Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-08-07
The L.gisInture-The WORT Done.

manth, after some six weeks of arduous
labor. They have accomplished the
legislation Immediately and imperatiVely
necessary to put the machinery OF the new
Commonwealth i'll motion, and have now,
very properly, we conceive, taken little
brea ming spell, after providing that their
recreation should not be at the public ex-
pcnse. For the interests of good leglsIa-
ton, it is always best that sessions should
not be too Tong without intervals of rest
The human bow, no less than the hickory
one, needs to be occasionally unstrung, to
preserve its elasticity. Nobody can work
without rest, and those who haze tried 1t
say legislation is hard work. Another
consideration is that ~e are now fairly
into the heated term; and it is not only un-
comfortable but actually unsafe for those
accustomed to the pure air and water OF
the country to live in the hot and uncom-
Portable town, while the dog star RACES
We understand many of the members were
already quite unweIl. Another thing, the
election of United States Senators which
had pressed heavily on the House was dis
posed of Tuesday, and naturally the Legs
lature felt like it had earned a holiday
Besides, both Houses are made uplof men
gbo have matters 10 look after at home,
aud it was much better for all to go at once
than for large per cent to be absent aid
the time. Still another thing land this
Of course ia in strict confdence,) the Lee
gislature had "A en- to the wars" and want
ed 10 liouize little at home as the "Mor-
gan Eaters"
During the thirty. seven days of actual
session, about sixty bills were reported in
the House and some twenty in the Seuate
OF these, thir:y-ive and about a dozen
Joint resolutions became laws.
We doubt whether at the first session OF
any Legislature, either in Virginia las il
used to be- or out of it, more Legislation
has been done 10 the same length of time
Much of it necessarily is of a temporary
character. or course, the laws of the
State~must be codi6ed, as in all others;-
but this cannot be done right away, anc
provision had to be made for getting along
until they could be. It is deemed probable
that this Legislature will appoint com
mission of gentlemen for that purpose, II
report to the next.
Most of the Legislation done has refer
ence to the organization of the Courts ant
Counties. Commissioners have been ap
pointed in each county to lay it off int
townships, and we suppose they viii
proceed at once in that work. The count.
organization of our new State is one of tn
greatest changes made from the old.
will be new from bottom to top. Neces
sarily things will go on a little awkward
for while, bu: when our township syster
as defined in the Constitution is completed
1t will be found most admirable one-in
deed it has been pronounced by gentlemen
from some of the northern states, as full
equal, if not in some respects superior, t
the best of them. Being the last one de
vised there is at least one good reason VIII
it ought to be the best.
Acts have been passed, defining the du
ties of county recorders; prescribing oaths
precrib bling bonds of officers; appropriatiul
money to procure arms and munitions 0
war; authorizing the Governor to procur
arms and distribute them among the loya
citizens for State defense; fixing the term
of the courts; prescribing the manner o
paying money into the treasury; amending
the stay law; forfeiting the property o
rebels; defining the jurisdiction and powers
of the Supreme Court of Appeals; provi
ding for the appointment and qualification
of deputy sherifs, clerks, and recorders
defining in part the functions of townships
regulating township meetings and elections
for the trial of offences in disturbed couu.
ties; appointing Quartermaster General
for the State; appropriatiug money Tor the
expenses of the Legislature; naming ex,
emptions from militia duty; dividing the
counties into townships; apprOpriating
money for civil expenses; admitting Berk,
eley county; and numerous others less i'm
portaut, among them two or three of 6
local nature.
Several important bills are pending
among them one of the Senate, devising a
system of free schools, one (passed By the
House) for the reorganization of the Mill
tia, one passed by the seuate) for com.
mission to facilitate immigration, one or
Two relating to the organization of counties
and townships, and others.
1t has been remarked by all we have
heard speak of it, that thus far the delib-
erations of both Houses have been con-
Quoted with the utmost courtesy and good
feeling, and without a single jar. About
"a only bill that provoked any discussion