Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-03-09

Munford, one of the Richmond mem
bers of the Legislature, who stated the
most important work done by the re-
cent Legislature. We copy what he
stated. as reported in the Dispatch, as
follows
A HARD-wORKING BODY.
Mr.. Munford said he felt sure that
the work of the session as whole com
mends itself to the public. 1.-THE body"
added he, ''has distinctively been an
| industrious one, and composed, as the
lower house was, almost entirely of
farmers, it has not been given to much
speech-making A great deal of rou
tine business has been disposed of,
many measures of public interest en-
acted. and many more carefully con-
sidered and defeated, because the con-
sentative element regarded their pass
age as fraught with injury to the Com
monwealth. OF course, the most I'M
portant work of the Legislature was
| the settlement of the public debt, by
which, in q word, Virginia substitutes
her outstanding obligations other than
the Riddleberger bonds, amounting,
principal and interest, to $20,O00,0G0,
for new principal of $19,000,000, pay
| y
for ten years and per cent. for ninety
years.
Auxiliary to this measure was the
bill by which the literary institutions
of this State were permitted to surren-
der to the Commonwealth the various
bonds now held by them and upon
which, under the act passed by the
Readiuster Legislature of 1881-'82, they
have been accustomed to draw full in
terest upon the principal of the bond
according to the rate fixed therein and
accept in lieu thereof certificate of
Indebtedness by which the State agrees
to pay semi-annual interest on sums
equal respectively to the amount of
bonds held by these different institu-
lions. This bill, which was passed in
accordance with the understanding
that our creditors represented by the
Olcott committee, fixes upon sure
basis an endowment to our education
al institutions, removing from the
sphere of future legislative action the
subject Of the payment of interest up
on the bonds SO held.
THE RAILROAD LEGISLATION.
"Next in Importance l regard the
railroad legislation of the session, and
here let me say. that while the Kent
bill was justly regarded as too extreme
| In its provisions, yet l believe that the
discussion of the subject engendered by
| the Introduction of that bill two years
ago has been productive of great good
to the Commonwealth. The railroads
and the people are nearer together than
ever before, the first recognizing their
obligations to the public, and the sec
Ond approaching the rights guarantee
! cd 70 no nil "a n
tiers. Mr.. Mason's bill, as understand
it, is an adaptation of the principles of
the interstate commerce act to intra
state commerce, and the enlargement
of the powers of the Railroad Commits
sioner so that he can more speedily and
effectively secure the protection of the
public under the provisions of this law
and the statutes already in the Code.
Its first clause prohibits the railroad
from charging more for short haul
than for long one. Its second and
third prohibits the granting of special
rights, drawbacks, rebates, and pre-
vents unjust determinations. The
fourth section provides the most con-
venient arrangements for the inter
change of passenger and freight traffic
at crossing points. The fifth provides
for the publication of the rates charg-
ed for freight and passenger traffic and
their publication at the various depots,
no advance to be made except after ten
days notice, and no variations allowed
from the published rates.
''The sixth, seventh, and eighth
clauses prohibit false billing, false
classification, and require duplicate
bills Of lading and expense bills to be
furnished. The ninth section requires
the establishment of telegraph offices
and fixes regulations with reference to
notification by the train-dispatcher of
the arrival and departure of trains.
This section, like the tenth, which re-
quires the opening of the ticket-office,
and the seventh, which requires annu-
al reports from the commissioner, and
the twelfth, which requires the publ
cation of the railroad laws and their
posting at the several stations, are but
in effect copies Of the present statutes.
HOW TO CORRECT EVILS.
| ''The most important section in the
| bill is the fourteenth, which provides
that where any common carrier has
been guilty OF any violation of the law,
| either with reference to its freight
| charges, its train connections, special
| rates, Unjust determinations, or I'M
reasonable preference, the Railroad
Commissioner shall, upon complaint
made to him by any one, give notice
| to the common carrier and require it
| to correct the cause of complaint, and
| if the common carrier fails in ten days
to so correct the cause of complaint it
| is the bOunden duty of the commission
| er to proceed in the name of the Com
mOnwealth before the Circuit Court of
the county where the cause of action
4 10
against the company. The case is to
be heard without formal pleadings, and
is to have precedence over all other
business upon the docket. The Com
monwealth's attorney is required to
represent the commissioner, and the
judge is empowered, by mandatory or
restraining order, to prevent the COM
mon carrier from further violation of
the law. In addition to the restrain
ing order provided in this section, the
thirteenth section makes the commits
sion OF any of the above acts a misde-
meanor and subjects the carrier for
each act to a fine of not less than 800
nor more than $500.
''These are the principal points in
the Mason bill, las | now recollect them,n
said Mr.. Munford.
KILLING OF CATTLE.
Another measure on this line of
practical interest to our people," con-
tinued Mr.. Munford, was the bill pro-
viding that where cattle were killed OF
injured by railroad trains the owner
might forthwith call in one neighbor,
and the railroad authorities were re-
quired to call in second, which two
appraisers could Immediately value the
animal SO killed or injured and their
estimate, if they agreed, or that of an
umpire if they failed to agree, should
fix D1'ina0 Jdcje the amount of the
damages SO sustained.
Auxiliary to this act another was
passed giving justices through the
country jurisdiction in actions for
damages up to 800. Thus the farmers
remedy ey' for 5c the recovery t Of any dam
ages growing out of the killing or in
jury Of their stock on railroad tracks.
can act was also passed for the pro
lection Of employees discharged from
L., : lrlI0