The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-04-02
The House Yesterday.
A QUESTION OF mon PRIVILEGE.

4 QUESTION or HIGH PRIVILEGE.
Mr.. LYONS, OF Richmond, rising 10 n
question OF high personal privilege, read
the following editorial in the Wig Ci the
22d Of March,
"Is this n lobby that We see before Us /:
IT Is a lobby; and 1t Is railroad lobby F!
Haven't we had Hobbies beforeY Yes !;
we have had lobbics before; but never,
81 i'm all the legislative experience OF Nir-
" ginia, have We had so strong and so all-
=. dacious a lobby As this, except in 1870
.r7f, when The funding bill was passed.
"But were these Legislators sent here TO
"represent the State or the railroads-the
"ucoplc or the lobby! They were sent
\" here 70 represent the State and people /;
=. but IL looks very much like they had sue
" cumbed 70 the power OF the railroads and
..the Establishments OF the lobby. II looks
$50, IL looks so; and the icoh OF it is
"epough 10 arouse cry OF shame Yet
sis IL all 'looS p Nay, the seeming 10 q
".larpe extent, is! The legislator, leaving
"his constituents at home, has forgotten
"them and their interests, and he is filed
"With the dazzling schemes OF the corpora
" tions. and his affections and symphhics
"are enlisted for the lobby!
OWN the people ever know Of all this Z
80 yesl You bet! The people have all
the eyes Of Argus-and they are taking
"notesl win they reclcct this lobby-Ge-
"yoted legislator? VIII the lobby reclect
"himg No; ncycrl The lobby never
.'elects; it buysl The people ayenge
s'themselye5 upon him by renting him
.sto obscurty and diSglace."
MIR. Lyons also called attention to tie
IffIfr Of Va-fsw1ay headed
" LegislatureY or Lobby" which he
would not read on account OF it, length.
Alr. Lyons said that these articles con-
1 famed grave charges against the General
Assembly. The one OF yesterday morning,
particularly, brought shame and mortifica.
! ton to him and reflected upon each and
every member of the House, and h(
thought the matter ought 10 be investigated
! He then offered the following resolution:
Whereas it has been repeatedly asserted
| in the editorial columns Of the Richmond
I Wkiq, particularly In the issues OF March
! 22d and April /, 1882, respectively, that the
| General Assembly OF Virginia had been
corruptly influenced 10y lobbyists in regard
10 the Passage OF bills concerning railroad
charters: and whereas the position OF SAID
newspaper aS the recognized organ Of the
Readiuster party gives such weight to The
said assertion as to demand full inyestiga-
ton OF the charge; therefore be 1t
ReSolred (the Senate c0ncuringl lst.
That the dignity OF the General Assembly
requires that the charge made as aforesaid
that the General Assembly has been cor
ruptly Influenced by lobbyists in regard to
the passage OF bills concerning railroad
charters should be fully Investigated.
I'd. That a special joint committee OF five,
comnosod nj two senator's and three dele
ootes. he anpointed TO investigate the said
| charges. and the said committee shall have
power TO send for persons and papers, TO
sit during the session OF the Legislature,
and to employ clerk, and the said COM
mittee shall report "a soon as possible.
MIR. Frazier opposed the resolution. He
said that the House had said by resolution
at the beginning OF the extra session that
| these lobbyists were here, and had ordered
the Sergeant-at-Arms TO keep them out.
lie did not see why Mr. Lyons should take
offence at the Wings saying what the
House had already said itsen.
/ Mr.. LYONS said that this was direct
charge that something improper had taken
place. He did not consider that such q
charge had ever been made here. He urged
the adoption Of the resolution.
The papers containing the articles in
question We're sent TO the Clerks desk, and
at the request Of Mr., Hamilton The Clerk
read the editorial OF the 92d OF March:
Mr.. Lady then asked that the editorial ol
| the lst instant be read.
The Clerk commenced to read, but be-
fore be had progressed very iar MI. Amos
Dickerson asked that the further reading
be dispensed with, remarking that he pro
posed to let the newspapers write wha
they want If the Legislature be allowed (
proceed with it, work.
Mr.. Lady withdrew his Request.
quarter long, begins as follows:
"LsoIsIAruRxi OR LoBBYf
"what Is its Legislature! or Lobby
"Does the General Assembly reprcsentth th