The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-04-27
Passes Resolution Yielding to
Railroads Right But Opinion
Is Not Best Location
GREAT DIVISION OF
OPINION EVIDENT
Apparent However That 1t
Was Useless and Damaging
to City to Prolong Fight
Over Depot Location

After discussing the union passen-
ger station proposition from various
angles. debating over the propriety OF
number OF motions and resolutions
Presented, defeating two motions to
adjourn. and wrangling at length over
the question of whether or not they
had been licked by the railroads.
the Chamber of Commerce mass meet
ing in the Jefferson Hotel auditorium
last night adopted resolutions offered
by John @. Corley, that the Cham Der
take no further action in advising re-
garding the station question. but that
City Council he requested TO require
the r., F. & p. to bind itself TO have
all through North and South trains
over It's lines run into and out OF the
proposed new Hermitage station. The
resolutions adoption WAS by record
ed vote Of Ill ayes. to So noes.
Mr.. Coricy's Resolution.
THE resolution Of Mr.. Corley reads.
after a preamble setting forth the his
tory Of the Chambers activity with
reference TO union station
Therefore. he it resolved.
First That While the selection Of
the Hermitage site. does not. In our
bElEkpN- t'fnHft VI t4Ff hEFt lAiT' N0A VI
our city or the convenience Of the
travelling public. the Inherent rights
of he railroad to construct station
must be recognized. and though his
decision is unfortunate. neverth e'ess,
the chamber sees nothing 10 Ne gain
ed by further protest. 81 hich may re-
suit ia n logger delay in securing de-
pot facilities so badly needed, ana,
wherefore. no further action will he
taken by th3s tody in advising re-
|gar7jng The station question.
"SeeonG-@We suggest. however
fhat the City Council be requested TO
Require the r.. r. 4 r, Company 10
sign an agreement as binding as pos
sibIe on the present and future man
aretnents to run all passenger tran rs
bnto the Hermitage Station until said
station is abandoned or other more
desirable one made, thus, as far as
|nossihle, Safegua riding one OF the Oh
tections to the Hermitage site.
Dcfcat Laird's Resolution.
The passage Of the Corley resolution
followed the rejection by q recoroeo
Note Of lo6 ayes TO III noes OF the
Substitutes resolution presented by
k.,ce- President r c. Laird, Of the
E,nsr,her This resolution insisted on
4 union station at Fifteenth and Main
Etreets for all railroads, and also
Jailed for station in the West End.
The two station idea of Mr.. Laird WAS
Embodied in the following words:
"Resolved. that II Is the sense OF
hits sssenblage or the Chamber of
F,omrnerce mebership that union
station be established at
FIFTEENTH and Main Streets, to be used
hv the trains OF all steam railroads
Entering and leaving the city, ana IN
kddition a station be established AT
rore suitable location IN the West
krnd on the main line of the r.. F. &
p. to be used by all lines running
Trains North and South.
II was imm ediately before the re-
action of this resolution that II. Fl.
Pollard, Jr. moved that the meeting
kdtourn without having taken action
|rhe motion was defeated. When the
rall came for vote on Mr., Laird's reso-
3utiou there was considerable CON
kasion. This grew in volume and for
few minutes there was little short
hf pandemonium.
To this contributed George McD'
p,ake. who from the rear end OF the
auditorium called out in stentorian
Zones 10 inquire what the meeting was
[,oting on. He was informed by Bust
hess Manager w. T, Dabney, Of the
chamber. who was on the platform
hrith President Coleman Workman and
kecretary Dunlop, that the question
ras on the Laird resolution.
IT understood IL was on motion
q adjourn" called Mr., Blake.
"But it's not" shouted the business
manager. that vote has ben taken
md the motion defeated"
II didn't hear that vote taken: l
vant to vote to adjourn, returned
tn xxyh a ~
W. Dabney repeated the information
hat the motion TO adjourn had been
beaten.
Meeting a Noisy One.
There was more noise in the hall
buring the closing minutes of the ses-
Non than there has been in any meet
ng the Chamber membership has ever
lid. Moses Thalheimer's effort to
have the Laird resolution laid on the
i HE was defeated amid loud aye and
10 cries. so evenly divided, apparently,
hat a standing vote was called for.
,his showed the motion lost by about
wo TO one.
after the adoption of the Coriey
kesoIution, s. P. Jones, who had been
kmong those opposing 1t, moved that
HI adoption be r8ds saanfr..a.s
-his met with opposition and though
he number voting no was not large,
Ia sound was. The motion to make
Unanimous was declared lost when
ome Of those present, under misap-
krehension that a majority vote on
hat sort of II question carried 1t, ask
Ia the chair to rule.
The meeting was called to order
hortly after O'Clock by President
Tortham, ard for more than three
bours the queNtion of union station
ras tossed back and forth with senti-
nent badly divided. Mr.. Workman re-
Ciewed briefly the work of the Cham
|er during recent years. toward the
nd that Richmond might have better
assenger terminal facilities and