Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1849-07-17
THE LEGISLATURE
DEBTS OF DEcEnENTs.

llhCo tilc OluCI lOOWSs dlCT payment Otfunerdl
eXpensesand doctors bills forhe decedens last sick
ness, viz 1st Debts due to the United States; ID |
Taxes and levies assessed previous to decedents |
death; Sd. Debts due as personal representative,
guardian Or committee where the qualification
in this State; in which debts shall be included debt
for money received by husband acting as such
iducary in right of his wife; 4th Judgments and
DEGREES rendered. and recognizances upon which ex-
ecutlon has been awarded in this State against the
decedent; 9th All other debts and demands, except
9th. All sums recovered against the decedent's es-
tate for resspasses other wrongs done by him in
| his lifetime, and for which no Judgment was OBJ
| tanned before his death. The Revision Committee
strike out the Sd of these classes thus placing the
debts mentioned therein in the Revisors 9Th class.
along with general 'debts and demands
Mr. Ferguson moved to restore the Revisors'
provision, and after long debate, Messrs Harrison,
of L., and Scott sustaining the Revision Commit
tee, Mr.. Ferguson the Revisors, and Mr.. Price
medium between the two the motion prevailed. al
to a. 1t will be perceived that the Revsors have.
in some respects, materially modified the present
law on this subject. They establish the priority of
United States debts; limit the priority of debts due the
State to taxes and levies; and, what is most mpor-
tant whilst retaining the priority of certain fducary
debts, place all contract debts, whether by specially,
note or open account, on equal footing. In the
succeeding section, they provide, that "f there be
not enough to pay the debts of any one Glass; all the
creditors of that class shall be paid ratably" thus
abolshing the principle of preferring prior judy
ments among debts of equal dignity
On Monday, the 9Th, communication was pre-
scented by the Speaker from the State Librarian, in
reply to charges made against him by Mr. Scott,
FIDucIARIEs' ACCOUNTS.
By the bill as reported following the recommended
ton Of the Revisors, the accounts of all duciaries
are to be settled before the Commissioners of the cir
cult court alone Mr. Perrow moved to amend 80 as
10 allow them to be settled as now before Commits.
sioners of the County Courts Nearly all the speak
ers advocated the provision of the BILL but Mr. Per-
rows motion prevailed, Al to So.
MECHANICS LIENS.
The bill gives general lien to mechanics on the
buildings they construct, On Mr.. Lacy's motion,
this lien confined to buildings in cities or towns.
38 to 80. 1t was then proposed to abolish the lien
altogether, but the subject was passed over.
EXCITEMENT.
In the chapter Oh the action of Ejectment. the bill
declares it shall be sufficient for the plaintiff to
show right to the possession of the premises at the
time OF the commencement of the suit, or a better
right 10 hold The same than that Of the DEFENDANT By
these last words it was intended to place eiec tment
on the same footing with writs of right, and to deny
to the defendant the privilege of setting up bet
flo Inn, +l,o ,,I,.,,4
seems that this change Of the present law was
suggested by Judges Allen and Fry. Mr.. Price
moved to strike out the new provision which was
done by the House by large majority
sENATE's AMENDMENTS.
On Tuesday, the 10th, the House took up the
amendments reported from the Senate to the first
bill. The LIST of these strikes out the Houses
amendment, requiring the county court to nominate
suitable persons commissioners at Presidential
elections in this the House concurred as also in
an amendment filming deputy sherfs for not attend
ing and acting at elections
TIED ELECTIONS.
The Senate had struck out the House amend
ment sending tied election back to the people
After speech from Mr. Scott, the House disagreed,
81 to so, "a strong vote.) Mr.. Ferguson moved a
reconsideration but the House refused it, 46 to &c.
Some of the Democratic members appeared TO have
smelt rat somewhere, for Messrs Claiborne and
Rives took the ground that the people ought to de-
eide their own elections and not a mere sheriff.
The senior editor of the Enquirer will have to whip
up the Senate again, Other amendments of the
Senate involving the same principle were disagreed
to.
PARDoNING POWER.
The next important amendment of the Senate
was that rejecting the provision which passed the
House, restraining the pardoning power of the Gov
ernor. After debate between Messrs Ferguson and
Scott, this amendment was disagreed to, At to 3d.
So the House insists on its principle of limiting the
Governor to cases in which mercy is recommended
by the jury court, where new facts not in evil
dence are disclosed.
STATE LIBRARY.
An amendment of the Senate strikes ont the pro-
vision for establishing separate law library for the
Court of Appeals, and appropriating $4,000 there
for. This amendment was agreed to.
THE MILITIA
The Senate restore the old mode of enrolment:
make 800, instead of 400, the number of repi-
ment; and give the adjutant the rank of Captain
These amendments the House agreed to,
MARRIED WOMEN.
On Wednesday, the 18th, Mr. Faulkner from the
rights of married women committee, made report,
proposing the following amendments Of the existing
law:
LIST. That the slaves of the wife shall continue
her property, subject to the husbands life interest in
them, to be conveyed during coverture only in the
mode prescribed for the sale OF real estate by FEM
me coverts. If the wife dies without issue, the
slaves to belong absolutely to the husband, &c
I'd. The property acquired by marriage not to be
responsible for the debts of the husband contracted
prior to marriage.
Sd. The husband not to be responsible for the
debts of the wife, beyond the property acquired by
marriage, and the death of the wife before the reco-
very OF such debts, not to release his liability to that
extent.