Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-06
GLANCE ATNEW LAW.
READABLE RESUME OF THE WORK OF
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Senator Moore Points Out to y Dispatch
Reporter some of the Important
Laws Passed.
"wha, has this Legislature done ? "

what has this Legislature done?"
This is a question always asked as the
,'ose Of a session of the General Assembly
approaches.
II can never be fully answered however,
except 10y reading the Acts. and this
,r,8icious Job few people undertake /;
none. in fact unless there is some impera-
five necessity that compcls them to do so.
The R,spa'cl. however. wishing TO give to
-. thousands Of readers a general outline
a the most important legislation Of the
.es.iou IN It's last hours. yesterday bad
crr ~ It's reporters interview Hon. Il. Wal
iau Moore on the subject
YOUNG SENATOR.
N-. Moore Is u member Of the Senate
f-.-r Tn rfaX county. ~ recognized rs one
-, tloahlest and most progressive young
,.ru iu either body, j. valued member Of
rr Finance Committee. and in the two
....u- that he has served has taken de-
,.l ground upon every question OF gene
r.. .ntrrcs; and public policy. and has won
t.- himself - record on which he can well
,f.rl io stand not only before his own
..u.ttuents. but the searching eyes OF the
f..plr Of the stale. HIS Ob7ervations,
,Ie-pforc. are deserving OF more thorough
r,nalerltion than are those 20 be- found
rawtre commonplace interview.
tIe va, fnual comfortably seated IN one
OIL fra cushioned chairs Of the Senate
..rbcr Yesterday before the session Of
t.t ..iv was opened. and the reporter
rsr.I to presume upon an intimate friend
s.uatd piled him with some very pointed
.re.luns. the answers 10 which Will be
l1nl O. be both full of interest and IN
formation;
RKyIEw
How does tho work of this Legislature
cmrlrc with that of It's predecessor ~
,- first asked.
a,orahly, think " replied the Sena-
,- " s. hen we met here there WAS gen.
.r fear that as a result of our very large
majority and the absence Of "A strong OPP
position party there would be much ex-
rauce and rccklcssness. or course, II
,.r.f f1 he denied that some things have
'..n done that ought % have been left un-
fr. int review of the work ot the
..r-a calm review uninilucnced 10y the
.rft 1f Iudiscriminatc fault-hndlng that
fu sometimes exhibit towards the lie
.fIrc viii show that ] am not ms
t.sr .n thinking that our work has been
ta-g cood.'
ECONOMY rRACTICED.
"Y.u speak Of extravaganza. Has this
l,.u au economical Legislature;
"I .0k at the Appropriation bill. when
contains ail of the appropriations made e1-
cent two or three made by separate acts,
eva they trihing ia amount. ana you
r see that we have not been eXt Iayagant
f4y, not had time to go over the figures
.,r,fullv. but | am quite certain that the
provision for this fiscal year ~ less than
.rtho last When say this refer to the
s-.rs.ate of amounts that Will be spent IN
rur-rluce Of the terms Of the approprla-
tou mll and the special acts indicated and
M.t could not have been spent without
such authority. Beyond this, however.
fl.r. rs class of expenditures that the
aurropuatiOn bill does not or may not
show. and these expenditures are made IN
pursuance Of continuing statutes and vary
Dbl amount from year 90 year with the vary
fn- conditions that attend the pubic Ousl-
I,-.'
CRIMINAL CHARGES, FOR INSTANCE.
Please give an example Of expenditures
~ this classI'
Take criminal charges. Last year we
spent SZ79. 900. The present appropriation
bill puts them at .20O.00O. Any mention
of this item in the appropriation bill IS
mere surplu-agc. because criminal charges
are fixed hv statutes relating TO fees oi
officers. Jail expenses, &c, 6c.. and these
statutes stand unrcpcaled Therefore me
total amount may exceed or fall below the
amount set down in the Appropriation
bill. Thus also is il with the item that ap-
pears In that bill touching the support OF
lrusiic- in iails the assessment OF lands,
md the assessment OF personal property.
In this class of expenditures We have
sometimes tried 10 rctrench by amending
the general statutes that control them.
oNIyA PARTIAL SUCCESS.
How far was this effort successfully"
"I regret 10 SAY that We failed to accom-
ulish much in this line that was possible
The senate worked diligently 10 cut
in CHARGES
that have become so excessive. Our
branch passed over q dozen bills with II
view 20 tins ! think II they had all been
enacted into law that the charges for the
current wear would hardly reach 5000, 900
A4ui- thcamount will be- much larger, and
10 may run ahead of what was spent last
wear. 1t is highly important that there
should be legislation 10 stop the grave
abuses that cause q heavy percentage OF
tie particular expenditure. We nave not
furnished this legislation, and IN the
closing davs of the session there was no.
tMng left but To appoint committee 10
consider the subject during the recess and
make report t. the General Assembly at
ITS next session"
FINANCIAL MEASURES.
What measures have passed that will
reduce expenses or increase the revenue
The convict-labor hlll will IN the
opinion OF those well Informed save from
$4,000 10 S250oO per annum. The .crlmi-
r4leNponse bills that passed both houses
will / hope. save something; the general
fay bin Is i'm such shape that rather more
revenue Will be derived from the ordinary
sources. than heretofore: the bill to tax
charters has Just become law and
vet IL has brought III already some
5000 and can bc counted on, i
mink. t. Weld annually $4,000. Then
there i- hill to enable taX-cOllectors
tutakc timber as well as personal property
far taxes. and this viii positively reduce the
percentage of delinquency. one OF the
i.ost important measures IS the oyster
Sir II now seems 10 have everybody's
arurayal, and those who are in position
a. know think that II Will produce a hand
some revenue instead of the smailalnount
about Sl4. .O0O) that Is now coming IN from
Gid. oy-terindustrv / shall be greatly dlsap-
'Yfutei # the oyster revenue - not at ieaSV
.uadruplod. No very great eilort was mace
o. increase the revenue. We have now all
$50 need 20 pay the expenses OF the govern
mont and interest on the hlduleuerEer
l.Li funded. and besides, the sale OF tho
l.a- peake aud Ohio stock has placed IN
Old. Treasury some S2l4. 900, and the TAX on
-,orfoaoc executed by the Norfolk and
Western amounting 10 $4,000 IS about 10
come in. II j. not good pohcy ana II N N
PIT night 20 pile up money IN the treasury
4..f - tftIf u Afthul liifnNht AA'~'- -
PuBIIc INSTITUTIONS.
How about the expenses OF the literary
Institutions aud asylumsf"
Iho lunatic asylums get the same OF OF
auary appropriations, and besides saO'OO0 oOo0
r0 :, the Stauuton Asylum and $4,000
,ptAe Petersburg Asylum for buildings;
~5Olo 10 the williamsburg ASYLUM for wa
,ef-works. and small sum to the Marion
t-,lum FOR fencing, &c. Tue thlversily
. Virrinia gets s., 900 more than last year,
l.d this j. necessary to repair the build
rc aud preserve the State ooS proPtfhty; re- !,
I.e Farmyille school gets c2,O0Omore than
d., var. the Blacksburg College gets
$40 to complete and equip It's mechani-
c-l department.. .n-..,.
MANY men are dissatisfied with the pres
Ont Hn.,l- ~ Visitors system and during
o., recess committee will investigate ana
rpo-t, aud perhaps a radical change IN the ID
method of management may oe Ilaue.
Nr Heaton has given the subject mucn
attention and thought and his remarks on
tae aoor Of the Senate would seem 70 M .