The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-02-13
extended sessions The Pay.

AskttioJ4 oJS48ty3&e a tat \ ~
The Constitution provides that members
OF the General Assembly shall receive q
salagy--that Is. shall be paid by the year,
and not per diem. We quote from that In
ssrument:
Article ". section s. "The members Of
the General Assembly shall receive FOL
their services q salary TO be asccrtained by
law and paid out Of the public treasury
but 90 &C, Increasing such salary shall take
effect until after the end OF the term for
which the members OF the House Of Dele
gates voting thereon were elected"
A. there are always nineteen or twenty
one Senators holding over, the term OF the
members Of the House Of Delegates had TO
he taken In order TO End u proper time for
an increased salary to begin.
The Constitution also says
No session OF the General Assembly
after the first under this amendment shall
continue longer than ninety days without
the concurrence OF tlrce-ffths OF the mem-
beers elected to each house; la which case
tie session may DC extended for further
period not exceeding thirty days"
That settles II that an extended session Is
the same session, and not an extra session.
We quote the Constitution again:
Article w.. section 3. "IIe 1.-THE Gov
ernori shall convene the General
Assembly on application OF two thirds OF
the members OF both houses thereof, or
when in his opinion the interest OF the
Commonwealth may require it,
These last are extra sessions. At extra
sessions the members OF the General
Assembly receive by law $3.50 each. So
that II the members arc to receive any pay
for staying here after next Monday two
weeks. they will have to be kept here by
the Governor, who can call an extra session
OF his own motion, and must call one II two
thirds OF the members OF both houses make
complication for it. The reader will no
tice that the last section quoted requires
only two thirds OF the members OF "botb !"
houses; whereas In the other section quoted
above the provision is that the session can
be extended by the votes Of three ffths OF
the members elected to "edch" house.
Two-thirds ale more than three-fiftbs; but
ii Is possible that the language used was
meant to bear different meaning in the
two cases--tbat Is to say, two-thirds OF
both houses may consist OF ninety-four
senators and delegates, whilst two-thirds
Of each house would be sixty-seven dele
gates and twenty-seven senator's. But
this is hardly the meaning. We suppose
the Constitution means the same thing in
both places.
The act OF Assembly OF March IL. 1878,
fixing the pay Of members OF the General
Assembly, provides that the members shall
receive salary of $3.50 for attendance and
services on each regular session OF the Gen.
eral Assembly, and $3.50 for an extra ses-
sion; but no provision is made for paying
them for attendance during an extended
session. This is clearly cdsuS omiSSaS;
hut Just as clearly il is out Of the power OF
this General Assembly to provide for it.
Governor CAMERON, however, as we have
said. has it IN his power to provide for
paying the members for attendance after
March 4th. All he need do is to call an
extra session instead Of leaving 1t to the
members 10 extend the present session.