Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-01-12
LEGISLATIVE.

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Com
pany and the Buckingham Railway
Company by lease, purchase or other
wise in accordance with the terms of
any contract agreed upon to amend
the local option law, so as to confinc
local option to counties, and to towns
having less than 5000 inhabitants. In
other words, to abolish local option in
cities; to amend the code in relation to
the change of name of the lunatic asy-
lums of the State. The bill proposes
to change the names from "asylums" to
Estate hospitals" Among the bills
passed were: To amend section of an
act to require the payment of fees on
charters. The act provides that if the
fees are not paid within ninety days
from the passage of the act of incorpo-
ration, the charter shall not continue in
force.
The following city judges were elect
ed: For Chancery Court of Richmond,
James Lamb; Hastings Court of Rich
mond, S. B. Witt; Petersburg, D. NJ.
Bernard; Danville, A. NJ. Aiken !;
Charlottesville, r. T. w. Duke; Fred
ericksburg, A. W. Wallace. All these
are present incumbents, and were re-
elected to serve term of six years
from January /, 1895.
In the House among the bills intro
duced we're:
To amend the code Of 1887, which
has been extended by an act approved
January Is, 1888, to criminal as we'll as
civil cases. In relation to when defects
in indictments, informations, and If
Irregularities in writs of venire facias,
and in the drawing, summoning, i'm
panelling and returning of any jury
shall he disregarded.
To amend the code, and forbidding
clerks of courts, sheritfs, sergeants, or
deputies, or any person interested in
tue profit OF such offices from acting as
attorney at law in any case in any
court to which such officer is attached,
and providing for violation of such
law fine of 800; to reduce the tax on
real estate agents from special tax of
$40, and do away with the tax of of l
per cent. on the gross amount Of all
sales; to regulate and provide what
may be sold at apothecaries and drug
stores on Sundays, and to prohibit
them from selling any article of mer-
chandise, except such medicines as are
necessary for the sick, or prescriptions
for the same signed by a regular Ii
censed physician.
To amend the code prescribing how
polls are closed, when vote canvassed
and result declared.
These bills have for their object to
remove some of the objections urged in
many portions of the State to the ex-
isting laws relating to elections. Sec
ton l24 is amended so rs to require
the judges of election to place the bal
lot boxes at all elections in conspicu
Gus place, in full view of the electors
when they deliver their ballots, and to
keep them in such position until
the polls are closed. Section lbs
is amended so as to require
the judges of election to admit
into the room, when the vote is to be
canvassed, two political friends Of the
opposing candidates as soon as the polls
are closed before the ballot boxes are
unlocked and before the canvass of the
vote has been commenced. These bills.
if enacted into laws, it is claimed will
go long way toward silencing much
Of the complaint that is heard in many
sections of the State in regard to cleo
ton methods. The amendment to sec
ton $50 consists in leaving out one pa
ragraph that was rendered superfluous
by its amendment to section lbs.
When the bill requiring railroads to
furnish members of the legislature and
judges of this State with free passes
came up in the House it provoked a
spirited and lively discussion. Mr..
Campbell. its author, explained to the
House that the measure required the
railroads to give the passes and thus
the members would be under no obi
CATION to those corporations. He said
that if the State had the right TO make
the railroads carry convicts at reduced
rates of transportation, then they had
the power also TO require them to furn
ssh free passes to legislators and judges.
Mr.. A. F. Withrows opposed the bill
and said that in the opinion of the
ablest lawyers in Virginia such q means
was unconstitutional. =,
Mr.. Mason, the author ef.t the present
railroad law, also opposed the passage
of any such bill.
Mr. Pitcher in advocacy Of the pas
sage of the bill made quite an amusing
address, in which he referred to the
solid comfort of being whirled through
the country on railroad train, gazing
through the windows at the beautiful
panorama which was displayed, and
realizing that it did not cost one cent
He said he had at first been in favor O.
requiring passes for only the three
months in which the Legislature was
in session, ''but, he added, "some OF
the boys said the time was too short,
and they thought that if thing was
good for three months, it was better for
two years, and-I kinder agreed with
them
Mr.. Patterson made q strong argu-
ment against the measure. In showing
how the railroads considered this ques-
ton he quoted Mr.. c. P. Huntington,
of the Chesapeake and Ohio, who some
years ago said use free passes freely;
they are the cheapest, the most mex
pensive and the best way of inhuenc
ing legislation" Before concluding his
remarks Mr.. Patterson said if the bill
became law he would never accept q
free pass, as no legislator ever did with
out being influenced by it. The House
adjourned without voting on the bill.
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