The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-03-23
The Bill Making Eight Per Cent Leg
Interest Passed by the Legislature.


%, ,,,nt,ess remember that the
-, - ,no nsury law was first re1ec'eo'
-. ,,orea and passed, ana theh again
,,., and rejected by the House OF
We learned yesterday that there i
80, 10 believe that the bill actually
So. q law We will give the facts, an"
-. II 10 the Judges to decide what the.
prove.
The hin went to the House from the Senate,
and was rejected on the first vote The next
dsv the bill was reconsidered, and passed lust
~ il came from the Senate. Here II must Dc
stated that on motion OF Mr.. GRArTAN, the
rule of the House which prohibited the cierh
from informing the Senate Of the action OF the
House upon any bill within less than two days
had been suspended 50 rs to give both boaicS
better opportunity to expedite business ao
cordinglv, the day after its passage the iiouS'
clerk informed the Senate of the passaseoi ''''
hill and the Senate Journal bears eNiuoi'''
that tho Senate received the COMMUNICATIONS
,,,,,,,. ,,,. after this communication had
heen mad, 10 the Senate, and entered upon i's
To,rno, the House recousdercd the bill anu
ro;a,.cd it-aS the members thought; but the
friends of the measure claim that the senate
having. on the previous day, been oihciails
informed of The passage Of the bill by the
House, the bill ipSo frcto became law, Which
coula moi he then altered, amended, or re
pealed, except 10y the concurrent action OIL DOM
Iyo,sos. ,hot The motion made III the House
- ~ao,,siirr was made, entertained, an"
odort.s under :; rnisapprehension OF the lacls
ord after the bill had actually passed out Oh
the power OF the House.
The rules of the House make 1t the duty OF
lie clerk 10 communicate the action oil the
House upon every bill without formal ORDER
The rule prescribing how much time sho"io
mass before he should perform this duty mao
been suspended iDr the a,o'1sd p"''p"Se ~ ""''"'
,.j-faJL{ta t,atuIe these COMMUNICATIONS uame"t
attn, f.1Ig4ri,,0 the uctipa ofMe House. The only
ouestior then open is, whether this act on the
mart of the clerk attes ted as it is by the Senate
lournal. took the bill out OF the power OF the
uouse notwiths landing the rule (Which 1T i
hui fair 10 state is rule OF the House, preScfl
hing that n motion 10 reconsider shall % Ill
order ~ any lime within two days OF actual
sassio,,, oftar the vote has been taken upon
. any hill or resolution. The logical answer Is,
that the SUSPENSION of the rule prohibiting the
clerk from communicating the actlon OF the
uouse within less than two days, evidences that
The j,,tepfjoR of the House was to get ria OIL the
corresponding rule allowing Il motoh 10 recon
slider 10 be made during those two days. But
even if the SUSPENSION of the one rule qua not
operate q suspension of the other, that other
can only be construed 10 mean that motion
10 reconsider shall be i'll order within TWO
DAYS provided the House has not ordered lis
sction 10 be communicated to the Senate. And
as the standing rule req"ires the clerk 10 com
municate the action of the House upon all
questions without special orders, 1t follows
that he acted upon the order of the House
For suppose that the bill had been House
bill. and had been communicated 10 the Senate
in the manner stated, and the Senate had the
same day passed il as it came from the House,
then il is evident that the bill would nave
become n law and that Il decision to recon
slider come TO in the House the next day would
have had no effect upon this law. Such action
would have been null and void.
tits proper TO add that the custom OF enroll
ing bills ana causing them to be signed by the
presiding officers of the two Houses does not
obtain now. MIR. BIGGER, the clerk OF the
House informed us yesterday that he, as Gus
tos RotalDrpm. had in his possession many laws
which had never been so signed and Ii the
signatures of these officers are not necessary
to the authorization of u law, the conclusion
is unavoidable that iii the case in question the
action of the House and the informing the
Senate of that action must have made the bill
i'm regard TO the rate of interest a law OF the