The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-01-29
PETITIONS.

IENkllONos
Mr. OULp presented the petition Of Pey-
ton Johnston and wife asking that their
trustee be empowered TO borrow money
under their trust deed which was referred
to the Committee for Courts Of Justice.
PAINTING OF RECORDS.
The Senate refused to concur in the
House amendment of Senate bill in rela-
ton to the printing Of the records OF the
Court of Appeals.
On motion of Mr.. GRAY, the Senate adj
journed.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
The Journal was read. The usual COM
munication from the Senate was read, and
bills passed by that body were referred.
Committees made reports, including Sc
yeral bills, which were placed on the ca
lendar.
REJECTED PROPOSITIONS.
The Committee on Courts of Justice re-
ported that legislation on the following
subjects referred to them is inexpedient,
and the House concurrcd with the report
of the committee in each case-viz: OF
empowering constables to collect the
clerks fees as sheriffs do now to amend
section IL, chapter 149 Of the Code, as to
| limitation of certain actions toproyide by
other penalties than those prescribed to
enforce the settlement of the accounts OF
fduciaries once year; the petition OF Or
Vile Allen, committee of r. Davis, a luna
tic for recurring the clerks of county
courts to report the number OF suits
brought in each county for debt since Sth
| April, 1865; of restoring the quarterly
terms of the county courts, with grand and
petit iuries, and the trial of civil causes /;
of releasing sheriffs from the administra-
ton of estates of deceased persons in the
manner prescribed by law for the release
Of ordinary administrators of amending
the :" stay law" so as to provide for the
gradual payment of principal and interest
through series of years; bill to amend
sections 10, IL, 16, and 81 of chapter 1874
of the Code, in relation to fees of county,
corporation, and circuit courts; and of pro-
viding by law for the security for the pay
ment of wages due to laborers either by
giving them lien upon the crops, or by
some summary proceedings.
The Committee of Schools and Colleges
begged to be discharged from the further
consideration of petition Of sundry citi-
zens of Wythe that the system of free
schools "may be made matter of law in
Wythe county," on the ground that the
sgd chapter of the Code authorizes the
county to adopt the system of free schools.
The committee was discharged accord
ingly.
PUBLISHING THE LAWS IN A NEWSPAPER.
The Committee of Printing had made
two reports, majority and minority, on the
proposition for printing in some newspaper
having the largest circulation in the city
of Richmond such laws as the Speaker
may select, and which shall, when so pub
lished, be regarded as authoritative.
The majority reported that it was mex
pedient to pass such law.
The minority report recomme nded the
adoption of q joint resolution that such laws
be published in the Richmond Enquras,
and that a contract be entered into with r..
M. Smith s. Son for the publication of such
acts as may be indicated by the Speaker
of the House Of Delegates on the terms
of their bid-to wit Ten dollars per CO.
lumn of nonpareil type for the publication
in the Richmond Enquirer, and five cents
per copy for papers containing such publ
cations, addressed, postpaid, to the county
clerk of each county ofthe Commonwealth,
and the publication so made shall be under
the caption of ''By Authority" and such
publication to be received as authoritative
in all the courts Of the State.
The question was upon the report OF
the majority, and debate arose, in which
the propriety of publishing the acts in
newspaper as proposed by the minority re,
port was opposed by Messrs. hElLEY ana
STRAuGHAN, and sustained by Messrs.
BENTLEY, GoODE, PATTERSON, TONNES, ana
DUSSISGToN. Mr.. KELLEY objected to the
massage of bill containing the name OF
one paper in the city while there were so
many others that might be ready to COM
pete for the job. He objected to the bill
further. that II was too late in the session
to make an arrangement OF this kind-the
more especially as billhad already passed
providing for the printing and distribution
of the acts. Mr.. STRAUGHAN commended
that the publication of laws IN a newspaper
was altogether too unreliable and tempo
rary form for the purpose indicated. He
objected to the idea of setting up laws
published in a newspaper, so transient and
destructible, as obligatory and binding on
the courts.
On the other hand, it was contended
that there was the greatest embarrass-
| ment and difficulty in the counties after
the adjournment Of the Legislature, be-
cause no one knew the laws that had been
passed. Petitions had come here this
winter to legalize the decisions of judge
in a southside county which were given
without the knowledge that a law had been
passed seriously affecting them. 1t was
asserted that at March and April courts
there had not been any knowledge of the
important acts Of the Legislature, and
that the only way in which this ignorance
could be remedied was by the publication
in newspaper, which could convey the
laws with the rapidity of the mail to the
country.
Mr.. GooDE declared his impartialty as
to the newspapers of Richmond. The En-
quirer, however, was the only paper which
had made an offer, and they were obliged
to take that, as there was no competing
bid for the work.
The proposition of Messrs. Smith g. Son,
which is embodied in the joint resolution,
is represented in a communication from
those gentlemen to be one-third below the
regular rates. They offer to print for ten
dollars per column Of nonpareil, and to
publish for FIVE cents per copy, pre- paid,
for the Enquirer. They estimate that it is
probable the acts considered sufficiently
important to be published in this manner
will be one-third Of all that are passed, and
will occupy thirty columns. This will cost
the State $500 add 100 copies of Enquirer
to each clerk Of a county, they think the
cost will raise the aggregate expense of
printing and publishing to $500.