Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-12-03
Letter from Richmond


two.
Letter from Richmond
Special Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
RICHMOND, Va, D:c. 31.-Thefe ere
many new faces In the present General AS
seubly and quite number Of old orea. The
members ere busy now getting acquainted
and 1t will be several days before the wheels
of legislation will move in regular order.
Lookiog over the House to day the absence
OF members who we're prominent last sag
sion was very notable. The Richmond dele.
CATION now crowds around the seat which
| wes occupied two gears ego by Mr. Berry.
| of Fairfax, who won notorlety and pronin-
| enoe by his advocacy O! bill aimed at the
| protection of fruit trees and the death Ct
'peach vel Vs." thing which many farm
ers of Fairfax and other counties 10 the
State ore quite familiar With. Delegate
Bendheim occupies the seat 10 which Mr..
Corbet sat last session. Mr.. Bendheim has
| many warm, personal friends in Richmond.
He has two brothers VITO are leaders In Hs-
| brew society and they were at the capitol to
gre st him to-day. Senator Lovenstein. Of
Richmond, had him In charge for awhile
and in the vernacul4r OF The times, wss
Learning him "ths ropes" about the capitol.
Ohapercped By such skilful legislator as is
Senator Lovepsteip, who has had about Is
years of legislative life. acd possessing the
| faculty Ct rapidly acquiring atquaintsEcts,
| Mr. Beudheim has already gotlen or ".he
| Ineids" 60 10 spesk, end Ia In ncs!iicn 10
| accomplish much for bis constituents.
When Senator Berry, of Amherst, remark
ed Yesterday Ia nominating Hon. John L
| Hurt for president pro tenn. Of the Sa1ate,
that Mr.. Hurt DID more than anycue else to
| restore democratic control In the Ccmmcn-
wealth of Virginia in the s:irriUg days Of
1882 he referred to that big political
fght in which the Big Four-Newbrry, Ly
| brook, Hale ard Wiliams--6gured, Though
he did not recall !hst memorable political
contest. was 10 position to know that
Senator Hurt not only organized the "hig
four" movement, but he engineered the
| whole parliamentary fight from beginDioe
| to end, and every move made by tbs Big
Four wss made Of Mr.. Hurts suggestion or
by his approval. Senator Berry could never
be inclined to dIvulge the party secrets CT
ten years ego and could give e. history of the
| Big Four fight that would read like &c
nance. Speaker Caldwell will announce
the House committees Friday. Theimpres
will be placed at the head OF the finance
committee, end that Mr Ryan, of Loudoun,
will be made chairman OF the committee on
| roads. Mr.. Saunders. OF Franklin, who rep
resented his county ast season With signal
ability, will be put at the head of the COM
| mite on Courts Justice. These are the most
| important committees. The committee on
counties, cities and towns will be one CT
mere Importance this year than ever here
| toiore. Quite number Of Legislators
| would like to serve on this committee.
The question of redietriotlng the State for
| members of the House and Senate will be
early considered. This work hos to be done
| before January and when the bill does come
before the committees there is going to be
considerable squsbbllng, which will doubt
| less be carried to the two branches OF the
General Assembly. Tbs redlstrictipg for
members of Congress may be postponed un-
| til January as 1t Is not imperative to d. this
work this month.
! Lieutensnt-Governor Tyler bas knack
of remembering faces and making new &C.
quaintanoes. he came over In the House
while to-day, just before that body ssseu.
| bed, and In about twenty minutes he De-
came acquainted with all the new members,
and could single out every member in the
HOUSE. This is happy faculty in poll
tloian and may make HoRe Tyler Governor
CT Virginia some of these bright days.
| No one In the House seemed to erioy
John Bell Bgger's little spaeoh yesterday
afternoon more than Rev. Dr. Moses D.
! Hoge, who opened the proceedings of the
House with prayer. and subsequently, took
a seat near the Speakers chair TO
see Mr.. Bigger organize the HOUSE.
The genial clerk vas In hIs happiess vein,
| aud he gave the sky magnificent ecrsplng.
he and Dr.. Hogs have been warm friends
| for forty years, and 1t has been Clerk Big
gers custom for years to request d.. Eoge
| to pray at the opening OF the General Az
aembly. Mr.. Bigger belongs to the "clerk-
Ing school" OF st. Gaorge Tucker, and, like
the gifted Tucker, fnds spare moments TO
iudiie some brilliant scintilstlons, which Out.
bursts occasionally lead to another democrat
ic enthusiasm. II John Ball Bigger were to
write "reminiscences of the big usn who
have figured 10 public life In Virginia during
the past fifty years. his fortune would be
made, and 1t would give him name in the
field of letters equally ss great SO that which
has been accorded to the author of "Hans-
ford, tale of Bscon's Rebellion"
Gov. McKinney's message was not read
either 10 the House or Senate. Il was put
upon mighty pretty paper, which had de-
cldedly ornamental tiDgs abaus 1t. The
Governor will come sgsin In special COM
munics.ion Oh the debt question aud oyster
problem.