Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-21
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 81, 1894.
An Extra Session.

Every
some one suggestion that our Heh'idi
Assembly should meet in extra SESSION
this winter And the statement Is niale
that It's expenses could be saved by us
putting in force at once. instedH OF
voar hence. the constitutional amendment
odopted by the people at the late election.
The General Assembly Is ever welcome
20 Richmond. We Ike TO have It's mem
beers here. They enllyen the CITY very
much. They bring business mere IheE
make nm agreeable hustle about the
CaDltol and hotel corridors. They are
good patrons Of our places Of amusement.
They are also church-goers, ana are Iohu
OF hearing our famous preachers. AZ inc
clubs and I'm general society they con-
tribute much 20 the checrness OF the VIII
ter season. and, all in all. are pretty
,,ood set Of fellows II they were 10 ST mere
an the vear round this community would
have no cause Of complaint; but never
tbeloss W. may well challenge the sUs-
restion that the expenses Of an eA''"
session would De- more than PAD by 'he
saving possible to be made by putting
into Immediate force the constitutional
amendment
The expenses Of legislative session
extend far beyond the pittances paid as
salaries 10 the officers ana members. usu-
ally the costlicst items of session are
the special appropriations made. There
never has been session when such ap-
nropriations were not made. and probably
never will De-. II IS estimated that $4,000
per annum could be saved by putting
the amendment in force. The actual cost
OF the session would be about 5000 or
5000; hat there is no telling how many
claimants upon the bounty Of the state
would appear and get appropriations
many Of which appropriations would be-
come permanent charges upon the Trea-
sury. u may be that later on good
ground viii appear for having an extra
session Of the General Assembly but the
one we have mentioned is by no means
sufficient. Instead Of saving the state
money It would be- sure to entail "a cost
upon the state.
In the course OF seven years the rate Of
interest on our Virginia Century" bonds
Will be- increased from 10 per cent.
il, therefore. bahooves us TO economic
as much as possible. SO that the State
may buy in some of her bonds and reduce
the capital Of her debt ana thus keep the
annual interest charge down TO present
figures. with rigid economy we can
probably DO this. and if SO, there need
never b. any fesr that an increase of
taxatlon-howcver slight-win be necessary
TO meet the interest on our public aebt.
This object should be dear 10 every we'll
wisher OF the State, and should disincllne
us TO extra sessions where It is possible
10 avoid them. There ought TO De no
extra session except In a case where 1t
IS perfectly clear that otherwise the in
terests Of the Commonwealth will suffer.
~ present we can discover no such neces-
sity. The only reason now urged for an
extra session does not hold good when
examined in the light of experience. As
money saving measure an extra session
would almost surely be deluson and a
snare
We have heard It said that IN addition
T. putting the constitutional amendment
IN force, the General Assembly might
rs.ceed to revise and amend the walton
election law. so 1t might. and it might
thereby furnish large amount OF "capi-
tai" for the Republicans who are con-
testing the seats in the House Of Repre-
sentaiIvcs q Messrs. Jones. Tyler. FL
lett. Mckenney. Swanson, Otey. Turner.
Meredith. and Tucker.
The clectiOn-law will work far mere
smoothly upon It's second trial than upon
its first. 1t is fact which
cannot hc gainsali that in nu-
merous localities Of this State our peo-
PIE went to the polls on the 9Th instant
having very vague notions indeed Of the
requirements OF the Australian ballot
But with the experience they have had
AMI the pains the numerous local candl-
dates VIII take to instruct them. the
spring elections ought to pass off very
well indeed, After the spring elections
81 VIII be time enough to talk about
holding an extra session of the General
Assembly.
We hull no municlpai tltSliOH III hlch-
mond next May, but 81 we had 10 hold
one our people could ask for nothing in
the form Of an elec,ion-law more suit
able 10 their needs .han that which we
tried here for the first time on the 9th
instant The law had been tested before
that time In three or four corporation
elections in this State, but Richmonders
had their first experience with It two
weeks ago. We take II for granted that
our primary elections here Will always
be held under the new system Of voting.
and candidates for Office viii thus be
able TO save much morey which they
now pay out TO persons whose duty II is
to solicit votes for them at the polls
Bu, back to the main point; Much as
we deiigh, In the company OF the mem
bers OF the General Assembly we cannot
now say that their presence will be ne
oeSsary here this winter. and It viii be
time enough to urge an extra session
when the necessity therefor Is apparent