The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-02-02

BILLS PASSED.


ton. EbF An v71
BILLS PASSED. - -
The following bills vi Ipassed:
Senate bill to amend section 2 Of an
act to stay the collection Of debts for o
limited period. 500
Senate bill to amend section / Of an
act to incorporate the Tredegar Company,
passed February - 1866.
Senate bill for the relief Of Joseph IL.
Ryan, late sheriff of Clarke county.
EXPRESS TRANSFORMATION ON RAILROADS.
The bill regulating express transporta-
ton on railroads came up as the order
of the day.
Mr.. z. TURNER offered substitute for
the bill, which on his motion was ordered
to be printed; and also on his motion the
bill was passed by.
TIME OF MEETING OF THE GENERAL Assem-
BLY,.
The bill changing the time of the meet
inc of the General Assembly from the first
Monday in December to the first Monday
in January came up on its second reading,
and. upon the question of its engrossment,
was rejected without division.
PRINTING CERTAIN LAWS.
The Joint resolution directing the pub
LEGATION in the Richmond Enquirer OF GER
tain laws of general character and impor-
lance. to be indicated by the Speaker,
upon the terms proposed by Messrs. Smith
s. Son, editors of the Enquirer, heretofore
noticed, came up.
Mr.. STRAuGHAN moved substitute for
the bill. directing the printing OF said laws
by the public printer in the form and on
the same paper with that used now by the
public printer in printing the Diiis anu
journals Of the House.
Mr.. STRAUGHAN compared the TWO forms
of publishing the laws alluded to-the con-
yenience, clearness, and accuracy OF that
by the public printer, and the ephemeral,
incorrect, and unreliable character OF the
newspaper publication, mixed up as the
laws would be, with advertisements, sto-
ries, miscellany, politics, and what not.
In this latter they would not be preserved
and would be Of no value in legal sense.
Mr., STRAUGHAN called for the reading Oh
letter from C. II. Wynne, OF the Im'e q,
in which he. said there was an oner 10 oo
tbe work cheaper than under the terms
with Smith & Son. He did not call ior Tue
reading because he could in any event ap-
proye the newspaper form for the pup!ica,,
ton of the laws, but because ne desirea
that if done in that manner the press &c
nerally should have a chance TO BID ior IL,
and he was in favor Of giving 1t to the
lowest bidder, provided he was respecta-
BILE and reliable publisher.
Mr.. WINES letter was read, in which
he offered his paper for the publication OF
the laws without charge, and desired 70
compete for the putting the laws Id type:
Mr.. PATTERSON called for the reaaihg ol
a comparative table, showing the cost 10
the State of publishing the laws In the
form proposed by Mr.. STRAUGHAN and IN
that proposed by the editors OF the En-
quirr. The difference was three or Jour
thousand dollars in favor of the Enquirer
project. Mr.. PATTERSON supported tins
latter mode of publication, and would
vote at once in favor of contracting with
Messrs. Smith s. Son. They had been hrsS
to offer the plan, and it was cheap, ana
would be of great benefit to the people,
and therefore he hoped it would pass.
Mr.. LEE sent to the clerk, to be read, a
letter from the editors of the wing ex-
pressing a desire to be permitted TO Did
for the Job if newspaper was 10 De the
medium of the publication OF the general
laws referred to. The letter assured the
legislators that the circulation of the Whg
was larger than that OF any other paper IN
the CITY. and would give the laws more
thorough distribution than could be OBJ
tanned through any other newspaper
medium.
Mr., GARRETT very earnestly deprecated
the publication of laws in newspaper as
authority. Newspapers were too unreii,
able in matters of accuracy. Who would
read the proof-sheets, who mail the papers,
&C.? He called attention to the famous
" supplement s." of the Convention OF 1850,
which had caused discussion of week
in the convention, and then proved fail
ure. The scheme was one to circulate
newspapers, and he hoped it would be
rejected. 49,,
Mr.. KELLAM earnestly sustained the bill.
People wanted the principal laws pub
lished promptly. lie was against submit
ting the work to the lowest bidder. Hun
nicutt, whose sheet was sustained by
northern capital, might be the lowest bid
der, and the State would have to circulate
his paper. :.
MIR. STRAuGHAN then withdrew his
amendment, and Mr.. GARNET moved that
the bill be dismissed.
Mr.. GooDE opposed the motion. The
proposition was the simple one Of publish
ing from day to day, as they were passed,
certain general laws for the information OF
the people, at low price-a trifing cost.
Difficulty had arisen because the laws OF a
former session had not been promptly sent
into the country. The House had given a
decided vote in favor of Messrs. Smith &
Co.'S proposition when the subject was last
up, and he had heard no reason why 1t
should change its decision now.
Mr.. DAVIS commended that at no time,
and especially now, should money be spent
unless it was certainly spent for the pub
lie benefit. He did not think the proposed
expenditure would be. He alluded to the
difficulties of communicating through
post-ofices noW-since they were SO few
and to the very few subscribers to newspa-
pers in the country. The people would
not see the laws-at least three tOurths
would not see them until they saw them
regularly published in the sessions acts on
court day. He was satisfied If these laws
were published in newspaper they would
not - of any use. The papers would only
be used as wrapping paper.
Mr.. DICKINSON could see only one good
to come from the bill for printing these
laws in a newspaper-that good was the
increase of the circulation Of the newspa-
per selected as the medium. 1t was the
wisest, most substantial, and certain mode
of increasing the circulation of newspa-
per he had ever heard of. He did not see