Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-18

( Hampton, formerly known as the Little
! England estate.
To bridge Herberts creek In the coun-
ty Of Elizabeth City.
To provide a roster of all the ex-Con-
federate soldiers living in the State OF
| Virginia.
To incorporate the South Boston To-
bacco Association.
To authorize the Board of Supervisors
| Of Culpeper county TO provide certain
machinery. tools, implements, and teams
to be used in working the public roads
| of the said county, and TO authorize them
to make requisition for penitentiary con-
victs 70 be employed in the operation
| thereof, and TO regulate the use of the
! same.
To provide for the opening and work
ing OF roads and keeping the same I'm
] repair. and to provide for erecting and
maintaining bridges in the county of Gull
| pepper.
To amend and re-enact section 1i9 Of
| the Code of Virginia in reference to pay
Of judges and clerks of elections. so far
as relates to the county Of Fauquier
NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION COM
PANY.
Mr.. owen introduced a bill TO incOrpo-
rate the National Construction Company
! The corporators are Joseph T. Lawless,
| Charles V. Darlington. W. w. Baker,
James f. Bradley, and James Gwatkin
| The capital stock is TO be not less than
| 5000 and not more than $250,0O0, to be
! divided into shares of 500 each. The
| company is empowered 10 construct rail-
| roads, boats, wharves, piers, canals,
| ship-yards. docks. elevators, transfers
| lighters, warehouses, water-works, and
other structures, which may be found 20
be necessary for the conduct Of it's busi-
| ness. 1t is also empowered to carry on
( the business of mining.
TRADING STAMP DISCUSSION.
When the bill to prohibit the use Of
trading stamps, which has attracted so
much interest, came up with the recon-
mendation of the committee, that it do
not pass" Mr.. jennings of Washington,
moved to dismiss the measure. Mr.. Muir
ply. the patron Of the bill, took the
floor and asked that the body refuse to
take such action. Nearly all of the bust
ness-men of the State. he said were ask
ing the passage Of the bill.
Mr. Jennings, in this connection, stated
that the committee had first reported
the bill favorably. upon Mr.. Murphy's as
sertion that there was no opposition 10
the measure. Considerable opposition
was manifested, however, and the bill
was recommitted
Mr.. Murphy denied making the state
ment credited to him. Some few words
passed between the two gentlemen at this
point relative to this question. and the
Chair had to call attention to the fact
that the proceedings OF the committee
could not be divulged before the House. |
1t was then stated by Mr.. willard that |
there was a substitute to the bill, the |
former having been prepared by the COM
mittee and he asked that the two mea- !
sures be considered together. Mr.. Jen- |
nings therefore, withdrew his motion TO /
dismiss the Murphy BILL and the substi- |
tute, which has been published in the |
Dispatch. was read. Mr.. Murphy imme-
diately declared that IT was unconstitu-
tional. "Whoever heard he said, "of |
a person being compelled by law TO sell |
his goods 10 everybody"
Mr.. Jennings, Of Lynchburg. asked the
patron of the original bill if the latter
measure was not unconstitutional. The
reply was that ii was not. The trading
stamp people were making contracts that
were not legal. he said, and didn't dare
TO enforce them.
Mr.. Mann of Nottoway, asked if it was
desired to enact a law to prevent them
from doing that which he (MurphO adj
mitted was already illegal. For few
minutes Mr.. Murphy was piled with ques-
tons along this line from several quar-
ters
BREAK UP THE BUSINESS.
Mr.. Anderson moved TO pass by both
bills for the present. The measure he
said. affected interests all over the State.
and he wished some time to be devoted
TO the drafting of bill which would meet
the case Those affected could be divided
into four classes, he said-hrst. the pub
4 he Oh, fafas rIa
do not use them; third, the merchants
who do use them; fourth. the people who
sell trading stamps. After some discus
sion i'm opposition to the tradlng-stamp
system. Mr. Anderson moved that both
the original bill and substitute be referred
TO the Committee on Courts OF Justice.
with instructions that the latter prepare
a bin to enectually break up the trading
stamp business Mr.. Mann, OF Nottoway,
asked IL ii was desired to instruct the
committee to draft such a bill whether
the body was I'm favor Of breaking up the
or not. Mr.. Anderson replied
that he did, and that the House could de-
eide what action 10 take upon the mea-
sure when It came before them.
Mr.. Minter. of the committee from
which the bill and substitute were re-
ported spoke for the minority of that
body. and favored the original measure.
The scheme should be broken up. he
thought. 1t simply allowed a middle man
10 step I'm and live at the expense OF
either the merchant or the consuming
public or both.
FAVORED THE SUBSTITUTE.
Colonel Barley thought that the SUBJ
stitute was a solution TO the problem.
This was the only measure he had ever
seen introduced which gave the poor man
and the labOring man the benefit by
giving him something for nothing.
1t stimulated trade and increased COM
petition, which was most desirable. In
Alexandria the opponents Of the trading
stamp people had only gotten about forty
signatures when there were 400 mer-
chants in that town. This bill was adj
vocated by a class OF merchants who
didn't want to give the public the benefit
OF any discount. but wished 10 hold the
prices up and form monopoly. II they
wanted to meet the competition. why
didn't they make reduction OF > per
cent I'm their prices. he asked Then they
would be on the same footing with those
who used trading stamps.
Colonel Barley read from an Associated
press report OF the 18th instant, in which
II was stated that the Supreme Court OF
California had decided In favor OF the
trading stamp companies, holding that TO
prohibit their business was restricting
personal liberties. He also read from a
decision OF the State Court OF Appeals OF
~, Xorl IN which similar casa