without as
sianin" specifically their reasons for
! such a demand"
CRITICIZED MOST ny
THOSE: WHO i.N0W LEAST
Or. Anderson told his hearers that
the Civic Associations plan is being
most bitterly criticized by those who
IL e,
/ exceptions, he said. the attacks upon
il have been led by men who. IN their
very criticisms. betrayed the most
cgregious ignorance OF it's provisions.
| y case in point. he said. was the at
tack by Captain Mccarthy several
. nights ago. liz charging the plan
with Undertaking 10 interfere with the
appointment of officials wn"S. cicc-
ton was provided for i'll tn 'Du",,-
tuition. he said. Captain Mctp.fh.