The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-12-13
Mr.. MASSEY, was laid on the table and Of
dered to be printed.
80 ruE RErRrNgHMEYr aEsoLur1oy.

finished business.
i Mr. W ARD moved to amend Mr.. HURT's
resolution so as to add q clause providing
forth abolition OF such Offices as can be
dispensed with without detriment to the
public service. 5; ,..'s&.e iis;.3 .'a3.F15
Mr.. ,sMTH OF Nelson Withdrew his sab
stitute.s sfzH T4,r. 5H /,
mr.. MASSEY now offered his resolution
(omitting the preamble) as substitute for
Mr.. HURTS resolution.
Mr.. MAssEY's resolution reads:
RESOLVED, 1. That q committee Of FIVE be
appointed, to be known as the committee OF
retrenchment and economy. :. So
g. That said committee be instructed to
inquire and report at an early day what
offices, II any, In the Commonwealth can
be abolished without dctriment to the pub
lie interest, and what reduction, il any, can
and ought to be made in the. salaries OF
those officers and employees OF the govern
ment who are necessary to its efficient ad-
ministration. .....r. !, .4..,
I. Mr.. MAssEY's substitute was adopted
ayes, "a; a majority Of the Senate. The nays
were not taken. r;f.. .,.
Mr.. BLAND moved to reconsider the vote
by which the substitute had been adopted,
because the resolution only provided for the
the Senate, and was not joint resolution.
The motion was lost-ayes, IA; noes, 81.
The resolution OF Mr.. MASSEY was adopt
ed-aycs, 80; no, l. .a ...~.et.s.t r.-
READJUSTMENT. ....-..
Mr.. BROOKE moved to take up the resolu-
tons and substitute in reference to re.
adjustment OF the public debt. Agreed
to-ayes, 10; noes, 10. 49,,
Mr.. MARSHALL moved to refer the resolu'
tons to the Finance Committee.
Mr.. HURT OF Halifax moved to adjourn.
Agreed to. Je.,.i ..1 '"..sf q H.. ',-...
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
The House was called to order at IL
O'Clock. Prayer by Rev. DR.. Upper, oil
the Baptist Church. . .s.-st
In the absence OF the SPEAKER, Dlr.
HANGER presided. ...asag af. ~: ....
= - REPORTED FROM COMMITTEES. e>
Finance Bill for the relief 'of the tax
payers Of the county OF King William; Dill
to amend and reGnact an act in relation to
assessment of taxes on persons, property,
incomes. licenses, &C., and for imposing
taxes thereon for the government OF the
free schools and to pay the interest on the
public debt -. -: -,
/. Roads and Internal Navigation: Bill to
amend the 10th section Of an act incorpora.
ting the Buchanan and Clifton-Forge Rail-
road Company, and to enable the James
River and Kanawba Canal Company to, sub
scribe to the capital stock, thereof.
Finance :rBill to provide for consollda-
ting the public debt and the payment OF
the same rate of interest on the whole, with
the recommendation that it be printed, by
order of the Committee on Finance, under
O resolution Of the House.
= Rules: The Committee on Rules reported
that they had adopted the rules OF the House
of 1S7G-'77 for the government OF the body.
The report was passed by.
THE RECEPTION OF GOVERNOR HOLIDAY.
Mr.. WALKER Of Northumberland offered
a resolution for the appointment OF COM
mittee OF FIVE from the House and three
from the Senate to represent the Govern
ment in the reception Of Governor Holiday
The rules were suspended and the resolu'
tion adopted. nj :. .... .,:........ st..
VII. d. REPORTS PRINTED.
d, Mr.. FAuNTLERoY offered resolution for
the printing of 1000 copies Of the report OF
the commission in the investigation OF the
connection OF General B. T.. JOHNSON and
the Messrs. Poe with the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal. Adopted.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.
Mr.. HARRISON Of Sussex offered the fol
lowing resolution, upon which he asked the
immediate action OF the House:
ReSotued by the House Of Delegates (the
Senate concurriug) That the Committee on
Constitutional Amendments be instructed
to INQUIRE into the expediency Of amending
the Constitution by substituting therefor
the provisions OF the Constitution OF Viz
ginia as it was on the first day Of January,
1849, with such amendments and additions as
may be required by the changed condition
of affairs in the Commonwealth, and to re
port by bill or otherwise as soon as practi.
cable. .,;s..iL
This resolution caused much discussion
General TALIAFERRo thought the idea oil
the resolution was to force the House into
an expression OF opinion upon the resolu.
ton. He was not prepared to 60 as far. as
this. - ~.
General ANDERSON, of Richmond, did not
take this view Of the matter. He was in
favor OF amending the Constitution, and
was gratifcd at the motion. He would ra-
Their have the Constitution Of our forefa-
theirs than the present one, which came
down from Underwood. l.. s,....s
Mr.. HARRISON, the mover OF the resolu-
ton, explained it. He insisted that it was
not an attempt to set any traps for any OF
the members so that they would have to
vote for it. His desire was to retain the
Constitution Of our fathers and to eliminate
everything from the present one that was
not Virginian. The resolution did not bind
any one. ....-t.. IL. ..y:sra.
MIR. CoGHILL, of Amherst, took different
view OF the matter. He, for one, was pre-
pared to adopt many things in the Const-
tuition Of 1880; but, on the other hand, there
were many, things in the present Constitu-
ton which he wanted to retain --such as the
free-school system and the homestead, !, He
insisted that the proposition OF the gentle
man from Sussex was to get the endorse
ment OF the House on his resolution, so that
the committee would be compelled to re-
port favorably on them, and therefore the
House would be committed to adopt them.
II this was not the object OF the gentleman
why ask the vote Of the House?
Mr.. BococK said the gentleman from Am
herst had misconstrued parliamentary law
entirely. When resolution OF ibis sorl
was referred to a committee the committee
had to report whether the inquiry was
proper. The resolution simply meant this
the committee is simply instructed TO. IN
ouire whether we shall make the Constitu:
lion of 1880 the basis upon which we shall
frame another, or whether we shall take
the present one, with amendments. The
committee will be required to report whe-
Their the resolution is expedient. Like the
gentleman from Amherst, he did not agree
with everything in the Constitution Of 1880,
and at the same time he did not like every.
thing in the Underwood Constitution.
Mr.. PoPHAM moved to lay on the table
Lost. i s.,r. ,g.-.r. .s...s - ,tt't -
Mr.. hIoFFETT then moved to dismiss the
resolution. He thought it was too early IL