The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-04-05

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THURSDAY MORNING. :. .APRILs ieso
Arrangeaaens 81 the Hall q the House d
Delegates.
Among the subjects which the recent Gen
eral Assembly failed to act upon was bill
and report from = special committee on thu
subject Of An alteration Of the Hall Of thu
House OF DslsGates, BY which Il was proposed
to discard the dssks and chairs and INTRODUCED
fixed seats. supplied with an open space IN.
.ieraeath and q drawer, the former for Goa,
and hat the latter for papers useful TO mem.
hers In the Hall. The report which accompa.
MED the bill was very sensible and conclu.
sive document. II 10 to b regretted that thu
Legislature did not give II . fair considera.
tion.
The present arrangement 10 exceediuely nm.
comfortable, and produces q great deal Of con.
fusion. 1t 10 crowded, nobody can move with.
out jostling and incommoding somebody
else-everyb body passes in 1T the same door to
the Hobbies and the aoor-the movable seats
with rollers keep upa constant creaking-the
facility OF writing multiplies resolutions and
frivolous business, while the same facility In
duces members 70 devote their time to private
correspondence and concerns in the hours Of
deliberation, so that they do not attend to the
public business--and all these effects COM
bined produce discomfort, confusion, disorder,
retard business and occasion imperfect legis-
lation. The committee wisely recommended
the election Of the desks and the In PRODUCTION
of fixed seats.
No one cause that we know of has done SO
much to deteriorate the dignity and decorum
the industry and efficiency of the House of
Delegates 1t has helped very much to indi-
vidualize business. e., to diminish the in
1crest Of members in the general legislation of
the State, and to increase their zeal for pri.
vate and special legislation. They bring pri-
waite matters and correspondence into the hall,
and, devoting their time to them, pay but lit
tie attention to business until their neighbor-
hood affairs are up. Members are, therefore,
more than formerly, selfish and contracted in
their views, while there is less Of public spirit
and great diminution of the sense of public
obligation TO the welfare Of the Common
wealth in the minds Of her Lawmakers. Few
understand fully anything but their local con-
Germs, and great deal of time is wasted in ex-
plantations that have to be made after debate
At the time of voting.
Under the old regulation of the benches. the
proceedings of the House were remarkable
for their elaboration and dignity. Members
entered and took their seats prepared to listen
10 business and debate, and they neither had
the facility nor the expectation of doing any
thing else. The attention Of the House was
directed either to the reading of the Clerk or to
the speakers. This kind of elaboration facili-
lated business and enabled all to understand
it. 1t had the hest effect on debate for, since
all were listening to a speaker, few men could
have the effrontery to fatigue members with
idle debate-a species Of discussion which al
ways brought down upon those who INDUCED
in it unmistakable demonstrations of the i'm
patience of the House, given out in an entirely
admissible manner. Hence, debates were left
10 few gentlemen, we'll informed upon the
subjects under consideration, and when they
were through the House voted. Now, almost
everybody speaks few are lis tened to, business
is poorly understood, great confusion prevails,
and the session is but little else than grand
scramble for carrying through petty schemes,
and members resort to tricks and contrivances
to get the advantage of position ON the calen.
dar unknown in former days, and that would
have been considered at least of questionable
character.
That there are causes of the decline in the |
dignity and ability of Legislative bodies. in
dependent of the simple matters OF the ar.
rangement of hall for the meeting of Legis-
lators, and the mode of doing business in it, ]
every man who reflects at all on public affairs
must know. But that the arrangement of the
pres snt Hall of the House of Delegates has
helped most materially to diminish the order. |
dignity and decorum of that body, we think is |
II clear proposition.