The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-02-04
evening State sri'rnal.
cAPIToL NOTES.

| "a GAfl1Vh NV AssSs fst.f 4fttg
The General Assembly Of Virginia has
been in session nearly five weeks, at .
cost Of about $50 900 T. the state. If i
has during that time achieved any deed
likely to live in history, or be known in
our local annals. save by the parties who
NAV be interested therein, we are not spe'
cially aware of the fact. Beyond the cleo
ton ola Senator, who will not be called on
to take his place for over . year, and an
underwriting regularity in the extraction Of
per dom, they have done nothing. How
ever, the members say they are going to
do big things without an increase OF taxa
ton, and the people would like to see them
at it. fsseasa rsesHsM
I Neither house Of the General Assembly
sits daily an average of two hours. They
meet at II o'clock, and generally get away
before 2. The practical business OF what
little legislation is done is accomplished by
some dozen members, who alike nanlpu-
late the committees and the bodies to which
| they belong. The majority of either body
sit like logs, voting when their names are
| called. Three dollars per hour is good pay
| for doing nothing. We should have short
session, but the seductive Establishment OF
per diem is hard thing to be resisted by q
modern legislative Scion. q svAss a.a
Governor Kemper has not yet acted on
the petition for the release Of Mr.. Page
| McCarty from his Imprisonment in the city
| Jail on account Of the Mordecai duel His
friends doubtless injured him BY too great
precipitation. The Governor will act in
due time. Tg IA
Parties interested in the oyster question
are most anxiously waiting for some legs-
lative effort in that direction. A state of
uncertainty is a very bad one, and that is
Just what ails them. If they knew just
whether their oysters would be served on
the half she'll, roasted, fried, stewed or
scolloped, they would be happy or mlser-
able, as they might severally affect the
styles elevated or depressed. Something
is bound to come shortly. The oyster
committees are sitting and will soon hatch.
Look cut. b 81 fa ~ n @
It is stated that five thousand copies of
Major Jed. Hotchkiss' report en- the phys
;cal, political and mineral resources Of Vir-
ginia can be printed for "a 900, and the
General Assembly will probably order its
printing, the cost to be donated from the
state immigration fund, of whose exist
ence most persons have been unaware until
now. The book should be printed, as a
valuable aid to immigration, and its cost,
no matter from what fund deducted, is q
mere bagatelle in comparison with the good
it will accomplish. 4A
The land on which is located the build
| ings used by the Central Lunatic asylum
consists of fifteen and three-quarter acres.
near Howard's Grove, on the Mechanics
vile turnpike, for which the owners ask
$1,000 per acre. The Senate committee
on asylums have resolved to recommend its
purchase by the state, with view to the
erection Of permanent buildings. The
land is probably worth about $3.50 per
acre, but the owners having, in California
phrase, 81 the drop on the state, mean to
demand and get o thousand if they can. In
doing this they but pattern after the most
Of those who deal with the state.
The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Po-
| tomac railroad paid into the state treasury
on yesterday 1862, it beng the semi
annual dividend declared recently on stock
held by the state in this road. The COM
pany could have paid IN state coupons
with about seventy-fye cents in the dollar,
but paid in cash the same as to private
stockholders. l'A &
Information has reached the Capitol
that the statue of Stonewall jackson. now
being made in England under order Of Hon.
Bersford Hope, M. c., is in hopeful
state of fordwardness. ~
Hon. A. b. Cochran, Of Augusta, made
a splendid effort Of two hours duration in
the Senate to-day, against that proposed
political iniquity, the new charter for Pc
tersburg. He was listened to with breath.
les attention. eat 30
The Governor to-day commissioned d.
G. Richardson and M. s. Michelbacher
notary publics for the city Of Richmond.
A number of fine English books were
added to the state library to-day, including
a copy of the Abbottsford edition Of Sil
Walter Scott's works.
A capital likeness of the veteran, VIM
II. Richardson, acknowledgement of Vir
ginia, was added to the art treasures Of th'
state library to-day.
H. FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE. X
We have received from Colonel Richar,
L tn 4 A y - 81