Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-02-01
Virginia Legislature.
SENATE.
WEDNESDAY,, January 81.

/
SENATE.
WEDNESDAY,, January 81.
xrsw,cK COAL MINING COMPANY.
IN - -aviys and amend the charter Of this
| company was passed. Q
CONTRACTS FOR LABOR.
Senate bill for regulating contracts between WhiIe
| and colored persons was taken up. -,
NJ KyyS. of Pittsylvana, wished TO lay the oili
an he table He referred TO the action oil General
| Terry in annulling the "Nagrant Law anu sa,u "
that any act attempting to regulate cOhthcts Is Nv
he made an additional reason for second order can
! ceiling another law OF the General Assembly. ne
| Thought that the negroes were capable oil making
contracts for themselves and declared his intention
of voting against the bill. j.. ..a
| Several amendments were offered with the lnten-
ton of making the negro cognizant oil te terms ol
! his engagement and To enforce their iuihllmeht.
A long discussion ensued and the bill as amended
was passed; AYES noes, 5-Messrs. Dulany, Keen,
| Lawson, Powell and Power.
The nrincipa provison of the bill is that no con-
| tract for labor between white man ana "a negro
for longer period than one month, shall be Dlndlhg
| upon the negro unless made in writing; also that
! the contract shall be explained to the negro, ana
the fact of such explanation certed upon the con-
tract 1t also imposes penalty OF not less IMAM ten
dollars nor more than twenty dollars, upon any
| person entlcng away any lapoIei PoiiO"'"S SCI
| vice under contract
ORANGE AND ALEXANDRIA RAILROAD.
The Committee of Conference of the two Houses,
| on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad made their
report in the following resolutions, with the recon-
mendatiOn that they pass
RcyOlpcd That the Board of Public Works be re-
ouested TO call a meeting of the stockholders OF the
! Orange and Alexandria Railroad Company for the
purpose of eecting president and directors oil SAID
railroad company, within the shortest period pre-
scrbed BY law and thatthey be requested to appoint
new proxies to represent the interests OF the state IN
| the said meeting Of stockholders
RcsOlred, That copy of these resolutions be GER
! titled and sent to the Board of Public Works.
The report of the Committee of Conference, with
these resolutions, was taken up, and agreed TO by
| the Senate which decided the question so far as the
! General Assembly is concerned.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
Rv Mr. COLEMAN, of Iouisa--TO enquire into the
eypedency of authorizing county and corporation
surveyors TO administer OathS to all persons or par
| ties i'm the execution OF their office.
| By Mr. GILMER, of Richmond-To enquire and re-
mort what legislation may be necessary to protect
! The Commonwealth and other stockholders in rail
roads between Weldon and Baltimore from reckless
and injurious competition.
VIRGINIA CANAL COMPANY.
House bill to amend the act Incorporating the Vir-
| gna Canal Company, and to transfer the rights and
! franchises of the James River and hanawha Conn
pany thereto, was taken up and passed.
The object OF the bill Is TO carry out the contract
of the James River and Kanawha Company with
| Bellot Brothers X Company confirmed by act oil The
Legislature in March, 1861
COSMOS WAREHOUSE COMPANY.
Senate bill TO incorporate this company was
| passed, and the Senate then adjourned
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
The House met at the usual hogr, the Speaker in
the Chair. Prayer by the Rev. DIR. Moore of the
Presbyterian Church OF this city.
FROM THE COMMITTEE on FINANCE.
The Committee on Finance having had under con-
sderation resolution OF enquiry into the eXpe-
diency of increasing the salaries OF the basement Of
icers reported that they did not think it eXpedent
to legislate on the subject
The same committee reported adversely to passing
law increasing the salary of the superintendent OF
Public Buildings.
THE ORANGE AND ALEXANDRIA RAILROAD M
BROGLIO.
The following report of the joint committee of the
two Houses upOn the above subject, was taken up:
"Rcsolred, by the General assembly, That the
Board of Public Works be requested to call meet
ing of the stockholders of the Orange and AleNan-
dria Railroad Company for the purpose OF electlng
President and Directors of said railroad company,
within the shortest period prescribed ny law, ana
that they he requested to appnpt now proxies 10 IT,
present the interest Of the state in the said meeting
of stockholders,
"ResoIped, That copy of these resolutions be
certified and sent to the Board of Public Works
Mr.. GARNET opposed the report.
Mr.. GRATTAN thought this subject ought TO be
dismissed and submitted to the courts.
Mr. LEE, of Richmond city, said that the report
was the result OF II compromise, ana While members
of the committee entertained opinions radically dill
ferent upon the subject the majority had determined
upon the report submitted He thought that the
proxies the part of the State had done just what
they had not been appointed to do in their action
in withdrawing from the regular meeting at Alex
andria
Mr.. WooD, of Albemarle, wanted to know if he
intended to reflect upon Mr.. Early.
Mr. LEE-Whe I do not mean to particHlarize
any Individual proxy, say boldly wtla full know
ledge Of my responsibility that all of those were
entity in my opinion, of reprehensble conduct who
left the regular meeting and ought not, therefore,
TO be re-appointed
The report was adopted by the following vote
AYEs-Messrs Atkinson, Baylor, Bekem, Bently,
Bowles Browning, Cahell, Clark, Daniel, Davidson,
Deskns Huntington, English, Glbboney Glendy'
Graham, Graves, Gray, Hancock, Harris, Hans
brough, Hardy, Herndon, Holmes Jackson, Jones,
Joynes, kellam, kilby. Langhorne, Lee, Long
Manu. Marshall, Martin, Magill, Merritt, Miller,
Newbemy Owen, Patterson, Pendleton, Powell,
Purdy, Riggs Rixey, Robertson, Seawel, Smith,
Strayer, Trout, u. Turner, Wall, Watkins, Wilson,
Woodson Word, Wyatt, Mr.. Speaker-59.
NoEs.-Messrs. Booker, BraXton, Brown, W. /,
! Clark, Chldress Davis, Dickinson, Evans, Fields,
! Garrett Grattan, Hansberger, Kcndrick, Lewis,
Moore, Morgan Mosby, Parsons, Peed, Sect,
| Stearn., slraugnau, j Mcdowell Taylor, W. E.B.
Taylor; Ieeter, WA. Turner, Wolff WoOd-29.
THE JOINT RESOLUTION is RELATION TO THE LAND
TAX AND OTHER MPOsTs AND TAAES LEVIED By
| fHg sOEGkEss ~ Tue UNITED STATE,
! already published ~ former repurt was leturned
! from the Senate with the following amendment;
" Provided, That In aScertainmg the amount to
he paid by the State under this act credit shall he
| allowed for such amount of said tax as may have
been paid and that much of the tax a is justly
applicable to that portion of territory now known as
4 the State of West Virginia shall be excluded from
| tie aIa0dHt of tax hereby assumed"
The amendment being agreed to, the joint resOlu-
ton, as amended, was consequently passed. 1t was
subsequently recOnsdered and returned to the Sen
ate at the request of that body.
The bill regulating the
TAX ON LICENSES,
Ordered on Tuesday to its engrossment, was pass
cd after which thE next Pandins special ORDER the
| Stay Law was considered, Sundry amendments
were offered and defeated; when pending the
amendment of Mr.. STRAUGHAN, of Northumberland,
to extend the provisions of the act to 1870, which
was also lost,
Mr. HANsBROUGH, of Stafford said that in the