The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-20
Joint Committee Hears Adj
dresses on Measure Designed
to Abolish Administrators
MCCARTHY SLASHES
THOSE WHO AGREE
ON PROPOSED BILL
Eiirschberg Presents Figures
Showing Results of Econom-
ical and Efficient Handling
of City's Affairs by Board

Members OF the legislature parttcu-
larry the Joint committee on Counties
o4ties and towns, were given O display
Of CITY Hall oratory, yesterday after
noon. at the hearing on senate Dali
No. 242
THIS bin ig designed as a charter
FIR the city Of Richmond, cafrylhs
with IL the abolition OF the admins
tr,t.ve board. the consolidation OF ths
ogYcAs Of auditor, collector and city
treasurer. and is termed by some mere.
" an amendment to the cnaFteF anu anu
designated by many others as new
!. form OF government.
The paper was born in the execu-
ttvs chamber OF the council commit
toe on charter changes, Its swaddling
clothes were prepared by City Attor-
oap Pollard. and It's other nursery 40
cewaoyies were supplied by Council
r,en Il. l. Peters, Fred H. Powell ana
Alderman Ordway Fuller.
The gentlemen I'm waiting eu1brsc-
Ell the memh ers of council from Lee
CLAY and Madison wards ana the al
dernnen from all the wards. while
Councilmen Mills, Sullivan, Grimes
ant JEFF Powers. OF Jefferson ward'
Ike little Jack Horner, sat over in
the corner
Before the city council had finish
Oh the tnctdentals 70 the arst public
anpearnnce OF the infant rival IN
the shape Of the petition" ordinance
hss made its appearance. and then a
chase began as TO which shoula get
yuisIfe fseoEaitton first.
MANY discussions have been held In
reference TO both papers OF these
discussions the readers of The Vir-
r.insan have been more or less fully In
formed The council charter IL now
I'm the hands Of the Legislature. That
hodv. in its first handling. yesterday
afternoon, displayed much delicacy
ara Rallantry. Few Interruptions were
,ndulged In while speakers advocated
or dtsapproved OF the paper. None or
the legislators broke IN upon the flow
Of argument All listened earnestly.
and frequently smiled at witty sslliea-
Many NotabIes on Hand
The senate chamber was filled with
notables. Members OF both branch es
OF the legislature crowded into the
seats and filled the spaces around the
wall while the gallery shone brilliant
~ with ladies and interested citizens
from many classes OF society.
Chairman James Cannon called the
committee together at Sis o'clock.
wncant seat In the chamber. People
were attracted because Of the i'm
portance OF the occasion. and largely
because n had been spread around
that Captain Mccarthy. the famous
rapid-rre debater, who always has
something TO aay. would address the
committee In opposition 60 the pro-
posed charter.
Those who have followed tho career
disappointed They had heard the
arguments for and against the meas
vre so often that the proceedings were
actually monotonous. Even the re-
marks of Captain Mccarthy did not
carry all the ld-time enjoyment
But nil this was new TO the iegtH-
1atorw, and they dwelt earnestly upon
the remarks of the speakers, Particu-
larry WAS this true OF the speech of
Captain Mccarthy. His sarcastic ref
arencse to the report OF the New York
ceived with much iau~hter, when he
stated that tho report. which had cost
certain citizens $4,000 and which had
not been read by the trainers of the
proposed charter, and was now sfrnpiy
a bunch of waste paper upon the
hands of the city. the house appre-
ctated the point he made In saying
that the report had not been utilized
particle by the committee which
had The work of revising the charter.
Calls Them Names.
'"ris report, which was gotten out
by crowd OF professional grafters. +"
raid Captain Mccarthy. recommend
l. ed the abolition Of the administrative
board. but II also recommended the
abolition OF the city council. None
OF those on the other side OF this
question have referred TO that signifi-
cant point. The trainers of this pa
per are looking at the handwriting on
the wall, and they arc like the drown
ing men in midocean who grasp at a
straw. They want to get this com
mittee to recommend their paper, with
the hope that their own existence may
be prolonged, but the people will have
none of 1t. They are asking this COM
nlittee to undo what they asked II to
30 two years ago"
In presenting the paper to the com
suittee, City Attorney Fl, r. Pollard
Introduced several advocates of the
measure. Including O. A. Hawkins, d.
r. Anderson. Carter c. Jones. Fred
Fl. Powell and wyndham r. Meredith.
These speakers all urged the commit
tee to report favorabiy uron the meas
ure, declaring that the people OF the
city warted the change. and that as
council had considered and acted upon
the bill, being the accredited repre-
sentatives of the people. the request
should be compiled with.
These speakers had appeared be-
fore the council committee and. had
expressed themselves at length, but
they had not spoken before the legis-
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