The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-03-16

CAPITOL NOTES.

corning the disposition or conduct of tn,
public Jail and penitentiary house of thi.
commonwealth is, we conceive, this How
are the confrmedly vicious to be kept from
doing harm to their fellow beings and them.
selves, by restrictive devices, and at the
same time be made selfsupporting. In
stitutions ofpunishment and reform should
be as nearly sell-sustaining as it is posi-
BILE to bring them. The conditions are
buildings planned to the use of associated
labor, machinery, etc. We have them.
Next, to teach criminal how to work, and
to reform the habit where it is lost. of
steady application to labor. With these
accomplished the state has done as much
as it can do.
The tax bill is set for an. early day, but
1t is not believed that the House ''meant
business" when the thing was done. The
session draws to a conclusion with calen-
dar numbered up with bills. 1t is rather
the object of old legislative stagers to give
the tax bill an occasional slick and d
promise" meanwhile passing other bills.
Time will thus be consumed, and then the
discovery will of course be made, acc;-
dentally on purpose, that the most important
bill of the session has not been acted on,
and that an extension of the session is alb
solutely essential to complete the job.
These embryo legislative financers will
rush to the rescue, hoping to gain ma
tional reputation by the accidental luxu-
rance OF their rhetoric and utter contempt
for financial considerations. And so we
go. P.S. 1t will be seen by our report
that work was begun on it to-day.
Lips is the suggestive cognomen APP
pertaining to popular member. of the
House of Delegates. He is an old time
Baptist preacher Tor was) and halls from
Buchanan, Botetourt county. Whenever
lipps opens his mouth he says something
and it is generally to the point, which is
more than can be said of some of his fellow
members. EE8sAE NW
The Baltimore American says Govei-
nor Kemper did "a brave act" in vetoing
the Petersburg charter bill That will be
the after judgment of many who are now
lrothlng OF the mouth against him on ac-
count thereof. Let the sober second
thought prevail and Kemper IS all right
with people whose opinion is entitled to re-
spectlul consideration.
The mildness of the following by the
Manassas Gazette does not entirely put it
into the category Of jokes:
: Our prisons being generally empty
and our lawyers often in want of clients,
or rather fees, the Legislature has come to
the rescue and passed what they term an
"embezzlement bill," which, if there can
be found court or jury in the state to en-
force it, will manufacture subjects to meet
the WANT
On Saturday Senator Allan offered a
resolution for the appointment of joint
committee Of the two houses of the Gen.
eral Assembly to go to Petersburg and to
examine and report to the General Assem-
bly, the financial and general condition of
the city government and what legislation,
If any, is necessary to remedy any existing
evils in said government, which being Wig
Orously opposed by one or two Conserva-
tive guyamscutuses, was indefinitely post
poned. Allan's very reasonable and SEEM
ingly very proper resolution is now dubbed |
Gan attempt to fan the flames of discord
in the Conservative party"
The astute and able editor of the Alex. |
andrla Sentinel says in his notice Of Gov
ernor Kemper's veto message "The sig
nifcance of this measure and veto consists
in this fact that, disguise it as we may, it
was gotten up to take the control of the |
municipal offices of Petersburg out of the
hands of the voters. To do this the Legis-
lature proposed to delegate to commission
the power that resides in the people, and
from which themselves derive their APP
pointment-forgetful of the legal and polit-
ical maxim, :" Delegatas non potest dele
gare." He thinks the veto will rebound to
the good of the state and party.
The oysters now coming to this city are
very small and puny affairs, yet any one
hea ring the oyster bill discussed in the
House would imagine each individual bivalye
to be of the size ola four-pound weight.
In the beautiful and expressive language
of Byron, "what shadows we are, what
shadows we pursue"
Mr.. Round, of Prince William, intro
duced bill proposing to appropriate $25.
900 for the establishment of five Normal
schools one each at Salem, in Roanoke
county, at Manassas. and at Petersburg,
for the instruction Of white teachers, and
at Hampton and Richmond city for colored
teachers.
Twenty five thousand dollars would
build and equip one mile of ordinary rail-
road.
The Governor to-day appointed John
Russell, of Philadelphia, Pa, commits
sioner of Virginia lands for that state.
And the following notaries, viz: John T.
Grandy, Leatherwood postoffice, Henry
county ; j. H. Schoolfield, Horsepasture
postoffice, Henry county; and James II.
Shoemaker, Nicholsville postoffice, Scott
county.