The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-03-14
evening State 5o,trtaI.



The bill in relation to interest on
money is to. be extensively talked about
in the Senate. The finance committee Of
that body has reported substitute for
the House bill, which is just naturally
bound to produce perfect diarrhea OF
words. The House bill fixed the rate at
six per cent, and made the penalty for
usury forfeiture Of all interest charged.
The Senate committee proposes to 60 fur
Their, and make the penalty for usury for
FIXTURE to the borrower of both interest
and principle. We have no idea that the
Senate will adopt this substitute lit goes
too far, even for the representatives of
country districts. The Senate, We are in-
clned to believe, will pass the House
bill, though the substitute will have many
friends. 80. s,,@,ss "a
The pot-house bummers, Of which Rich
mond boasts many, not to speak of the
hundreds that assemble here IN winter
from other parts Of the state, were en-
gagged last night in discussing Governor
kemper's recent patriotic veto. of the
Petersburg Charter bill. There was a
noticeably large crowd Of public stipendia-
ries and loafers at the main franklin
street restaurant, aud each one We'd with
his fellow in vocleration and pitching into
the Governors veto. ia
The majority OF the sensible Virginia
papers eyince disposition to treat Gov
ernor kemper's veto Of the Petersburg
Charter bill with fairness and just consid-
Grafton. They will find alter time that
it was the best thing that could have been
done for the interest of all the people.
The proposition for the extension of the
James River and kanawha Canal, from
Buchanan to Clifton Forge, on the Chesa-
peake and Ohio railroad, a distance Of
thirty-three miles, on which the locks and
other heavy work were partially compile.
ted before the war, will come up in the
House in a few days, in, the shape of a bill
authorizing the company to borrow two
million for that purpose. If the House
thinks the money can be obtained they
will pass'thebill. ? g. ~
Recurring again to the bill proposing to
lease cut the penitentiary we have to say
that there IS but one state prison in the
United States that, Is leased as q whole,
shops in others are let to contract.) and
we have statute allowing the same thing
wen it can be done adyantageously, aud
that in that state the liberty of any money
ed man IS in jeopardy. 1t is useless to
say to 50 intelligent a body as our. legisla-
ture, that the "you tickle me
and Til tickle you" system is
brought TO bear upon "1ingsp de,oi of
principle, and thus the aforesaid jeopardy
of liberty is brought about. Now, in the
face of all these facts, which can be main
tanned, to say nothing Of the humanity
of the thing, and the violation of the spirit
of'the law, 1T is scarcely probable that
such monstrous move will be made by
Virginia legislature. ny
Weiagain repeat that our prison under
the present superintendent and assistants
is sslf-sustaining, and that leasing Of it out
is not necessary to protect the state treas
ury.
We understand that Governor Kemper
has been the recipient of many letters
since his veto of the bill providing new
charter for the city of Petersburg. 1t is
to be regretted that many of them were in
bad taste, others objectionable in style,
and many evidently written by persons to
whom the appellation of gentleman would
not apply. asEJ ~ uF s -
Governor Kemper to-day pa;doned John
s. Thompson, of Dinwiddie. condemned to
an Imprisonment of one year in the peni-
Tertiary for unlawful shooting. And he
appointed G. p. Montague commissioner
ofVirginia lands for Baltimore, and Charles
II. Smith, jr., Of New York city, to the
same office. HU @58 e