Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-02-19
gislative summary.

. committee on puDllc lnstruc-
No 1lth began an investigation
ycharges preferred against Hon.
Massey by Senator Flood, of APP
}tox. The committee meeting whi:h
held in the Senate chamber, was
~ attended by members of the Legis-
re, prominent State officials and
brs. Senator Flood was present and
hated the charges made by him upon
floor of the Senate These, in brief,
that Mr.. Massey improperly charged
the Virginia Agricultural and Mechan-
College, at Biacksburg, the board of
8itOrs Of which he is a member, S74 50
Tor trip to and from the State of Alabama
in the year of 1890. The other allega-
ton of misconduct consisted in charging
SIS for mileage and other travelling ex-
penses in attending a meeting of the
Blacksburg board, which was held in Mr..
Massey's office in Richmond The superin
tendent of public instruction appeared
and made a strong speech in his own de-
Tense. He admitted that these two charges
for expenses had been rendered and paid.
AS to the Alabama trip, he went down
there IN the month of September, 1890, to
wed the lady who is now his wife. While
there and before the wedding he was
summoned to Virginia to attend an i'm
portant meeting of the executive COM
mittee of Blacksburg College. He con-
sidered that it was but an equitable and
perfectly fair demand to be reimbursed
the money expended in the trip. After
the Transaction of the business of the
committee meeting the superintendent of
public instruction returned to Alabama
and married. As to the SIS charge, Mr..
Massey did not clearly recall it, but felt
certain he was summoned here from some
distant part of the State, and that amount
represented expenses incurred in making
the trip In bis remarks Mr.. Massey ad-
mitted that he had railroad passes and
that he used them. He called Mr.. Floods
attention to the fact that all, or nearly
all. of the members of the General AS
sembly, including the Senator himself,
bad the same favors. Not only that, but
Mr. Massey asserts that the circuit judges,
clerks of the two houses aud indeed many
other State officials had free railroad
passes He did not suppose, he said, that
this prevented any of these gentlemen
/! from accepting the mileage allowed them
by law in travelling on official business.
Mr.. Flood SPOKE strongly in dcnuncia-
ton of the superintendent for charging
for his Alabama trip and the other one. OF
SIS.
The Senate Friday tabled the bill pro-
posing to make Superintendent of Public
Instruction John Z. Massey a member ex
officio of the board of visitors of the Deaf,
Dumb and Blind Institute at StauLton
and of the University.
Hon, J. Thomas Goode, of Mecklen-
burg, the member of the house who was
refused admission to the democratic can
Gus, has concluded to distinguish himself,
and Saturday he introduced a measure
| that will probably be known as the GoOde
| bill. 1t proposes to make the use OF free
passes by members of the legislature aud
Judges mIs6emeanor. The bill provides
fine of $500 for the violation of the act.
1t will be interesting to watch the course
of the lawmakers as far as this measure
is concerned. Nearly all of the senators
and delegates are said to use the passes
sent them by railroad and steamboat
companies. Those members who belong
to the farmers alliance cannot consist
entity vote against the bill, as their or
ganzation has time aud again condemned
the use of free passes by senators and
delegates and the Judiciary.
Senator Stubs Monday introduced two
bills that the Good Templars and other
temperance people recommend, One Of
them is for the punishment of any person
who sells intoxicating liquors to persons
of known Incorporate habits, or to any
person when drunk or intoxicated. The
other entities the party agrieved of his
next of kin or the personal representative
of deceased person to recover damages
from any person who shall furnish intOxi-
eating drinks to such persons as are de-
scribed in the first bill.
The Senate was engaged for some time
Monday afternoon in the discussion of a
bill, originating IN that branch, to regu-
late the effect of assignments creating
preferences made by insOlvents, &c. I'm
der the present law the insOlvent can
prefer creditors. The bill amends that
section and takes away the right to make
preferences, with certain EXCEPTIONS
These latter include persons lending the
debtor money, or for purchase money for
property, or employees for service render
ed three months prior to the date OF as
Sl8uulent. MUM OppOSitiVh was uO'ol-
oped to the proposed change. Several
senators antagonized the measure. Mr.,
Jones, of Highland, believed that the
effect of it would be to create a bankrupt
law. The suggestion to recommit it to
the committee for courts of justice met
with determined opposition.
The following are some of the bills in
trOduced Tuesday:
By Mr. Withrow-to authOrizo the
board of pu0lic works to rent out por-
ton of the oyster grounds of the state.
By J. Thompson Brownie exempt
trustees and teachers in public schools
from serving on tries and from working
on roads.
By the same-to require attorneys for
the Commonwealth to act as attorneys
for district school boards.