Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-01-24
Letter from Richmond.
Ic,.,;sI Cor Of the Alexandria GAZETTE

RICHMOND, Vs., jan. % C-uolioW Lie
House bill to establish Bureau OF Labor
and the Office of Labor Commissioner for the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and to define
the duties of such commissioner will come
up in the House at one o'clock as special
order. This bill has excited considerable
interest and will doubtless evoke speech
and discussion, as prominent legislators
stand pro and con upon the question. One
of the strongest opponents OF the bill is Mr..
Hay, of Madison, who thinks that the bill
gives a too wide scope the part of the
Labor Commissioner 10 Inquire into the
private affairs of manufacturers. MIR. Gar.
ter, of Richmond, is stau0ch supporter OF
the bill and he claims that no such authori-
ty is vested in the bill as alleged by Mr..
Hay. As the bill now stands it's not plain
upon this point, but it will be made palmer
if Mr.. Carter finds out that there are other
delegates who have views upon the subject
similar to those entertained by Mr.. Hay:
The bill provides for on appropriation OF
* GOO annually. and creates two ofices-a
commissioner and clerk. The bureau is
to be located in Richmond. Mr. Tyler, of
Richmond, will offer substitute in which
1
features in the original bill.
There was a grave debate in the House
TO-DAY over the bill to exempt undertakes
from Jury service Some members thought
that an undertaken ought to go hand IN
hand with the doctor, the preacher and the
butcher as far as jury service is concerned,
and should not be called upon to act as q
Juror. A city delegate remarked that IN
his,sicinity people die SO fast that if under
takers are exempted from jury service the
wheels of Justice would be clogged. The
House was left 20 surmise what he meant.
Mr.. Elan, of Louisa, put himself upon re-
cord in favor Of the bill in the following
manner which had q great deal to do to-
wards securing the final passage of the bill,
and which evoked some laughter notwith-
standing the gravity of the subject he was
discussing:
II am in favor q this bill, not only be-
cause believe in making friends with those
into whose hands shall fall at last, but be-
cause unaertakers, like butchers, are too in
different to life, or, rather, too much in ia
vor of death, to be acceptable jurors in cap
ital cases where collins and funerals are In
prospect AS witches die that jurymen
may dine, it is leasily understood that un.
dertakers should be excluded from ]urles
WQeT6 luoy CbuuOI Ouiy iHuu'SO ehOiA i"Sii
nation to promote death, but also provide
their dinners thereby; and as we cannot
make an invidious distinction against this
class of our citizens by excluding them from
the juries indicated, they should be placed
in the general class of exemps."
The impression is that the Virginia Pub
fishing Company which is seeking charter
from the General Assembly will purchase
the Richmond Wing and place it upon a
more solid foundation financially. The in
corporators in the bill are Messrs. Thomas
Potts, T. VIM. Pembertou, F. R. Scott, B B.
Munford, L. c. Younger, A. W. G.. Nowlin
and A. S. Buford. The capital stock of the
company shall not be lees than $40, 600 nor
more than 500 600 to be divided into shares
of 500 each. The name of the Wing does
not appear in the bill but the name of Major
a. W. c. Nowln whose ready pen and ripe
journalistic experience has given new life to
the Wig since his connection with the edi'
torial department, and the name of Mr..
Thomas Potts, who is a stakeholder 10 the
Wing company, does appear in the list OF
incorporators in the Virginia Publishing
Company, and this is why the impression
has gone abroad that the Whig newspaper
is to pass into the hands of another compa-
nv. B. P. o.