Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-22

prominent officer at the Capitol, and this
prominent officer is Colonel Frank q.
Ruflin, who appears in card in
tho Dispatch telling the public that the
expert clerk who he sends TO the printing
Office to SEQ the bill saved me from
making a serious bluuder, and l must
thank him for il, and he Colonel Ruffin)
tried to make IL appear that the act was
withdrawn from the printer in order TO
enable me to put the report OF the COM
mittee OF conference in ii, which he thinks
should have been there before. The law
makes me custodian OF the Rolls, and
makes il my duty to prepare the acts for
publication and superintend the publica-
ton of the same and forsooth because
was not ready to send part OF the act
10 the printer. which l had n right TO
keep even until il was actually wanted
by the printer. which he informed me
would not be for at least three weeks
from that date, l must thank Mr. Craig
for saving me from bunder. IL the
time and manner OF the preparation of
this act, which is mine by law, and the
publication of the same. which it is my
duty TO superintend, is not dependent
upon my experience, but upon the COM
bined wisdom OF Expert Clerk j. ID. Craig
and SecOnd-Auditor Colonel Frank q.
Ruffin as exhibited in this case, God
save the Commonwealth.
/ am done with this subject.
j. BELL BIGGER,
Clerk OF House of Delegates and Keeper
of the Rolls OF Virginia.
call attention to the following COM
munications:
OFFICE OF CLERK HOUSE OF DELEGATES, Sci
RICHMOND, \ arch 81, 1883. (
j. Bell Bigger, Esq., Clerk House Of Deiegdtes, DC.
Dear Sir,--Wo notice in card 10 to-day's Dis
pd'sa signed by Frank G. Rufln that he at
tompts 70 mako 70 appear that the engrossed
copy ot the appropriation act was brought 70
your Office in order 10 enable you 20 put some
thing In It that you had omitted. You were not
in the city al tho time that the act was brought
here, and you had no knowledge Of IL. We, who
engrossed and enrolled portions Of the sppro
prlation bill. respectively noticing the alleged
error In the Dispatch. naturally folt pride in |
seeing whether we had made any error. and IL |
was at our request that it was brought here.
JAS. MACDoUGALL.
JOHN Ii. KNOWLES, Jr.
RICHMOND March q, 1888.
j. Bell Bicpsr Clerk Of the House Of Delegates and /
Keeper Gfthe Role cf Virginia:
Dear Sr,-1 notice in card in this mornings |
Dispatch sigued by Frank &. kuflln that he /
stated that by my well-knOwn carefulness / /
might have saved you as Keeper OF the Rolls /
from a blunder, ana which you had done nothing /
10 avert, although tho bill had been IN my hands |
ten days. until your attention had been called [
to II through the newspapers ! received the ap-
preparation act without the second report Of the
Of cODforence) which you had pre-
pared for publication on Mar n 6. 1883. and in IL
was note from you calling my attentiOn 10 tho
fact that some lines that were stricken out In the
enerossed copy were reiDst2ted by the second
report OF the committee Of conference, and you
specially instructed me not to print The act until
you had completed its preparation, and that you
wished 10 see the proot-sheet. II you bad kept
the second report Of the committee OF conference |
Tor az least three weeks from that date II would
not have impeded the printing Of the act for one
minute. there were many acts 10 be printed
before IT, This refereDce 70 me by Colonel |
Rufin is entirely voluntary and not approved
by me.
NOt being ready for the act, I had not. "a I
always DO before putting In tho hands OF the
'OmpOsitOr, carefully examined II 20 see IL your
attention was necessary 20 be called 70 any part
4 IL before printing. | turned over to Mr..
1raig when he asked for IL the roll Of Ms. just
received il. and went N dinner and left him to
Examine il requesting him TO place II on my
lesk when through with il. When ] returned
dr. Craig had left. and heard nothing from the
alleged error until saw the refercn @ 10 IL in
he Dispatch. JAMES +. G0ODB.