Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-03-06
Fginia Legislature.
norss or DELEGATES.

o.o"s utS osH 'ConCerning the nav
CATION OF the Potomac riverv was rea,
The LIST time--and on AR. Sherrard'
motion the end time, and recommittet
TO the same committee.
| The cngrossed bill touching The an.
pointment of electors of president anil
vice president Of the U. s. was posss,
and sent to the Senate.
Tuesday, FEB. lS.---The bill 10 amend
the penal laws received from the Senate
with sundry amendments. The LIST p,o.
posed to strike out the provision in 'the
| bill Furnishing certain offences with i'm
prisonment in the country Jail for any
period under two years, or with strines
at the discretion OF a. ary--and to insert
aprovlslon fixing the period of impri-
sonmcnt at not more than "six months
nor less than one month at the discretion
oil the court, and be there kept on low
aud coarse diet as prescribed by law
Tor convicts in the Pententiary land
shall moreover be punished with stripes.
at the discretion OF the court, to be in
fiicted, at one time during such confine.
ment, as such court may direct pro-
vided the same do not exceed thirty
nine at any one time"
Dir Watkins. Of P. z moved to disa.
gree to this amendment. lie thoueht
the power vested in courts too great.
and might be exercised with cruelty in
some cases.
Messrs. Pasteson, Of b. and Chiffon
opposed the motion, aud advocated the
amendment as preferable to the original
bill. They thought two years longer
confinement than justice required and
that shorter period united with corpo-
raj punishment, would, answer better
purpose.
The House refused to disayree--and,
OF course, agreed to the amendment.
The end and 3rd were verbal amend-
ments and agreed to. The 9TH provided
"that all offences punished by imprison-
ment in the common Jail and with
stripes should be in the superior courts;'n
and, on Mr.. Whites motion was disa.
greed to.
The bill was then laid on the table.
On motion of Mr.. Patteson, of Is. the
bill imposing taxes for the support of
government, was taken up-sundry
blanks being in the bill
Mr.. Garland moved to fill the lst
blank with eight cents, which would i'm
pose tax on land Of eight cents upon
every hundred dollars value thereof
This he said was less than the tax Of
last year by tWelre and half per cent
and he should move to fill the other
blanks in the same way, producing ST.
milar reduction throughout.
MIR. Patteson, moved to Gil the blank
sir and halt cents. He said he had
on former occasion explainedhis views
ON this subject-but not having been UNI
dersteoJ. he had prepared and caused
to be printed and circulated among the
members, statement embracing the
calculations upon which bis motion was
founded. His convictions on this sub
ject were very strong He bad thought
that the taxes could be reduced 81 per
cent. But since the passage ofseveral
bills containing appropriations Of money,
he thought that reduction Of 25 per
cent. might with more safety be made.
Should this reduction take place, he said
the revenues of the government would
be equal to its expenses and to the pay
ment OF the interest and such OF tho
principal of the public debt as the state
was bound to provide for the chief
debt due from the commonwealth. being
that held by the literary fund, which he
did not think it prudent to pay at this
time, and especially by taxing people, at
a period when it was more convenient 10
pay interest than principal.
Dir. Epps moved to fill the blank with
seren cents, which he said would be
reduction of about % per cent. The
surplus Of s 10000 in the. treasury, he
said, would be absorbed by appro-
priations not brought into the esti.
mate Of the C. Of +. That Committee
proposed to add this sum and s 10000
more to the sinking making that
fund S 100000. He said he could not
see the necessity of appropriating so
large sum to pay offa debt due to the
literary fund, to enable that fund to lend
the state s 10000 which is to be imme.
dlately converted into a six per cent.
stock to be again turned over to that
fund, &c.
Mr. Patteson withdrew his motion.
Mr. Garland was as much disposed to
relieve the people as any man could be.
But when the country was in dett, he
thought it pradent to look forward and
TO provide the means of r.aying. He
went into an eyamina,io. &c the stare-
ment to which Mr.. Pa .eson had alluded
and endeavaurel r show that it would