National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-01-30
THE VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE.
A WEEKS WORK OF THE GENERAL AS.
SEMDLY SUMMARIZED.
Proceedings and Gossip Thoreupon-The
Coupons, Local option, and Other
Matters of state Interest Discussed or
Decided Upon.

Decided Upon.
RICHMOND, Jan. Ex-senator Koincr, chair
man Of the finance committee, admits that the
affairs Of the state have been so woofully mis-
managed that Nirglnans are becoming dis.
trustftil ofeoch other.
The senate adopted n resolution asking the
finance committee TO consider the question of
permitting the counties to layand collect taxes
Tor their own government. This project is In
tended TO force the bondboldcrs to fund under
the Riddlebergor acts for with such n law in
force the state would practically have no treas.
| ury, and coupons would be worthless.
| The house committee on roads finally, Sattir.
day, reported the railroad commission bill,
| striking out the thirteenth section to which
| the railroads objected. The bill without this
| section makes 1t correspond with the Massl-
chusCtts law. The senate viii try to keep In
| this thirteenth section.
The committee on prisons, of the senate, will
| present report In favor OF revolving tho con.
| tracts now In force, by which about 60 con.
! ViCis are being worked on shoes and tobacco In
| tie penitcntiafy here.
| 1t'these contracts be revoked, suits will fol.
| low and the prison will again become bur
| den upon the taxpayers, Instead of paying
something into the treasury.
The senate passed bills Tor the relief OF VIM.
| Chiffon, OF lancnstor w. H. Cole, OF Halifax;
| q. IL. Thomas, OF Fluvanna, aud the treasurer
The honse rasscdno bills Saturday A mum.
| Ter OF bills were presented and referred,
In the house Mr. Dunlop spoke nearly two
| hours In favor OF turning out Mr. Jones mon.
| Der from MoCklcnburg, and seating French,
| who contests. There was no interest taken In
| the speech, rs the house committee reported In
| favor Of Jones.
The governor has appointed DR.. James D.
| Watson, of Richmond, physician to the peni.
| Tertiary In the place OF Dr Jones. who Is the
| best physician the Institution ever had, but hc
| Is Republican and had 10 go.
The effort to reduce the salaries OF county
and tity school superlntendents was defeated
| by the senate committee, but the senate re-
committed the matter for fu:ther considera-
| ton.
RICHMOND, Jan. 25.-In the senate to-day Mr.,
| Rhea offered n preamble and jOlut resolution
| proposing nn amendment TO the state cOnstitu.
| ton The preamble recites that after years Of
bitter strife and dscord among the people of
| Virginia, an act was passed aud became n law
known ny the Riddleberger bill whereby
IL was hoped TO secure Il nal adjustment
of The matter IN dispute between the state and
her creditors and that the representatives of
the people without regard to party aGillatiou
stood pledged TO such legislation rs would forc1
creditors into compliance with said law, and
that the creditors had met every effort with
stubborn resistance, aud that 1t was the fixed
and uraltorhIle purpose of the people of Vir-
ginia never to pay more than provided for in
mcnt provides that all evidences of debt out
Standing not already funded under the Riddle
berger bill which are not presented and funded,
In accordance with the provisions of said act,
within ninety days after the ratification of this
amendment by the people, shall be forever
barred and neither principle nor interest
thereon of any such outstanding obligations
shall ever be paid by the state, nor shall the
holders thereof ever after be entitled to avail
themselves of the provisions OF said act, nor
snG any acton TO enforce Ihe payment Of
maintained IN the courts OF tho suite. The
amendment also declares null and void any
further act of the, legislature which shall
recognize any of the barred obligations. IL
was referred to special joint committee on
the public debt,
RfCHMoND, Jan. 26.--Representatives waddln
and Martin spoke earnestly against the passage
of the law which prohibits holder of coupons
from proving the sameg genuine by requiring the
production of the bond to which they were at
tGchCd. Mr.. Waddll said this would be n
further charge of reputation against the state,
and that the Republican party had always been
in favor of paying all the state owed Tho bill
solldly against 1t.
