Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-01-28
News Notes from Charleston.


and now one of the leading Demo
cratic members Of the House of
Delegates, we clip the following
items:
The House of Delegates is com
posed Of 80 Republicans, 20 Demo.
Gratis and two Gold Democrats. 1t !
has been matter of some spCcula- .
ton as to what course the two Gold |
men would take in their political al. .
tiliatiOns. But the doubt was soon /
removed after their arrival. They I.
selected their seats on the Republic !
can side, and when it came to voting
Tor the organization of the House, |
voted squarely with the Republicans.
They may, therefore, be C!assed as
Republicans for all intents and pur-
poses. This leaves the political com
pleXiOn of the House II Republicans
and % Democrats.
Ii is now settled that Governor
Atkinson will appoint W. NJ. o.
Dawson to the lucrative office of
Secretary of State. This selection
seems to give entire satisfaction TO
the Republican party, and the APP
pointment of no Republican would
give more satisfaction to the Demo-
Gratis. Mr.. Dawson is al allie man,
and one who is respected and adj
mired by all who know him.
Since the Democrats took such
strong stand against the opening up
Of the Virginia debt question, a
spirit of opposition to it is cropping
out on the Republican side. There
is no doubt but few spectators in.
tended to bring the matter up at this
session If they could get any encour-
agemcnt, but at this time it seems
reasonably certain that the degree Of
encouragement will be lacking.
There is strong prejudice here on
all sides against the school book law
passed at the last session. The peo-
pie are demanding its repeal, and it
may safely be put down that some.
thing will be done on the school book
question at this session. The State
has failed to make contracts for
nearly all the leading common school
books, such as spoilers, readers, arith-
metics, biographies and grammars.
If some changes are not made in the
present law the youths of the State
will soon be without all the books
most commonly used in the public
schools.
There is disposition manifested
in some quarters of the State to iii.
vide up counties and remove county
seats that is menace tn the progress
and growth of the counties in which
these agitati0ns are made. There Is
a scheme 10 make y rrw county by
cropping territory frvlu Marion, Mo-
nongalia, WctZel and Harrison, with
the county.seat ut Maunington.-
Marion is already below the consti-
Nu'loiiul IilDll bl area ana neither OF
the other counties really has any ter
ritory To spare. The members from
that section of the State, as a rule,
are opposing the project.
The question of calling constitu-
tional convention is still nightmare
on the minds of the legislators. All
agree that the present constitution is
out of date and defective in many
important points, yet the heavy cost
Of convention deters many from
pushing for a constitutional conven-
ton. Besides there are some good
things in the present organic law
that might be lost if a new cunstitu
ton were formed. There are some
restrictions on railroads in the con-
stitution that the people might lose
through the great influence of the
railroad lobby on convention.