The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-04-30
IMPORTANT MEASURES OF IECrs.
LATION.
THE REMOVAL OF The pENITENTrARY
THE FIRST STEP TAKEN.
@aVision or Cities into Warsls-noren,
ortho Change OF Gauge Question.
ihE CUMBERLAND GAP RAILRoAD-Ap
PRECIPITATION BILL, &C.

The session ofthe General Assemble. which
| commenced on the first day Of January. will
be terminated to-day by constitutional limi
| tatiop. There is some talk Of the Goyerno,
calling All extra session to allow Of reconsid
Grafton of the tax-bil, as it is demanded b,
every mercantile interest Of the State. The
matter will probably be determined before
10 O'Clock to-day. A great deal of importan
business has been disposed of during thu
preseat week, and yesterday fifty or SIKH,
bills and resolutions were adopted, and S
| few were rejected.
Among those which received the favorabl,
consideration of the two houses and were
enrolled and scut to the Governor We motto,
several, which are alike interesting to ou
citizens and to the people of the State gen
orally:
| Removal OF the Pcnitcntiary.
The following bill, introduced by Mr.
Wynnp, in the Senate, in the early part o
the session. was passed by the House yes
terdsy evening:
!. Be ii enacted, That the Governor o
| Virginia, the Licutenant-Gofernor, and th'
Speaker Of the House OF Delegates are here
| by appointed commissioners, and are Vestct
! with the powers hereinafter prescribed, fol
| the removal Of the State penitentlary.
| 9. These commissioners shall advertise il
such papers in this and other cities as thcJ
may think proper, provided the number
of papers Shall not exceed twelve
for one month, for proposals fol
the purchase of the land an(
buildings and the removal OF the
buildings and the inmates to some point moi
les. than five miles from the corporate limit;
Of the city Of Richmond; said proposals te
stipuate for the suitable buildings for the
proper accommodation and employment o.
| the prisoners, the erection OF the machinery
and all the means and appliances that arc
necessary to secure all the facilities for the
operations Of the penitentiary to the same
extent as they ut present exist in the State
penitentiary; and provided, further, that no
proposal shall be accepted which involves
the State in any expense over and above The
proceeds Of the sale Of the land and build
| ings now used for and connected with the
penitentiary.
8. Proposals for the removal shall be ac
companied with and include map of the
grounds and plans, drawings and specfica
tions for the buildings to be furnished in
place of those at present occupied; and no
proposition shall be accepted unless ap
proved by the commissioners and ratified By
| the Legislature at its next session.
4. Proposals for the removal shall not be
advertised for and entertained until the 1st
day OF June next, nor ut that time, If the
pententiary has been leased out. without
first obtaining tine consent OF the lessees OF
the penitentiarr.
5. This act shall be in force from its pass
age.
Rc-division Of Wards of Cities.
The General Assembly has passed and
sent to the Governor bill "authorlz.
Ing the division of cities and towns of more
than five thousand inhabitants into wards, u
providing''that it shall be lawful for theJudges
Of the huStngs or corporation courts OF cites
aud towns having FIVE thousand or more Sn-
habitants, within this Commonwealth, in
their discretion, not to be SO exercised more
| than once in every succeeding two years
from the passage Of this act, to appoint one
competent voter from each ward as at pre-
sent defined, and one person IA voter from
the city or town at large, who shall constl-
luie board of commissioners, whose
duty it shall be, after having taken
an oath or affirmation before some
one authorized by law to administer oaths,
that they will faithfully and honestly dis
charge the duties required Of them by this
act, TO proceed to lay off their respective
. cities or towns into wards, precincts, and
| voting places in such manner as to them m@.yy
seem proper for the public convenience and
eXpedient for the interest Of their city or
town; defining such wards, precincts, and
voting places by streets, water-courSes, or
otherwise, SO as to locate definitely the same,
and designate such wards by numbers, pro-
| yided said wards shall be as nearly equal in
population as practicable"
This is in effect the same Us the act passed
May %, 1870, and applies as well to Peters
burg US to all the cities and towns Of tho
| Commonwealth having more than 5000 In
habitants.
The Cumberland Gap Railroad.
| Both houses Of the General Assembly have
by large Dajorties passed the resolution;
approYing the action Of the Atlantic, Aissis
sippi aad Ohio Railroad Company in reius.
ling to commence the construction OF Tie
road to Cumberland Gap until scmc assn
rance was given Of connection e. tie Gal
| with the Kentucky system OF rsllreaos, ahO
that the Board of Public Works shall deeldt
when and whether sufficient assurance ma.
hereafter be given. The resolutions a'ae
declare that If at the expiration OF TIE peiIos
named in the charter six years from tot
date of consolidation such assurance ls no,
secured, then the Atlantic, MISSISSIPPI
and Ohio Railroad Company shall returl
to the Board of Public Works such asset;
as the State held in the Virginia ana hen
Itucky railroad and release all the stocknoio-
ers Of the Virginia and Kentucky Rsliroau
Company from their obligations to tht
former company, and thereupon the flreini'
and Kentucky Railroad Company may o'
rcorganized, and then the Atlantic, MissiS
sippi and Ohio Railroad Company shall De
at liberty to employ its resources ana it
bonds which may have been heretofore
dedicated to the construction of the Cum
bertand Gan branch in aid or in construction
of branch roads and in the extension. BY
lease or otherwise, of its main line west anc
to the city OF Richmond, as may seem 10 saic
company best for its interests and the gooo
Of the State.
The Governor yesterday evening approved
these resolutions.
Appropriation Bill for Current Year.
Yesterday the House Of Delegates struch
out from the appropriation bill las 1t passed
the Sepate) the item of $4,000 to the Hamp.
ton Normal and Agricultural Institute, and
the following which had been provided ioi
by special acts passed at this session: IuOll'
cation and distribution of the Code, S15, 900;
Henry A. Wise, boundary-line commission
er. S3,329.14; artificial limbs, st, 600 en-
coursgement of immigration. $4,000 reiur'
pishiny Governors house, $1,000; to pay
| arb;trators and counsel in adjusting Virginia
and Maryland boundary line, S. 900; Blacks
burg College, $4,000; Barring Brothers q