Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-29
THE FOREMOST BILL.
WHAT MEASURE BEFORE THE ASSEM-
BLY, IS OF MOST IMPoRrANcEi
General Opinion seems 10 Drift Towards a
Reduction Of Criminal Expenses ~
the Duty of the Hour.

The Dispatch man in his daily visits TO
the halls Of the General Assembly and to
the corridors of the hotels where our
statesmen most do congregatc. finds OPP
portunity to talk with them on subjects Of
legislation aud is fond Of asking; What
nvour opinion Is the foremost subject now
before you ?" There are many different
answers 20 the question; many varying
views as TO what is the uppcrmost topic of
the hour but by far the great majority,
from one angle OF vision or another. con-
sider that there 10 nothing the Assembly
can do that will be so helpful TO the Com,
mouwealth as the Application OF q rigid
economy 20 the criminal expenses OF the
state. An influential delegate. with desire
q rid the jails Of the Commonwealth OF
the sorrowiul spectacle of crowds of negro
luuatiC prisoners. proposes that the COlOI-
cd Normal School at Petersburg be con-
verted into a supplemental asylum for the
treatment Of the insane Of this race. An
other very forcible reasons IN favor OF Det-
ter laws to regulate railroad charges.
Alrcady in those columns members have
given very vigorous expression 10 their de
e,rc for the correction Of evils that atfilct
our fiscal system. and in the interviews fol-
lowing there is such emphatic utterance
In TINS direction there can now be little
doubt the two houses viii devise and apply
the needed remedy:
MONETARY SUGGESTIONS.
"At this time" said Senator II. Walton
Moore. of FAIRFAX. ." the most noticeable
feature of the work of the Legislature IL
the effort 20 reduce expenses. / hope TO
zoe tho criminal charges for the current
fiscal year at least $4,000 less than they
were in the last. Proper amendments OF
+ho present laws will bring this about. In
the hiring of convicts Sl5 900 VIII he saved
# the pending bill goes through. might
mention several other important proposi-
tons 10 cut down expenditures, but these
two are fair samples and indicate the gen.
eral SPIRIT
THE NEEDTD REFORM.
"Thc school of measures looking to the
correction of evils in our fiscal system and
economy in expenditures | regard as OF
fr-t importance" said Senator Taylor
Berry. Their passage and vigorous en-
f,rccmont will relieve us Of cmbarfass-
monts now grave and enlarging."
MAKE TIE coLoRED NORMAL SCHOOL AN AsY-
LUM.
One Of the most important matters
that can engage the attention Of the Legs
lafure and be enacted into law" said Dele
r,tc l.. G. Cabell. If Amherst. Is the re-
duction of expenses, and one mode OF DO
inc this Is to stop the annual Appropriation
f1the COlorcd Normal School at Peters
burg and convert that institution into n
supplemental lunatic asylum. | am oif-
cgilv informed that the cost of building
the Colored Normal Institute at Petersburg
was more than Sl07 .0J0: that the cost OF
ruu,inr IA il 500 900 per annum; that the
cost az building the Colored Lunatic Asy-
lum ~ Petersburg was Sll6,j0O, and the
cost OF running il Ss0.000per annum. and
still there Is urgent demand for increased
accommodation for negro lunatlcs.
Tho negro Normal and Agricultural In
s,itute at Hampton now receives an annuity
of SIC. .329. .36, and it strikes me tins IS more
than they are entitled TO, considering that
.he uerroes of the Commonwealth pay les'
than one sixth part of the money that IS
contributed to negro education. why
should Virginia. struggling 20 keep her
head above water. waste more money on
ou ideag | accompanied the Legislative
Committee that lately visited the Peters
burg Colored Normal School and saw negro
scholars in luxuriously-appointed quarters
and lecture. rooms. learning. or pretending
10 learn. Chemistry. Latin. and Greek. l
think II time for that sort of nonsense TO
stop; and as the negro lunatics are IN
creasing nj fearful rate and we must take
care of them. think it important to con-
vert tho Normal-School building into a
.rpplemental lunatic asylum and let the
money now wasted on the school be appro-
puated 10 the care and maintenance OF
luAatics."
" Aud this" continued Mr.. Cabell, II
a,n c,nvinced would be the opinion of
nearly every white man in Virginia If he
orly saw what | have seen. l know my
constituents would sustain my views
rrau.mously."
RAILROAD Determination AND OTHER GREAT
81 am somewhat troubled" said Dele
gate T.. W. Saunders. of Franklin, " in my
selection of the most important bill from
several which are now under the cOnside-
ration OF the House. The bills relating to
license taxes and designed to restrict the
use of coupons in payment thereof. the
lill looking TO the amendment and codit-
cation of the present school laws, the bill
correcting existing defects in the delln-
queut-land tax laws. and the intrastate
railroad bill are of almost equal I'M
uortance. The railroad bill IL clamor-
ouslv demanded from some sections of
the State. and of all the measures
indicated attracts perhaps the most
attention. The gravest charge which. ia
my Judgment. can be brought against the
railroads is the favoritism shown by them
between the shippers In the matter OF
freight rates and the arbitrary and unrea-
scnable rules III the matter of removal OF
frgrhts from the railroad depOts and cars.
Cousjpnees suffer greatly from these rules.
Cases have been brought TO my attention
I'm which after great delay on the part OF
the railroads in the transportation OF
freight-delay which subjected the con-
sgnee 10 great Inconvenience and some ex-
pense-thev have not relaxed their rules
recurring the consignoe 10 remove the
goods from their ears in the short time
provided for such cases under the penalty
of a fixed charge Iii tho nature OF %
fine for every days use OF the cars
In excess OF that time. These abuses
should be corrected by wholesome
hw-not one on the lines suggested by
lahid extremists outside of the Legislature,
hut drawn after mature consideration 10
satisfy the calm and deliberate judgment
Of that body. To rectify the abuses exist
iuc hy reason of the inversion of charges in
thc long and short-haul rates, in which
the lowest rate is for the greatest distance
aud the greatest rate for the least distance,
the law should create a commission OF one
az more clothed as TO the railroads OF TINS
State with the powers vested IN the COM
missiouers as to the United States under
The interstate commerce act, but the cry
ine evil after all which the measure should
cofrectis determinations between indiyid-
uals and corporations III freight rates.
CUT DOWN THE COSTS.
The measures proposed in the Legisla-
furc To- reduce criminal expenses are, IN my
judgment. the most important" said Mr.
!. T.. Mason, member of the House from
Ming George county; because they are
steps toward reform and curtailing our
State expenses, which last year We're over
two and half million dollars, aud this
LEGISLATURE cannot serve the people
especially the iarmers-better than TO
adopt ripd system of economy IN every
department of Government Few people
iu the cities know the embarrassments OF
our agricultural communities.
Several measures are proposed oreduce
thscriminal expenses. The most impor-
tant IL. perhaps. the proposition now being
considered by the Senate committees to
amend section 4l06 OF tho Code OF 1851, so
tina; justices Of the peace shall try anu
finally dispose OF certain misdemeanors
enumerated in said section, instead OF
sending them on TO the grand jury, as they
BOW have the right 10 do. There are some
constitutional objections urged to TINS, put
I f.f...., tt...s ara .rrnpodtaaa the de-