Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-12-02
GOV. o'FERRALL's MESSAGE

GOV. O'FERRALL'S MESSAGE
Upon the organization of the Legis
ature yesterday, Governor O'Ferrull
sent his last annual message to that
body. Il covers large range of sub
jucts and would make eighteeu
columns of the Gazette. The Governor
opens with the announcement that the
health of the State has been good +,
crops abundant, wages renumerative,
and industrial enterprises quickened.
He refers to three lynchings which + ave
taken place in the State during the
year, and speaks as follows concerning
the angine of the negro Mccoy in this
c ty asst April:
In the city of Alexandra 1 regret to say
that in my opinion there WAS dereiiction OF
duty somewhere. That city has the la gest
military company in the State. a man was
arrested, charged with vie felony He was
committed to the station house where everal
po icemen wee on duty. The excitement
beca me intense and crowd assembled at the
station house in a threatening manner Later
another crowd gathered broke into the Sta
ton house, Sc zsd the policemen in charge
batter ed down the door of the cell in which
the prisoner WAS confined, took him out and
hurg him to lamp post on the street. Tho
Mayor, though clothed with the power to
summon the military company to aid the
civi autho tiles issued no order and took no
steps to protect the prisoner Notwithstanding
the excited condition of the city, of which he
had full notice. There may be no doubt tne
prisoner was guilty of most hcinous crime,
committed under the most diaboical crcum
stances, and deserved death, but he was in
the custody Of the law officers, sally con.
tined, and ,et mob was permitted in city
of Is 600 population with a strong military
force st the command of the Mayor, to bid
defiance to the law aud trample down the
authority of the Commonwealth. There can
be no possible excuse offered for the success
of the mob.
He repeats the recommendations
made in his last message:
II recommend the passage OF an act
requiring every county or city to pay
into the treasury of the State, for
the benefit oftne public free school fund
the sum OF 5000 for each thousand of its
population, not exceeding $4,000, for
every lynching which may occur with
in it's limits, the same to be provided for
in its next ANNUAL levy.
81 further recommend that the eX
pense of the military, if called out by
the sheriff of any county or the mayer
of any city to protect prisoner thrent.
eped with violence, shall be- refunded
to the State by said county or city cut
its next annual levy.
81 further recommend that if any
sheriff, jailer, sergeant, constable or
other officer having in custody a
prisoner, shalt permit said prisoner to
be taken from his custody without ex
hausting all means in his power 10 pre-
vent it. he shall be summarily suspend
ed FROM cffice by the court in which ne
qualified until a motion to remove him
shall be heard and determined by a
jury"
The Governor states that the legisla-
ton of the General Assembly in refence
10 horse-racing, gambling and prize
fighting has practically driven the on
and absolutely the other from Virginia,
except when engaged in under the
cloak of "a friendly boxing contest, " as
it was recently near Newport News.
He recommends an amendment to the
title of the act entitled "An act to pre-
vent pool selling, and so forth, upon
the result of any trials of speed of ary
animals or beasts taking place without
the limits of the Commonwealth" ap-
proved February 30, 1896, so as 10
make clearer aad more distinct the "oo
iect of the law" He further recon-
mends that the act be amended so as to
prohibit all telegraph and telephone
companies from receiving and trans
mitting at their offices or any other
place messages laying bets or waeers
on the result of any trial of speed or
power of endurance or skill OF animals,
beasts or men VIII ch is to take place
beyond the limits of this Common
wealth, and affixing severe penalties
for violations. This amendment is
nee d ed to exclude all doubt as to the
nurpose and intent of the act of Feb
ruary %, 1896. ct.
He SAYS it is source Of qualification
that Virginia has been exempt from
labor troubles so common IN the other
States.
The Governor calls attention to the
rapidity with which the number of
criminal assaults has grown in the
southern States, and says this should
stimulate the Legislatures of the States
to take most vigorous steps to stamp
out the horrible crime. In his judg-
ment "the way to arrest the tendency
to this crime is for the law to follow
swiftly, like Nemesis. in the wake OF
every perpetrator, and mete out to him
the retrbutive justice of hanging by
the neck until dead. Take away from
iuries all discretion, fix one penalty,
and let that penalty be death; remove
the opportunity of any juror to shlrk
the duty be owes to his State. to socie'
ty and to woman, and require him
only to say guilty in his verdict, when
under his oath, after giving the ac-
cused the benefit of every reasonable
doubt, he believes him guilty, aud let
the court, uuder the law, do the rest,
and do it quickly" He recommends
an appropriations, with proper safe
guards, for the benefit OF the Negro
Rsformatory Association" he be, e.
lieves it will be an expenditure 10 aia