The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-05

tOh Inv Bnu EIIZ6 E12ht1nK.
RICHMOND. Va , Dec. 4.-The biennial
session of the Virginia Legislature be-
gan to-day. The senate organized by
electiDg William L%ovenstein president
pro tenn; JOS. Button, clerk; Frank b.
Watkins, of Charlotte, sergeant.at.arms,
and j. e. Gunther. of Appom attox,
doorkeeper. The house elected John f.
Ryan, speaker, and j. B. Bigger, clerk.
The other caucus nominees were then
elected as follows: Sergeant-at-arms,
j. w. Johnston, of Rockbridge; first
doorkeeper, A. @. Sullivan; second
doorkeeper, Fl. E. Lipscomb, OIL King
and Queen.
Mr.. McRso introduced q bill in the
house to amend the title OF the present
act making husband and wife com
Witnesses for or against each other, 40
as to make the act apply to civil cases
After the organization, both house
heard Gov. O'Ferrall's message.
The Governors Message.
He devotes a large part of his mes
sage 10 recommending legislation for
the determination of the race track and
gambling evils present in Alexandria
county. opposite Washington. Gsmb-
ling on horse races, he says. has become
q shame and disgrace to Virginia. 1t
has been carried on the year round and
has attracted the worst element from oil
parts of h country. The last general
assembly passed an act prohibiting
book making and pool selling, which
was then being carried ON at Jackson
City, but the act made an exception in
favor OF chartered agricultural associa-
tions, fairs and driving parks.
Governor OFerrall says he objected at
the time to this exception and finally
signed the bill as a lessor evil and on
assurance that the fairs excepted would
guard their privileges carefully. But
the effect simply was to transfer the
gambling, n tracks were started up sc
Alexandria. The governor sees no Diff
ference between these two tracks and
vigorously %denounces them and the
grange camp which perverted its char,
ter to suit the purposes.
He recommends that the present law
be amended 80 as to strike out the ex-
ception which makes the racing possible
and also directs attention to the law
less state OF affairs for five miles along
the Potomac river, opposite Washing
ton, saying:
THAT part Of Virginia's territory is
made q typical Botany Bay for the
criminal and degraded classes OF Wash
ington City. The gambling saloons
and disreputable houses display their
brazen fronts day and night and every
species OF crime is committed. The
law officers are either powerless or they
willfully neglect their duty"
Liquidation is demanded to relieve
Virginia of this odium. On the subject
of lynching Gov. O'Ferrall says:
with pain and modification I bring
to your attention the frequent taking of
human life without due process of the
law within the borders of our State. In
Virginia lynching cannot be defended;
1t must be reprobated. The number who
have suffered death by mobs without
trials or sentence Of the commemorative
tribunal Of justices has created abroad
The impression that her judges and
juries cannot be trusted. or That her
people are swayed by passion and un-
controlled by reason; that her law ia
worthless and lawlessness reigns."
Governor O'FerralI thinks the pro-
posed convention for the framing of a
new constitution would be impolitic and
involve an unnecs ssary expenditure of
money. He takes up, in their order,
the reasons advanced for g convention,
and says the old system Of Justices
courts would be no economy, for the
aggregate pay OF the justices which
constituted courts prior to the present
consituti N was fully az much, he thinks,
as the aggregate salaries of the county
judges, which are according to the DOB.
ulatlon Of the counties.
AS to q reduction Of the number of
circuit judges the Governor says nearly
every judicial circuit in the State is as
large as Q proper segard for the admins
istration of justice will allow It. The
reduction OF criminal expenses and the
other proposed changes, which he en-
umerates, can best be ACCOM- plished II
desired. the governor says, either by
legislative enactment or by amendment
to the constitution, either of which
would be a much less expensive mode
than q constitutional convention.
He says the public debt has been sat.
tied upon q basis honorable to the State
aod satisfactory to the creditors; He
felt great because of his fear
that there would be q decrease In the
assessment of lands in the State, and
ssys ne ts pleased to learn that there ia
on increase in real estate values OF Sll,.
GAG, 1872 over the valuation OF 1890.
Scarcely al any period in her history
were the finances of Virginia in better
condition. and the present fiscal year