The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-16
Will have TO appear as a witness"
soncurrIug with Mr. withrow.

| idiIs lndt III t1cfc IL anything III Ah'
rumofs referred TO in the conduct OF the
last campaign. there ought 90 be an in
Vestigaiion.
II am sorry that the friends OF the two
| leading candidates for the United states
| Senate have INDUCED in a too improper
abuse OF each other. The position that !
/ took / am willing TO submit TO my con-
| stituents. If any man has used any Inn
proper influence TO secure his election,
think he b unworthy Of the position.
/ heartily hope that this House viii unaai-
/ mously adopt the resolution that has been
| offered for an investigation
The scope FOO wide.
| Mr.. Gibson. OF Culpeper: Mr.. Speaker,
| I think that the resolution offered by
/ the member from Bath should be referred
/ 10 the proper committee. If the House
/ adopts that resolution | think there viii
/ be an endless scrutiny into the election
| Of every member Of this House, II any
! enc chooses 10 contest the seat held by
each one OF us. II we get into that mat
ter it will certainly take mere than
ninety days 10 complete t. / think the
resolution is too general.
II think. in justice 20 the gentleman
who offered this resolution. the COM
mittee standing committed should in
quire into the fact. or into the false charge
that member has been offered, or re-
ensure the election Of, or TO vote for any
particular candidate. But / do not see
why this resolution should include every
member OF this Housh.
To Ignore ewspsptp,r Charges.
Nor DO / think IL is obligatory upon
iris body TO appoint committee to eX-
anime into every charge made by any
newspaper in this Commonwealth. Most
of those charges seem 10 cnanate from a
particular newspaper, that for weeks
has been criticising very violently the
modes and methods Of the Democratic
party OF the whole State
Now, as far as / am concerned, / do
not think IL was necessary TO ask for a
committee 10 inquire into what influenced
me 10 vote or not 10 vote
Mr.. Gibson here referred TO the manner
i'm which persons are usually voted for,
and I'm this connection added:
81 was instructed 10 vote for General
Hunton. for both terms, first, last. and
all the time, and the only vote / did cast
was for General Huuton. Every member
of this House has the inalienable right,
when we come TO nominate a senator 10
vote for whom he may choose"
In conclusion Mr. Gibson said, 81 think
the resolution should be amended now
so as to confne itself 20 the election and
the vote Of the gentleman who offered 10,
and. therefore, L think it should be re-
ferred"
Mr.. Withers: "Mr Speaker, I simply
want TO state some facts that concern me !
more directly possibly. than they do /
this question. ] agree with the gentleman
from Culpeper, that there have been |
mai,y remarks in the newspapers, con- |
nected with some Of which was my own
lame. Except IS 10 che Of these state |
D,l Is, they were entirely Unauthorized by |
ire. j w9s approached by members Of |
this House, and others, TO offer resOlu- /
ton Of investigation I'm connection with |
the election Of United States senator |
and members Of the General Assembly, on |
the ground that 1 occupied an entirely |
neutral position, as / was allied neither /
with the forces Of General Lee nor those |
Of Mr.. Martin"
Mr. Withers then went on TO explain /
that the reason he did not offer "a reso- /
luton similar 10 the one that had been /
offered, was because he did Lot wish toT
he I'm the position OF asking for the I'M /
vestigation without having specific charges |
TO 20 upon. In conclusion he said;
However much TIE honor of Virginia |
and the honor Of the General Assembly |
might be involved, L did not propose to /
offer TO put upon its feet an invesu- /
cation without icing able 10 sustain /
specific charges. For that reason j held /
in abeyance a resolution almost similar |
Bath"
In replying 20 the remarks OF Mr.. Glib
son, Mr. Withers said:
1T seems to me that this resolution had
better be too broad than too narrow
Mr. Downing: II am very sorry that any
member of this House should have been
forced in a position 10 investigate, not
only the conduct Of himself, but the con-
duct of the General Assembly of Nir-
ginia These rumors have heen flying for
some time. IL is my opinion, Mr. Speaker,
that they did not come from The friends
of General Lee, and that they did not
come from the friends of Mr.. Martin but
they emanated from n source that rs hos
tile and bitter to the dominant party
of this State. As a friend of the success
full candidate, before the caucus, 1 take
the position, here, that the time has
arrived when, i'm justice to ourselves that
we demand an investigation, and we de-
mand that that investigation shall take
pace at once" (Applause)
The resolution was adopted without any
further opposition. and the Speaker APP
pointed Messrs Nicol OF Prince WlllaIl,
Downing of Clarke and Warren, Cooke of
Norfolk. and Boykin of Isle of Wight
hi Passed.
House Bill No. Il: To amend and re-
enact section 1888. Code Of Virginia, 1887,
entitled How attempts TO commit Of
fences punished"
House BIN No Is: To fix the salary Of
the board Of supervisors Of Warwick |
county.
Placed on the Calender
The following bills were placed on the
calendar:
BY Mr.. Cooke, No. %: To authorize the
consolidation Of the Norfolk city Railroad
Company and the Suburban and City Rail-
way and Improvement Company, under
the name Of the Norfolk Street Railroad
Company
by Mr. Wilkinson. No. 26: To amend
and re-enact an act entitled IAN act TO
incorporate the Blue Ridge Railroad Com
pany"
by Mr. Boykn, No. p: TO authorize
railroad companies terminating on navi-
gable waters 20 guarantee bonds Of COM
panies building or owning steamboats, or
vessels used or to be used, in connection
with the business of the railroads ana
TO confirm an such guarantees heretofore
made
BY Mr. Boykin. No. %: To empower the
Days Point Land and Improvement Com
pany TO erect a wharf on James river
in the county Of Isle Of Wight.
BY same. No 3O To empower X. NJ.
Booker 20 erect a wharf on Pagan creek
in the county of Isle of Wight.
Bis Introduced and neferred.
Tho following bills were introduced and
referred:
By Mr. Cooke: To amend and re-enact
sections ? and 10 OF an act entitled An
act 10 incorporate the Norfolk and Lynn
II sHsrH