Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-10-07
The Montpelier Association.

The editor of the Lynchburg Republican
who was member of the Legislature wher
the charter of the Montpelier Female Humane
Association was granted, gives the following
account of the act of incorporation, and its pas.
sage through the Legislature:
According to the jouroaI of the Senate, the
charter was introduced into that body by Mai.
Grlmsley, the Senator from the Culpeper dis
trlct, and was referred to the Committee on
General Laws, of which we were a member.
The committee proposed two amendments to
the bill, one OF which struck out that portion
which authorized the association to dispose OF
property by 'lot or otherwise and the other
was proviso, that nothing herein contained
shall be construed as authorizing said company
to establish any lottery or gift enterprise, or to
dispose OF any property by lot or chance ~
these amendments We drew ourselves and of.
fered them in committee to the bill, and thew
we're adopted by the committee. @
when the bill came up for consideration in
the Senate, the first amendment proposed by
the committee was adopted without recorded
vote. That struck out every provision in the
charter that authorized lottery. or gift enter
prise. The second amendment Of the commit
tee recorded above, was first adopted by vote
OF Il to a. as can be seen 90 page 224 of the
Senate Journal of 1864, but Oh motion of Mr..
Taylor OF LeudouD, the vote was reconsidered,
and the amendment was rejected The argu-
ment used by the friends OF the bill against The
second amendment was, that as everything had
been stricken out of the bill authorizing a lot.
terry, 1t was reflection upon, and coudemna-
ton OF the bill ITSELF to add to it a proyiso
that nothing herein contained shall be cou.
strued as authorizing said company to establish
any lottery or gift enterprizs, or to dispose of
any property by lot or chance
1.-The bill then passed without anything be.
ing contained in it authorizing lottery or gift
enterprise. And just here, We will state tina t
there is to-day. and has been since the wal ;,
only one corporation authorized by law to carry
On ratfle or gift enterprise, and that is tie
association for the benefit OF the Widows and
Orphans Of the Confederate States,'' incorpo-
rated 10 1866, Of which Hon. Henry A. Wise
is President. Very strong and persistent ef-
forts haye been made to repeal the charter Of
that company, but they have heretofore failed
The Norfolk drawing that took place last wear
and the Montpelier drawing that has Just oc.
CURED. were neither expressly authorized BY
law, but on the contrary the Legislature, struck
out OF the Montpelier charter every word tina,
could be construed as authorizing lottery or
gift enterprise. Nor ia there 10 Virginia to-
day any other association or company authoriz-
ed by law to carry on a lottery, rafn. or gift
enterprise, with the single exception We have
already made. Several companies were char
tered during the last sessoo of the legislature
with similar provisions to those contained in
the Norfolk Relief Association, and the Mont
peIier Female Humane Association, and thew
may attempt 10 carry on similar enterprise un-
der their charters but none OF them are aul
thorlzed to do so by law But they all taks
the position, which We believe to be 40 erronel
Gus one, that there is nothing 10 our laws To-
prohibit it. 1t is admitted on all sides thai
our laws do prohibit lotteries and 'raf1 .s..''
but it is conteuded that gift enterprises" dol
not come under either designation.
'At the last session of the General Assemb
y the writer introduced bill in the Sepa,ei
amending section Is, of chapter 1914, of the.
Code Of Virginia, SO as to make the prohibiticnl
apply to the establishment of. and the sale of
tickets 10 gift enterprises" as we'll a. lotteries
and raffiss, as can be seen by reference to page
SO of the Senate journal of that sessioo, but 10
view OF what had already TRANSFERRED. it was the
opinion OF the committee that it would be use
less to attempt its passage, and the bin was,
therefore, never reported from the committee"
The Agricultural Exhibition at Cumberland