The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-12-20
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, or VIRGINIA.
Fifteenth Day.
WEDNESDAY, December 10, 1877.

.-..usa-s.
The Senate met al 70 o'clock-Lieutenant-
Governor THOMAS presiding. prayer ny
Rev. DR.. Warren. .r..s...v,..ss....p--
respects FROM COMMITTEES.
Bv Mr.. LEE, from the Committee on
Roads: Senate Joint resolution W.th refer
ence to the hiring Of convicts TO the James
River and Kanawha Canal Company, with
amendments. He also reported, WIN re-
commentator that 1t do not pass, Senate
bill to amend an act to incorporate the 70
tomac and Manassas Railroad Company.
By Mr.. ELLIOTT, from the COMMITTEE on
immigration. with accommodation that 1t
do not pass House joint resolution for the
distribution of Hotchkiss's Summary Of
Virginia.
By Mr.. SMITH. from the Committee on
Education: House bill to amend the act in
regard TO admission to public schools.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
BV Mr.. MASSEY A resolution that the
Auditor OF Public Accounts furnish at
the earliest day practicable the amount OF
compensation allowed by the Judges OF the
circuit, county, and corporation courts In
each corporation, county. and circuit OF the
State to Commonwealth attorneys, shcrlfis,
sergcants, clerks, &c.
By MIR. CHILES: A resolution that the
Finance Committee inquire into the eSpe"
diency OF relieving Franklin Stearns OF eX.
cessivc taxation on land in Chesterfield
county.
BILLS INTRODUCED.
Bv Mr.. JOHNSON: A bill to secure deposi-
tors in banking institutions.
BY Mr.. GRIFFIN: A bill to amend and re-
enact section "a OF an act prescribing the
ol,sl, t,a Eco ~ an
trict officers, approved March 26, 1915.
THE JAMES RIVER AND KANAwHA CANAL MAT
TER.
Mr.. HURT OF PittsylYania moved to take
I'D out of its order the report of the COM
mittce on the resolution in regard to hiring
conyictS to the James River and kanawha
canal; which was agreed to.
The original resolution OF Mr.. FULKER-
SON provided that the State should only pay
for their support the amount it costs to
maintain them in the penitentlary. The
committee in lieu of this reported that the
amount should not exceed thlrty-hve cents
per day per capita.
Mr.. HuRT, In opposing this amendment,
discussed the whole procedure in connec-
ton with the subject. He charged that it
was understood when the bill passed in hot
haste that q supplemental bill should
also be passed, throwing safeguards
around the powers given the Governor.
He further charged that the understanding
OF the committee was that the Governor
would not make contract with the prcsl-
dent OF the james River and kanaWha
Company until il had been submitted to the
Senate Committee on Roads. Its chairman
Yesterday had stated that this was his un-
derstandiing, and yet the chairman this
morning says that. without complying with
this understanding, the Governor has sigh
ed, sealed, and delivered the contract with
Major Johnston; in which it is agreed that
the State shall pay thirty-five cents per
day for the maintenance of conVlcts.
The Governor had in conversation with
him led him to believe that he would not
sign it until the proper safeguards were
thrown around it. A fraud had been prac-
ticed, and he was not on the floor OF the
Senate to deal in mild phrases. In response
to an inquiry from General Lee, he said he
cleared the committee from all blame. He
wanted the James River and hanawha ca
nal kept up, but not by paying out OF the
treasury an amount to support conVlcts
hired to it eight cents per capita in excess
Of what it costs at the penitentiary to sup
port them.
Mr.. CuILEs, OF Chesterfield, earnestly op-
posed the committees amendments, and
said he also had understood that the Gov
ernor would not sign the contract until after
the committees action.
Mir. LEE said while it was his impression
Yesterday that the Governor would not ex-
ecute the contract until he submitted it to
the committee he had not informed the Sem
ate that such was the fact. He only gave
his individual impression.
Air. HrNToN's recollection was in accord
with this declaration.
MIR. JOHNSON, of Richmond city, believed
that under the Constitution the State had
lot the right to vote dollar to the canal
beyond the actual cost OF maintaining the
conyicts at the peuitentiary. The right to
vote one dollar involved the right to vote
million. This was his position, as the
record will show when the Clifton-Forge
railroad bill was up last winter.
He voted for the bill the other day because
he was promised that supplemental Dali
would be passed, with proper limitations to
the power given In the original bill.
Mr.. SHERRARD supported the committees
amendment, and said that the thlrty-five
cents would include clothes, medicine. &C.
Major Johnston had been with the commit
tee at its meetings, and had had the con-
tract mluo luu sig ueu III ahIiSip"VAoh Va WY
action OF the committee; and he was lustl-
fed in doing this from what TRANSFERRED.
Mr. MARSHALL supported the committees
report because be thought it right. Con-
yicts when ut work on a canal require more
food than when idle in the penitentiary.
he did not want them to eat the bread OF
idleness, but proposed that they should be
doing work that would benefit the State.
Mr.. MASSEY said the discussion had shown
that those in charge Of the canal had work
ed with zeal to repair the damages Of the
food. He could not see that Governor
Kemper had done anything wrong or trans
cended in any way his authority. In all
that has been done he did not believe that it
was the purpose OF any official to do wrong.
1 Mr.. PHLEGkR, read from the report Of the
Superintendent of the Penitentiary the
statement that the cost Of maintaining con-
victs, including food, clothing, guarding,
pay OF officers, contingent expenses, &c,
was only 263 cents per day. He moved, as
q substitute for the committees recon-
mendation, or the IS. cents, the following:
Provided that il the Governor shall have
made and executed any contract with the
said James River and Kanawha Canal Com
pany under the act approved December IL,
1877, entitled an act to provide for the use
OF convict-labor on the canal, which is in
consistent with this resolution, he is hereby