Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1873-03-15
Letter From Charleston.
CHARLESTON, W. Va,
MIL orl 1917

ed election cases for Judgeships the Federal
Court and the Court Of Appeals have all adj
iourued and gone and with them all their nu-
merous train Of counsel and clients. To-mor-
row we have Governor Jacobs second inaugd-
ration as Governor. Each House Of the Legis-
lature has appointed committee Of arrange
ments and no doubt everything will pass of in
a style cOngenial 10 such an event. OF course
there will be the usual number Of toasts drank
and bottles emptied, and, perhaps, Jacobites
and Camdenites will drink together like a
band Of brothers all forgetting past almost
ties and drOWRiRg any present Ill feeling
Your readers may not be aware Of it, yet there
still remains some slumbering embers of the
gubernatorial contest last August and it re-
Quires little penetration TO observe that in our
Legislature these two formerly hostile elements
are not yet pacifed As a matter of course the
Radical members lose no opportunity to wild n
the healing breach between the Camdenites and
Jacobites.
They have policy and cunning enough to do
all they can to bring this session of the Legisla
ture into disrepute with the popular masses,
and are seldom lending themselves to any
movement save those that will injure the Dem
Ocratic Administration. All Legislative bodies
are subject to criticism, and as a general thing
they are visited with much useless and bitter
fault-fnding and our present Legislature will
prove no exception. am disposed to defend
the present body for many reasons. 1t is
claimed and clamored all over the State that
the session has already been a long and mac
tive one. There 1o0s an imperative necessity
for lengthy session. The Radicals who for
merly had things all their own way had infused
into and engvafted upon the Constitution and
Code so much rascality and ilegalites during
the many years of their misrule, that it will
take a long time to deodorize and purify the
Code and Constitution Of their baneful presence
Then, too, VIC have within the last few months
begun to live under a new Constitution with
all its necessary changes, for there is much
legislation necessary to adapt our system to its
innovations. "The mills of the Gods grind
slowly but finely" and it will not do for a
Democratic Legislature 10 meet here and do a
little legislation and then run home to the
dear people They have gigantic amount
Of work before them. Our political system is
sadly mixed, the changes are vitality important,
and there are many questions Of grave import
that cannot be shirked. Finally our Legisla-
ture proposes by the Constitutional provision
to meet only once in two years, and it will re-
quire not only a month longer to do all neces-
sary legislating, but perhaps an extra session
will be held next Fall.
After this session is over, Of course there will
not be the same apology for extended sessions.
The House Of Delegates has rather hard nut
TO crack, although they have been hammering
away at il with SamSon-like blows Il don't
mean that they used invariably the same wea-
pom that Samson used when he slew the Phil
istines) The problem that has been worrying
away their time OF brain is in relation to the
Printing Frauds charged against Mr. Henry S.
| Walker, the Public Printer. Last Spring, you
remember, the Governor appointed, in accor-
dance with a resolution OF the Legislature,
an investigating commission who sat here
/ awhile and afterwards at Berkeley Springs to
/ report upon this matter ! believe Senator J
/ W. Grantham Of your County was chairman
/ Of this commission. After q long examination
/ they finally made a report, unlavorable to the
! Public Printer. The Legislature seemed for
/ some cause TO be dissatisfied Herewith So
/ they appointed a new committee composed Of
some Of their own body. This committee re-
ported flvorably TO the Public Printer, and the
/ question now and for some time agitating the
House is, which Committees Report shall we
adopt? They contradict one another fatty
, The former finds the Public Printer to have
overcharged while the latter goes so far as to
say he even l1,dcrchGrgedi As might be ex-
/ pected, all the Radicals pretty much approve
Of the Report which Is adverse to Mr.. Walker,
/ thinking they are striking blow at the Dem
ocratic party, as lie is one Of the most fearless
and relentless foes the Radicals have. Many
suggestions have been offered to solve this Cor
dian-knot, but they were all "too thin" 1t
was proposed among other remedies to
refer the matter 20 the Attorney Gene
raj and to let him determine which report was
correct and, if he deemed it advisable, 10 insti-
tute suit in the Courts against the Public Prin-
ter. Mr. Butcher argued forcibly and effective
( IL that this would have been Sinking the re-
\ spousibility on the part Of the House, and un-
Justly throwing it upon single individual, the
Attorney General, who, perhaps, very natural
/ " would never assume the responsibility of
/ decidingit it. To do this would be a mean and
uumanly act on the part Of the House He
/ said he wanted full and fair investigation and
/ in order TO settle the whole matter wished to
/ adopt the report Of the House Committee, and
authorize any State officer who felt himself
/ justified to institute suit against Mr.. Walker in
/ the name of the State. This would have salts
/ fed Mr. Walkers friends and given full scope
/ to any one feeling himself or the State bene-
/ fitted by suing Mr. Walker This was not
adopted by the House, but the further discus
sion was postponed till Friday next and made
/ the order Of the day at shat time Where all
/ this investigation will end il will be hard to
predict with any degree Of certainty, yet feel
/ that | can with confidence say Mr. Walker
will come forth unscathed and a indicated
man. The question ought to be settled some
/ way or other, and Mr. Walker is anxious for its
settlement Joint committee from both
/ Houses has been sent TO Monroe County to
view and examine the Salt Sulphur Springs
/ property with view Of accepting it at $50, 900
I for an Eastern Lunatic Asylum think this
. wise course We evidently need either a
new Asylum OF very great additions to the pre-
sent one which is sadly inadequate and INSULT
Gent There is a bill before the Legislature to
make an appropriation in this behalf, aud it
requires no argument TO demonstrate that. If
the Salt Sulphur property be found acceptable
the appropriation should 60 there. The Com
mittee Of investigation will return tomorrow
and Of their action will keep you posted
Your correspondent had the pleasure of meet
ing in our city with Thomas d. Ransom, Esq.
attorney for the c. & o. R. R., afew days since
More Anon. DC.
How Far Partisnship Will GO.