Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-04-21

The following five were announced
as the candidates to make the race
of city council in the election to bC
held June 13 FOR city council Ia mass
meeting in the armory last night:
w. Albert Smoot. president OF W
A. Smoot and Co., Incorporated, Goa
and lGmber dealers.
Robert s. Jones, secretary OF 1
Sroot and Sons Company, incorpor-
ated, and president Of the Alexandra
Building and, Loan Association.
Arthur II. Bryant, of the Herbert
Bryant's Son, dealers in fertilizer and
agricultural implements.
Thomas j. FannOn, OF /. d. L an
non and Sons. dealers in coal, cemen,
lime and plaster.
Edward +. Ticer, agent for the
Southern Railway System and Wash
ington and Old Dominion Railway.
The meeting was presided owe: by
J. f.. ". Timberman, chairman, and
was opened with prayer by Rev. Or.
f.. V. REGISTER, pastor of the VI. r.
Church South.
The report of the committee of fiji
teen which picked the five men to
make the ract for council was then
read by Miss Lucy Graves, secretary
Of the committee. The report follows
Mass Meeting ...... .. e. 50. e
Names of Committee:
A. d. Brockett Arthur Bryant
J. Randall Cation Percy h. Gilt
c. + Dare Miss Lucy Graves
Arthur Herbert k. >. Jones
=. r King K. F.. Knight
Carroll Pierce l.. Ruben
". A. SmOOt c. b. swan
G.. +. Warfeld
The above committee, as YOU Of
course know, was elected at a mass
meeting on March 27 to select and
report to this meeting the names OF
FIVE persons 10 become candidGt teS for
City Council at the election next June.
| have been directed by the committee
10 report these names, but think it
not inappropriate TO make a very
brief report upon the method by which
the results were arrived at
Ii is the understanding of the Com
mittee that this selection be made
without regard to any affiliations,
political or otherwise, of the candi-
dates. that the only considerations
are the experience, ability, and nteg-
rity which fit men to constitute the
governing body of the city of AleXan-
dria. To this not easy task, your
committee, having organized by the
election of Mr., W. A. Smoot as chair
man and Miss Lucy NJ. Graves as
Secretary, addressed itself.
The committee first obtained infor-
nation upon the subject in hand and
as to the best method of procedure
from a number of sources, including
correspondence with representative
members of the city councils Of the
larger cities of Virginia which have
adopted and are trying out the man.
ager-council form Of government. The
authorities were unanimous in empha-
sizing the fOllowing-tirst, that the
success of the new administration de-
pendS almost entirely upon the ltCess
of The men selected for the council, and
second. that the injection of politics
into the new regime almost surely
portends failure. With these points
in mind and being guided by the wish
rs of the citizens of Alexandria, as
Indicated at the meeting of March
27. your committee began its work.
Ii is not an easy task to induce
men of the proper caliber to consent
to their names being presented as can
didateS. Ii is apparent to anyone
making even a superficial eXamina-
tiou of the subject that the reorgani-
ZatiOn and administration of the man
ifold activities of a municipality like
our own entail, at the beginning at
least, a vast amount of hard work
the salary of cOuncilmen is practi-
cally negligible; there is not sufii-
cient prestige in the position to be
attractive to men of large affairs;
and the work will almost certainly
call forth, from some quarters, crit
iciSm and erhGps cenSure. The de
ciSion to become a candidate must
therefore be based upon the duty OF
public service as opposed to self-ir
terest. The man who approaches il
otherwise thereby proves his unfit
ness for the position.