Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-03-05
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA.

day was quite industrious in dispatching its
business, and the large number of bills passed
show the effectiveness of that industry. The
most important bill passed is the one III regard
to railroad tariffs. The bill in regard to marriage
licenses, provides that the license shall issue
from the court of the city or town In which the
woman resides, or from the county court, If
she does not reside in city or town having a
separate court
The Cumberland Gap railroad bill was taken
up and was the pending business at the hour
of adjournment.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
La the House, number of bills were passed
A bill appropriating $1,000 for the education
OF INDECENT children was laid on the table. A
substitute was offered by Mr. Crump for the
bill to provide for the payment Of interest on
the public debt, reported by the House Com
mlttee OF Finance, and Mr. Seawell offered a
substitute for the proposed substitute. The
matter was discussed at some length, and fnal-
~ postponed until Wednesday. The bill to al
low the James River and Kanawha Canal Com
pany to borrow money was taken up, and
substitute offered by Mr. Pendleton, who stat
ed that the friends of the several pending pro-
positions concurred in the substitute. Pending
the DISCUSSION Of this BILL the House took a
recess.
SENATE, Tuesday, Feb. 26th.-Neariy the
whole Of the session of the Senate to-day was in
secret. Two bills of local interest were passed,
and quite number of similar ones reported
from the Committee on General Laws. Moth
Ing else OF interest was done.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
The House dismissed the Senate bill APP
propriating $4,000 TO the State Board of I'm
migration, and passed the Irish Immigrant"
bill. A number of other bills also passed, and
the Cumberland Gap or ''Southside Consoida-
ton Railroad Scheme was discussed at length.
SENATE, Wednesday Feb. 27.-The first
business in the Senate to-day was the passage
of a resolution providing for the publication OF
the proceedings Of the secret sessions. There
was nothing in fact, however, to publish, be-
cause the entire term Of three secret sessions, as
we are informed. was consumed in the inter-
change of views among Senators in regard to
the course which should be pursued by the State
in reference to the Observation-Disclosures bill. =
No action was proposed and no course indicat-
ed Or agreed upon.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
In the open session OF to-day the Senate was
quite industrious in transacting business. A
large number of bills were reported from commit
tees, and as many passed. The Committee for
Courts of Justice reported it inexpedient to take
action in regard to the county Of Monroe, whose
people had petitioned the General Assembly to
assert the rights Of Virginia to that county. The
same committee reported against action in re-
gard to the delayed Indebtedness of the Virginia
and Tennessee Railroad to the State.
The ''Southside Consolidation" bill was taken
up and discussed at length, but no vote was had
upon it. When the Senate adjourned it was
the pending business, and will come up again
this morning.
Tn the House, the bill authorizing the James
River and Kanawha Company to borrow money
was passed by vote of 81 to Il. The House
agreed to certain amendments proposed by the
Senate to the bill Incorporating the Real Estate
Banking and Insurance Company of Richmond
A number Of local bills were passed and num-
Der dismissed" A bill to amend the title of the
Code in relation to proceedings in criminal cases
| was discussed at some length by Messrs. Crump
and Baldwin, and finally laid on the table. The
bill to facilitate the construction Of the Cumber
land Gap railroad was ordered to It's engross-
| ment
SENATE, Thursday, Feb 2S.-The Senate
was mainly occupied to-day in discussing the
'Southside Consolidation Scheme" and the
debate was long and animated. Senator Boiling
made the effort par ercel2eace on the part of the
| friends of the measure, and the only indication
of the sentiment of the Senate was on the mo-
ton of Senator McRae to lay the bill on the ia
| BILE. His reason, or rather one Of his reasons,
! for this was because the House Of Delegates
| have the same measure under consideration,
and it was thought advisable to await their final
action on the subject. The vote on laying on
the table was close and does not necessarily i'm
ply an intention to reject.
An interesting episode Of the Senate session
to-day was the reception OF a number OF gentle
| men belonging to the Delaware Legislature. =
In receiving these gentlemen, Lieut.. Gov. Cow
per addressed them as the organ Of the Senate
| welcoming them to the hospitality and conf
dence of the Senate.
The gentlemen were drawn up in a body in
front of the Presidents chair and Senator Jack
son, of the Delaware Legislature on behalf Of
dress to the speech Of Lieut.. Gov. Cowper.
Nothing else of especial interest was done,
but the Covington and Ohio bill was under con-
sderation at the hour of adjournment, Senator
Keen having the floor
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
Several bills were passed, principally of To-
cal character. Senate bill relative to the State
debt was also passed The Cumberland Gap
railroad bill was defeated for want of "a constitu-
tional majority After the transaction Of some
other business. the House united in doing the
| courteses to the members of the Delaware Leg
islature.
The visitors being received in the House, and
Senator Jackson, of Delaware, being introduced
to the Speaker, Col. Baldwin said:
"Mr. Senator and gentlemen is right and
| proper that the representatives ofthe sovereign
State of Delaware should receive a cordial well
come to the Capital Of the Old Dominion. On
behalf of the House of Delegates of Virginia, [
bid you welcome
We would be unfit representatives of the ira
ditional hospitality of our people if we should
fail to meet with earnest cordality this friendly
visit from representative gentlemen of sister
State and we would be recreant to the time
honored principles Of Virginia if we should, on
such an occasion, omit to do honor to the sove-
reignty and the constitutional equality of States
of the Union.
1--WE recognize in you, gentlemen, the de-
scendants of the Delaware colonists, who, with
| our Virginia ancestors fought the Revolution
of l776 to maintain the inseparable unity of
taxation and representation, the supremacy of
the civil over the military authority the sacred
writ of habeas corpus, and the inestimable right
Of trial by jury and we deem it not inappro-
pirate to the circumstances which surround us
to recall the memorable fact that our forefath-
ers, with jealous forecast, full of the instincts
of freedom, denounced the British Government
| for 'abolishng the free system of English laws