The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-02-23
Grenius State Sp,srmal
CAPITOL NOTES.

sJs CAPITOL NOTES.
Legislative joint committee on inanc
are enquiring into the expediency Of licens
ing faro banks. The proposition is to charg
license tax of one thousand dollars upol
such institutions, whereby it is hoped som
revenue might accrue to the state. TIL
experience OF other states, where thi
course has been pursued, enables US t,
declare that the proposed scheme would b,
brilliantly successful for the first year. Oh
the second year parties interested in thi
description of free banking would be fount
congregated en- masse at the outer portals
of the legislative hall, imploring, with
tears 10 their eyes as big as five dollal
chip, the repeal Of o law which had busted
their business, and deprived them of the
ability to wear jewelry, fine clothes, te
drink good liquor, and feed their friends or
the fat of the land. A stolen kiss is said
to be four hundred and sixty.seven times
as sweet as one obtained in the regular
course of business, so il you strip off the
thin veil of mystery at present sur
rounding the game and give Tom, Dick
and Harry the legal right to be present,
soon nobody else will be present but
them, and as such ducks are not generally
good producers, in the end the proprietor
twill in despair tear his hair" eject his
Improbable customers at the point Of a
No. IL boot and close his house. It may
do very well to pass the proposed bill as
an effort in the direction Of experimental
legislation, but to our thinking the most
jealous and determined member of the Y.
M. O. A. could not have devised neater
scheme to knock all sport into cooked
hat in Richmond. We fear the boys will
have to migrate.
1t is significantly remarked that the
consideration Of several important bills
has lately been postponed by the Leg
islature because ''the House was so thin"
caused principally by the convenient alb
sence of those who had professed de-
sire to air their rhetoric on the various
pending propositions. whereupon Blimley
remarked, and he did it blandly, ''and
with an eye single to the public good"
that the House was very thin even when
most full. His proposition is of course
controvertible by "the parties in inter-
est" 3a ya.s f-l faEtt Ho0
It is understood that should Manches-
ter be converted into city by legislative
enactment the county people will move
their courthouse to Chester, ten and
half miles equidistant between Petersburg
and Richmond. fs $50
The bill which has already passed the
Senate, for new charter for Petersburg,
is the special order Of the day in the House
tomorrow at o'clock. 1t is bitterly OPP
posed by many substantial citizens of the
Cockade, but Conservative party who is
supposed to know the temper of his side of
the House. briefly, but sententiously re-
marks thereon: "There will be two or
three days. discussion, and then the bill
will pass without amendment"
Lively scenes frequently occur in COM
mittee. For instance, Friday last, while
the one on counties, cities and towns was
hearing arguments" from two Loudoun
persons, one accused the other Of economic.
ing truth to such an extent as to make it
unrecognizable to an ordinary mind. Provi-
dentially, however, just as the party of
the second part was putting himself in po-
sition to pass the usual compliments of
the season, a friendly legislator with grace
full ease injected teaspoonful of the oil Of
Cancellation, when the troubled elements
Immediately simmered down to the usual
peaceful level. IA Ha4 s
1t will require very careful manipulation
to take out the arches which now exist in
the basement of the Capitol building with
out endangering the stability of the struc-
ture itself. This is true, even admitting,
as is alleged, that some Of the arches are
hollow and possess more seeming than real
strength. The six thousand dollars voted
for repairs is to include the renovation or
removal of these arches, and also new floors
for the first and second story, embracing a
space for flooring and joisting alone OF
seventy by one hundred feet. 1t has
generally been supposed that if the whole
of the upper part of the Capitol could BY
any fatality be made to crumble on the
second story floor these same arches aided
by the inherent strength of the timber and
partition walls would be fully able to sus
tain the weight; in word, that the base
ment officers were absolutely safe. 1t is
to be hoped that any repairs made vii
tend to the Strengthening instead of weaken
ing Of the venerable old pile. III 0if
Balance in treasury to-day s56s, 556.77
The Governor to-day issued a requisi
ton upon Governor Caldwell, of Nortl
Carolina, for one George Flesh, charged
with grand larceny, committed in Myth
county. Sheriff Umbarger got the doc
ument and put out in a southern di
rection Immediately.
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
/ . Il III . .