Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-12-21

House bill No. 20, to suspend section 4
and 5 Of an act passed March 18th, 1866, en-
titled 'an act to stay the collection of debts
for limited period, coming up on its third
reading.
Mr.. Baylor opposed the bill as squirting
atrepudiation and violating compromise be-
tween debtors and creditors made by this
Assembly The debtors we're notified that
in January. 1867, they would be called on
to pay not $106 Of debt, but IS Of interest,"
and creditors had relied upon this poor COM
promise which the advocates of this bill now
proposed to violate
The bill was further debated by various
; members until late hour, when it was passed
by vote of yeas As noes 81.
The entire delegation from this County
voted against the bill.
Senate bin No. 16, directing steps to re-
strain the collection Of taxes by the State of
West Virginia in the counties Of Berkeley
and Jefferson was passed.
The following bills, &C., were appropri-
ately referred
BY Mr.. J. Med. Taylor-the memorial
Of Washington College, praying endowment
by the collegiate land fund
By Mr.. Wbite-A resolution of inquiry
into the expedicncy of passing law for the
relief of sheriffs whose papers were destroyed
by the Federal or Confederate forces during
the late war.
lhe bill incorporating the Virginia Elk
press Company, returned from the Senate
with amendments, was taken up, and all the
amendments save one we're concurred in
That amendment was one which subjected
any railroad entering into contract with the
express company to the general railroad law
Of 1860 in respect to tariffs of tolls.
Mr.. Turner, Of Rappahannock, moved so
amends the amendment by an additional
clause, subjecting such railroad to the pro-
visions of all other general laws on the sub
ject of railroads.
This amendment was concurred in, and
the amendment as amended, was agreed to.
The bill was ordered to be sent back to the
Senate. The Senate promptly concurrcd in
this amendment to their amendment, and the
bill became a law.
A message from the Senate announced
that that body had concurred in the joint res
olution of the House for recess from Thurs
day next until Thursday the Sd day of Jan
uary.
The bill, on it's second reading, entitled ga
bill permitting subscriptions to the capital
stock of railroad and canal companies to be
paid in land" was read, and the question
being upon it's engrossment, the bill was op-
bosed by Mr.. Herndon and supported by
Messrs. Wilson, Patterson, and Clarke of
Campbell. Mr.. Herndon thought it a dan
gerous departure from the policy of the
State to allow railroads to become large own
ers Of real estate. The friends of the bill
considered it altogether free from danger,
and entirely practical and beneficial to the
community and the State. We had not
money to build railroads, nor had the State {:
yet the people had large tracts, which, in
part, were useless, and by subscribing part
to railroads they would not only secure to
themselves means Of getting to market,
but would SO enhance the value of the re-
mainder of their lands as to more than repay
them the amounts Of their subscriptions to
the roads. There had been a great change
in our condition, and our measures must be
reformed to suit this change.
| The bill was then ordered to its engross-
ment without discussion
! The resolutions introduced by Mr.. Evans
on the subject of reputation some days since
came up in order, having been reported
!, from the Committee on Resolutions, with the
recommendation that they be PASSED by the
House
Mr.. Kelley suggested that there was really
no necessity for passing these resolutions,
since there was no power in the Legislature
to repudiate the debt Of Virginia This he
and all present knew. He therefore moved
to lay the resolutions on the table. The
House rejected the motion e
Mr. Hansbrough said Old Virginia-the
mother of us all-the mother of statesmen
and Of States the land of kindness, of gen
crosby, and Of hospitality, God bless her =
she has lost all-all but honor, and before
we lose that, let us, like Caesar, draw our
cloaks about us, and fall peacefully into our
graves.
The question upon agreeing to the resolu-
tons was carried by the unanimous vote Of a
very full house-sereHty members.
CONVICTION AND OHIO RAILROAD.
| BY Mr. Goode.-A bill to provide for the
completion Of line or lines Of railroad from
the waters Of the Chesapeake to the Ohio
river.
4 This bill authorizes consolidation; L.
Of the Virginia Central and the Covington
and Ohio railroad 2. Of the Southside and
Covington and Ohio railroad. g. Of the
Norfolk and Petersburg and Covington and
Ohio railroads. It further authorizes the con-
solidation Of all the rights and franchises of
each of these lines and the debts due the
State, and by the State to them, and Of the
State in the Blue Ridge railroad or tunnel
into one grand corporation, which shall
complete the Covington and Ohio railroad
within six years. 1t is provided in the bill
that should the Norfolk and Petersburg rail
road consolidate with the Covington and
Ohio railroad, it shall be the duty of the
consolidated company, six years after its Or
ganization, to construct road from the ter
minus OF the Southside railroad, in Lynch
I,,,o 10 l.