The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1897-02-10
charIcston Letter.
CHARLEsroN. Feb. 2nd. %

a movement is already afoot, TO
ask the Legislature TO appropriate
Sl5, 600 for the purpose of paying
for West Virginia exhibit at the
Nashville, Tenn, Centennial
Clarksburg, Fairmont and a few
other towns are asking the Legis-
lature to make cities out of them.
Beyond passing some resolutions
lof Instructions to Congress, moth
ling of moment has been accompz
lished by the Legislature, and yet
Ionez third of the term of it's lawful
existence has elapsed. There are
more than 800 bills pending, and
only thirty days remaining to he
devoted to their consideration, so
/ If no more are introduced, which
Is improbable. those measures viii
have to be rushed Through ct the
rate of ten bills day in order to
lclose the session on time. That
cannot be called legislation. And
then there are many important
| laws for whose enactment the peo-
Iple have been clamoring, which
have not yet been even suggested
The anti-lynching bill passed by
the Senate is most drastic in its
provisions. A heavy penalty will
be exacted from any Sheriff by
whose negligence, permission or
connivance a prisoner is taken
from him by mob and lynched;
the Sheriff is to forfeit his Office,
and, unless pardoned by the Gov
ernor, he is ineligible to hold any
office of trust or profit within the
State. The county is given good.
reason for setting its face SO reso-
llutely against lynching, since it is
made liable for exemplary damages
for less then $1,000, upon action
brought by the legal representa-
tives of the person lynched, while
on the other hand, the county may
recover the amount of such DANA
ges from the person taking part in
the lynching.
Was there ever session of the
Legislature into which the vice of
gambling did not poke its ugly
nose at one period or another2 1t
has cropped up this time through
the instrumentality of Delegate
Mansfield, who has introduced a
bill making it a misdemeanor to bet
or wager any sum of money or any
other thing of value on any game.
Gambling is a pernicious and ruin
Gus vice, and in the interest of
public morality any step taken
towards its suppression is commen-
I.dable. Then the want of thrift,
the temptations to dishonesty and
the evil habits which follow in its
train cannot be too strongly repro
bated. But we very much fear
that such an act as this would only
add another to the list of those
which are passed only to become
dead letters, through the supine-
ness of those charged with their en-
forcement.
This is an age of reforms; "the
old changeth and giveth place to
the new And very radical
change is proposed in bill now
pending before the Legislature,
which is no less than the abol-
ishment of the time-honored three
days grace" in banking business.
Yet when one comes to look into
the matter the utility of that al
lotted extension of time does not
stand out very conspicuously, and
whatever remote convenience it
may have had is discounted by the
fact that interest is charged on
those three day grace all the same.
Originally courtesy it has out
lived its day in these practical
times. Other States have erased
it from their statute books and no
reason Is appareEsS WHY HSo HSoS -
ginia should not follow suit.
The public road question is pref
ty sure to come in for some share
of attention during this session of
the Legislature, and it is well to
remember how far legislation has.
progressed in this important mat
Il
tier up to date. As our road laws
stand now, there are four distinct
methods of building and keeping
our public roads in repair. The
first is general road law, which is
well adapted to those counties that
cannot raise sufficient taxes to
build and maintain roads by the
contract system; then there is the
1910 o ,x-t,;ct, 1,ToysdeS