The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-23
SOME POINTS IN PROPOSED CHARTER CHANGES
Communicated. ]

/ Finance. and this simple fact will
demonstrate 10 any thoughtful man
Z the purpose of the council to reserve
4 to itself the control and domination
/ of all the officers created by the char
+ ter, by the use Of the two great powers
Of law and finance. The other four
departments governed by commission
ers-though they are described in the
charter as somewhat Independent and
powerful and seem to he invested with
great authority--will be necessarily,
because Of the financial and legal con-
troll comparatively helpless.
Q All Of the legislative authority OF
: the Council having been reserved to
that ho6v. It VIII still he possible for
such legislation. carefully prepared
within the limits Of the charter
amendments, as will paralyae or de-
stvoy the apparently beautiful plan by
which the departments and their con-
troll are arranged, II Is also true that
the control and the efficiency of the
several com missioners having charge
Of the departments could be made de-
! fecttve or even destroyed by the fact
that the conduct of each separate
/ com missioner is subject to revision by
the advisory board. even to the extent
/ of cancelling any action which he may
take individually 8 TO the department
he controls. The advisory board has
+ the determination of any question sub
mitted to them by any commissioner
member Of the board concerning his
own department. and the law declares
that the determination of the board
when made. shall he flna, and con-
/ elusive upon the heads of all the de-
partments and shall govern their ac-
tion.
10 This strange condition. unques-
/ ttonahly esta blished by the charter
amendments, deserves serious con-
sheraton, The Mayor appoints the
/ mmissioners in charge Of the de-
partments: the Mayor sits with his
own appointees as member Of the
advisory board II any member of the
board should have the temerity con-
constantly TO differ with the Mayor
on important questions submitted to
the board for their decision, he can
without any remedy for the suffer
err remove any OF his associates and,
having done so, lis only required TO re-
port the fact To the head of the
financial department In order that his
name may no longer remain on the
pay roll.
II. It may be worth while to men
ton as fact. that the provisions Of
a charter are not always or necessarily
made effective, nor do they always
limit the action of legislative bodies.
The recent revelations concerning vice
and immortality in the city. for
instance. would not have been possible
If one or two plain provisions in the
old charter of the City OF Richmond
had been bravely put into effect by
Legislation Of the City Council. be-
cause, among the powers conferred
upon the council which have never
been nut into effect by ordinances are
the following:
The council Of the City of Rich
mond shall have power to enact
suitable ordinances TO secure and
promote the general welfare Of
the inhabitants OF the city by
them deemed proper for the
, safety, health, peace, good order
and MORALS of the community.
To secure the Inhabitants from
r contagious infectious or other
dangerous diseases
I and what is more important sttn, Is
this provision:
To PREVENT vice and tmmor-
atty. to STrPPRE houses OF Ill
fame and gaming houses: 20
T PREVENT lewd indecent and
= dIsorderly conduct or exhibitions
! in the city, and 10 expel therefrom
l persons guilty of such conduct
who shall not have resided there
y in ~ much as one year. tSectfon
= lax OF the charter).
70 These quotations are suggested oS
g the developments in the police depart
ment and are put here simply to show
: that the mere insertion Of good thing:
q in a charter does not always NEAR
Il that any results will follow. and tC
@ illustrate further the fact that the pro
9 posed amendments, though they were
& perfect and were not subject TO any
= of the criticisms which have beer
= made herein, would not necessaril,
= mean any Improvement unless /
@ could be guaranteed that the Council
l. Of the City Of Richmond would hav'
II the courage and the capacity to pu
y into effect by suitable ordinances al
h the desirable items of the charter.
r -. It IS probab bly, desirable here Z
d call attention TO the fact that afte
T. enumerating IN Section % the depart
t ment's into which the activities of tn
n City Government are to be divided
e these amendments add the followin
o significant sentence: Provided, how
# ever, that the council may by ordin
II ance adopted by an Affirmative vote o
10 at least tWothirds OF its members 4
e each branch. create new sub division
u of any department where absolutel
l. necessary. or abolish existing depart
n ments and distribute the function
thereof. or establish temporary de
lr partments for special work" which
\ translated into plain English. mean
l. that after all this supposedly scientif
Re charter leaves open to the City Coun
Re ell the destruction OF every specific re
" ouirement II contains, and leaves
& within the power of the City Counct
% apparently to reconstruct what w
% suppose are now adopting for year
II to come, or practically patch u:
" amend, re-arrange and make over thi
e thing which we suppose would b
he permanent in its character. II adopte
n by a sufficient vote. II even open
ID the way 10 reduce the six com mission
le ers to three. or two, or increase then
ar TO ten or twelve
n 49, One remarkable outstandfn
81 fact concerning these proposed amend
10 ments Is that not one word Is sal
20 with reference to the pay to be re-
t ceived by the richly empowere
? Mayor by any of the six commission
= crs appointed TO take charge of tn
TO several departments of the City Gov
m ernment by any of the heads OF de
y partments to he appointed by the com
r missioners, or by any of the employe
he 10 be employed by the heads of de
le partments. Neither is there any limi
" 10 the number of officers clerks an
employees who may be employed, an