IRorOsED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
The main feature of the business In the sem
ate yesterday was the adoption of a resolution
submitting TO the people the question of
amending the constitution so as to forever pre-
vent the holders of state bonds of 1871 from
funding the same subsequent to a period of
ninety days after notification of the proposed
amendment by popular vote. After the
adoption Of the resolution the senate was re-
mafkably quiet and seemed 10 b. waiting for
some one TO scare them ont.
hICIlMoNp, Jan. 27-Jho local o2.lJa bill
came up in the house to-day as the special or
der. Mr.. Abram Fulkerson, Of Washington
Introduced The following competing PROPOSE
tiCn:
Bc Il cadccdbyN ne general assembly, That, after
this act takes effect, no license for the sale of
ardent spirits, wine, malt liquors, or any mix
tine of any of them shall be granted 10 any
person in this state, and any person who, at.
Ter this net takes effect, shall sell wine ardent
spirits malt liquors, or any mixture OF them,
cral laws Tor selling the same This act shall
take elect ana be IN force on and after the LIST
day day, Of Nay lSSS There was lively discus
postponed until tomorrow
There will be the biggest fight over this bill
that there has been here siuce 1915, aud will
probably fail Speaker Stuart, Of the house,
says Alexandria Is opposed to the bill
In the senate to-day there was a debate on
the bill for providing school facilities for tax.
payers In cities and towns.
Senator Berry said that negro children in
cities had better educational facilities than
white children had In the counties.
The following introduced by Senator Gaines
"Rcsol,cd, That the committee on finance be
requested to consider the eSpcdicnry of a
men'urc to increase the compensation of
county and city treasurcrs on all tax bills not
exceeding 20, aud remaining unpaid on the LIST
dnv Of December of each year"
DR.. Row. of Orange introduced a bill In the
house to appropriate 1850 toward erecting
suitable Enclosure around the monument of
eX.Prcsident Madison in Orange county
Mr., Sebrell, of southampton, has introduced
n bill TO change the name Of the franklin
Agricultural and Medical Society to the Tide
Water Agricultural and Medical Society.
Senators Jones and Causey were appointed
q committee on the part Of the senate to visit
the Virginia Military Institute and make an ex-
animation the books of the institution,
DR.. ThaXton, Of Farmville; DR.. Beadles, of
Danville, and DR.. Chewning fredericksburg,
were before the committee on general laws to.
day to advocate the passage of the hill intro.
dnced by Senator Elyson to regulate the prac'
The committee on general laws will report
next Monday upon the question of abOllshing
the offices of -four inspector.
The committee appointed TO investigate the
affairs Of the Williamsburg Asylum viii leave
for Williamsburg tomorrow morning.
Senator Gaines, OF Nottoway, introduced
bill TO place the inmates of insane a'ylums
under the protection of the laws by securing
TO them their postal rights, The bill was re-
ierred to the committee on public institutions
Mr. Miller, of Manchester Introduced bill
TO incorporate the Merchants and Mechanics
HanR, located in the city OF Manchester.
RICHMOND, jan, 2S,-LoCal option came up rs
tie special order IN the house and was consid'
cred at great length without final action. Party
lines on this measure are closely drawn.
Messs Mays and Martin, Republicans, favor
the bill, and Mr.. A. Fulkerson and other DEM
ocrats oppose the measure now because the
state is rot III II financial condition 20 adopt H.
This announcement, coming from Mr. Fulkor-
son, who Is member of the special debt com.
mitce, does not show that he has much faith
~ the effort now max ing to afford Virginia re-
lltl llhlll VIC lhA'ltNtlNhblG coupons ny l)IClk
bondholders TO fund at once. The effort was
made In the house to-day 10 get all the fun pos
sible out Of the argument on local option, but
NC friends OF the measure did not appreciate
1t as necessary or becoming.
The liquor dealers of the state are fully alive
70 the danger TO which they are eNpOsedby the
local option bill, and are represented here IN
force.
There is no new movement with tho knights
OF Labor, but tomorrow Will develop some.
thing new, rs their bills were postponed.
In the senate to day n number Of bills were
introduced and referred but no business of
interest was transacted AS matter Of fact tho
session of the legislature is now twOthirds gone,
and the members are seriously asking one
another what they have done The bill giving
II. II. Alexander, of Washington, pay for his
work in the CluveTius case failed to got up TO.
day In the house.
The delinquent land tax bill was discussed
for some time In tie senate by Mcssrs Stubs
and Staples
In tho house to-day the following bills wcrc
presented and reierrcdi TO provide for the In,
EnpQtipn pf hutttnp lard md ph In a