The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-08
People S Forum
4 Municipal Survey.

Sr.-Semeonc IS always aEitating
and suggesting things these days that.
10 a man who understands and thinks
are. to put It mildly, unnecessary.
These people are usually gentlemen
with good intentions, but they some
times are not very practical and are
: rarely very conservative. They make
many suggestions: in fact. are very
fertile in suggestion, and commonly
pronounce upon all governmental
matters with their high brows" lift
ed very high and sometimes with
their scientific noses lifted still high
err. They do some good. because they
agitatc. and agitation is often very
useful and, at least. sets people to
thinking, and thinking sometimes
leads to tho truth.
Amongst the latest Of these pro
eresslve fads" is what is cuphoniously
called a Municipal Survey The
object Of this sort Of a thing Is along
the line that these civic faddists are
travelling in these enlightened days
when The voice of the eXperimenter is
heard in the land. These high
larnt' gents wish 10 put their "am-
Billions tingcrS' in the municipal
p!um-pudding and pun olt the fat
plums, etc, and then subside to
state of innocuous desuetude" from
epletion--elther OF gratified ambi-
ton or satisfied vanity. This would
be a harmless pastime il the people
did not generally have to pay for the
amusement out Of the public funds.
When these idle ana ANNOYING efforts
on the part of these self-constituted
guardians of the public interests and
-tlP b, ,F La
ton and suggestion, and sock to have
their theories and ofttirnes their
vaRaries. foistcd upon an unsuspect- =
ing and innocent people, the people
. should be Informed upon the sub
feet and sholhd put n stop to this
, costly and ineffective business.
This leads us mp to n consideration
of what is a municipal survey. I'm
cover its hidden meaning ard We
/ know It is to he a survey Of our city's
! conditions, an investigation Of all OF
! our civic affairs. We are to take into
| our municipal home" very
| heart and center Of our city's bust
/ ness-strangers open up everything
to their criticism. receive their CEN
+ sure or admouition. as the case may
he, and then reform and all this
Ia TO he done At n cost OF 10000 &c
1000 Of the peoples money We
90 not claim that there are not thing>
that could be corrected or remedied
There may he many such things o,
there may he but few 81 them Tha-
IS not the question The question is
Why should We have to ,ali for thi.
survey 10 he made by outsiders? Are
We not capable Of surveying our.
selves can We not investigate oul
own city affairs. and correct evils. I,
b 3,,..
they are necessary? Have we not n
Richmond many men competent to d.
this work even better than any cor
noration? Why. of course. we have
hht they are not trained experts
10 use the trttc language Of these SO,
called civjsts They have never done
this kind Of work and these EEK
perts' are up-to-datc, are thorough,
equipped and speak with authority
We know whore the errors are in on,
system, We arr aware Of the defect.
in our management; We are familiar
with the inehicicncv Of oar admins
! 'ratoN; and We are convinced tina
these things should be remedied hn
! we must employ certain ones-"traln
| Cd eNpcrts'-to come here and tell II,
] what we already know. and then IN,
people will believe and correct. de
! clare these wise ones The peopI,
know and believe now. and will not
or rather cannot. act. viii they &C
after this magical survey? Never
until some practical leaders get TO
gether and guide the people to tn,
truth. When the people know tn,
exact truth in regard to these mat
fers. and hold the remedy In thei
f. hands, they will act What is every
+ hody's business IL nohodv's business
10 as ,
group Of men are afraid to act The,
are inundated by the magnitude o
the undertaking. They submit be
cause they see no way to get relief
! But II the aanpla- ara aroused nv fin,
leadership, by intelligent guidance. b,
men who have mastered the subject
and are brave and truo enough to in
form them and to lead them. the,
this splendid work will be accom-
pushed, and not until then will II b,
done. Surveys. Investigations. etc
will amount TO nothing until thes,
things come TO pass why spent tn,
money 10 do futile thing? Get tn,
conditions ripe for these efforts pu
our own people to thinking and work
ing. and the reformation will he &C
Complished,
Furthermore. municipal survey,
have been conducted in other cities
Why not asc' rtain all the facts con
nected with them their cost. theil
methods of procedure their scope
their results and their benefits. if an,
accrued to the cities that have beer
surveyed. before we launch this cost
ly and vexine enterprise? Norfolh
has been surveyed, we understand
What was tho result there? w.
could easily get all the information
in this way and then make our owr
survey, and economically, yet eff
fectuallr, accomplish a complete ant
effective reformation of our mum
clpal conditions in all respects anc
particulars wherein such reformation
is needed.
SOUTHSIDE.
Bat Ono Richmond Paper Seen