The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-04-03
Criminal Negligence

The Legislature passed and the Gov
ernor signed Il bill that legalizes prize
fighting, dog fighting. bull fighting,
gambling and other sports A sensation
has been created by the discovery that
q bill passed by the Legislature and
signed by the Governor, chartering the
| Virginia Sporting and Athletic club.
during the closing hours of the last SEES
sion of the General Assembly, legalizes
prize fighting within the limits of the
State. The Norfolk Virgimian furnishes
the following reference to the bill, which
the Governor and Attorney General say
must stand until the Legislature repeals
it:
by the provisions of the bill it is as
serted by those who are conversant with
it that there can be bull fights prize
fights, dog fights chicken fights, and
any other contest under the burning
sun. 1t is asserted further that gam
bling can go on in full blast, and the
charter may be so construed as to al
low the company owning it chance to
run lottery
The charter in question, after giving
the Club the right to purchase and en-
close grounds, etc, goes on to saw:
The said company is authorized to
use its lands or those leased by it for the
propagation of all kinds of game, for
the breeding, boarding and training of
horses, dogs and other sporting animals
and the said company is authorized to
hold at any time fairs, bench shows, or
exhibitions, at which races between
horses and contests or matches between
dogs and other animals may take place
Individuals, clubs leagues or associa-
tions may contend at said fairs and ex-
hibitions or at any time upon the
grounds of the company for prizes al all
kinds of athletics, games, sports or con
tests. The company shall cause to be
promulgated prlor to the holding of a
fair, show or exhibition of any kind,
rules and regulations which shall gov
ern the same. The Judge of the County
Court of the county in which the exhibit
ton grounds of the company may be
located shall upon application by the
company appoint persons as the pres-
dent or manager of said company may
name, and such persons appointed as
aforesaid shall be authorized to attend
any fair or other exhibition held upon
said companys ground and to act as
conservators of the peace. They to have
right and authority to arrest and eject
from the grounds of the company any
person or persons who shall create any
disturbance or shall commit any breach
of the peace or violate in any way any
of the rules or regulations of the com
pany."
The powers granted are undoubtedly
extraordinary and quite broad, and
opinions may differ as to whether or not
prize fighting is included in them.
Gov Mckinney was interviewed by a
Dispatch reporter in regard to the char
ter He said the act was brought to him
for his signature during the closing
hours of the General Assembly, and he
was crowded with not less than 500
pages of manuscript. He thought at
the time there were no Objectionable
features in the bill, but that it simply
Incorporated a pleasure club.
He said he had not read the bill since
its recent publication, and could not
therefore express hi,nself further on the
matter.
Another Educational Bill
There is no excuse for those Republican
Senators who voted against the Blair
Bill after the party in National Conven-
ton had endorsed the policy it projected.
1t may not have been in the exact form
that some Senators desired but it's OBJ
ject was right, and inasmuch as it was in
reference to that bill, as popularity un-
derstood, that the action of the National
Convention was taken, the party ought
to have supported it unanimously. In
although large majority of Republi-
can Senators voted for it, and a large
majority OF Democratic Senators voted
against it. the Petersburg h1deG-Appedl
makes reference to another bill as fol-
| lows:
If the Blair bill is really dead-and it looks as
if it is-then the bill introduced by Senator Nor
rill is very desirable substitute. This latter
proposition provides that all monies received
from the sale of public lands and three folrths
OF the money received from the land grant rail
roads shall be set aside for an educational fun
to bear interest at four per cent One half Of
the income is to be divided among the agricul-
tural colleges until,the sum paid to each shall
equal $2i0O0 annually, when the balance shall
be turned in with the other half of the income
to be used for general purposes. This money is
to be divided among the states and territories
and the District of Columbia for the purpose of
division for the first four years ahall be On the
basis of the proportion OF illiterate persons be-
tween ten and twenty one years of age to the
whole population of each State. After the first
four years the division shall be equal.
LII no better measure can be gotten
/ through, then by all means Mr.. Morril's
bill ought to be acted on and enacted.
1t will not do for the Republicans to
drop the subject, and thus give the
Democrats q club with Which to strike
them over the head in the next canvass
far Congress, especially in Virginia and
the Southern States.
Representative Lodge, of Massachu-
sets. has an idea that 4th class post
masters ought to be appointed upon the
recommendation of the postof1ice inspec-
tor, after investigation, instead of upon
the recommendation of the member of
Congress from the district in which the
office is located. This is one of those theo
retical notions of reform that has no
practical sense in it. The presumption
that postof1ice inspector could more
fairly and accurately judge the claims
Of applicants for these positions than
the member of Congress who knows and
represents them, is silly. Generally
speaking the postotiice department is
run great deal better, and with better
results than Congress is. 1t might be
an improvement to have inspectors or a
commission to select members of Con
gress, instead of leaving it to primaries
and conventions to be controlled by
Doodle. Take it as a whQle and there is
40 department. OF the government that
is conducted with more prudence, ability
and success than the Postoffice Depart
ment-the most complex and difficult of
the government. Every change or pro
posed change is NOT reform and the less
| departure there is from the usages of the
government from its foundation the
t better.
Messrs. Moore & HILBERT, mining engi-
neers and lFoa Gre experts, have leased
the rooms above the postofice as an
Office for the purpose of dealing in
mineral lands, iron ores, &C. They