Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-03-10
The Legislature.


1t to stop, and it stopped. 1t was one
OF the most remarkable bodice which
has assembled in this State since
Columbus set foot on American soil.
Nobody sought the legislative job very
strongly last year and thus the State
found herself in the hands Of the most
peculiar aggregation that ever
assembled in her legislative halls since
the days Of Underwood, when Lewis
Mckenzie or some of the other "cullud
| gennlmen" saw "a Lobster on de
TO-"
There were men Of all sizes and con-
ditions in the late body. Some old
men and some young, but the boys as
is usual knew far more than the older
people, and neither knew any more
than would have filled an ordinary
volume. The rallying cry.was retrench-
ment and reform. This was the excuse
for every populistic utterance and
measure. The State has been in tor
ment ever since the first two weeks of
the session ended. Business interests
have stagnated, and people have stood
still unable to tell which way to turn,
because they did not know what
would happen next. The Com
monwealth was published as bank
rupt. increased taxation was threaten
ed, capital was frightened away. and
most everything done which would
intimidate an investor, or turn set
tier from our borders. After all this
fuss and fury what results have fol-
lowedi Do we not. if anything, find
ourselves IN worse condition than
tbe'or.i In fact we believe our
Boo LII printed viii show nv a.
which might not have well been
| omitted, save those which must have
been enacted that the machinery Of
the State might move.
The Wharton bill aimed at insurance
companies, will reduce our revenues
from tia to sac, 900, and In no sencs
beneflt our people.
The Parks bill, which aims to collect
taxes on property which now escapes
will become dead letter In few
years.
The bill requiring vestibules on
street cars in certain months is pater-
nal and ridiculous. 1t ought to have
carried with it hot coffee and wooden
mits.
| Chairs for girl clerks, is another law
In keeping with the vestibule bill, and
the ant1-firting bill the sheerest dem
agogusy.
The pension bill is of very doubtful
import. but when we come to the
Labor Bureau we pause and contem-
plate with wonder the beautiful piece
of furniture which has been so sudden
ly brought into our household. OF all
the curiosities which our State muse
I'm now holds added by the gentlemen
who have just sent us the curio, this
Bureau is positively the most inter
estingly absurd and the most prepon-
d eratingly puerile and ridiculous. A
Bureau, A Labor Bureau, with draw
ers in 1t OF course, and large French
plate mirror on top, and shiny handles
and -olers. This is no Freedmans
Bureau, suoh az we had just after the
war, this is the bureau OF slaves the
bureau of people who have sold their
birthright for some postage. A glori
GUS boon this bureau, and we hope
each member has brought back to
show his constituer Is and his children
a sample or fac sin < 80 so that they
may not forget th> their
preventative In
this bnre-s4o neIr parent can put away
] the clothes he wore when he worked
for the State and there they can stay,
for the ancestor will not need them
again, his work is ended.
But to return to the subject in seri
BUSINESS, we do know that the Malone
Legislature did not create any greater
apprehension than the one just ended.
In no company was there a time when
its action or expected action was not
the topic Of conversation, and anxious
enquiry, and time will class this one
| with the populistie body which recent
| iy rent North Carolina from center to
circumference. But heaven be praised
Its work is ended, it can add nothing
TO the havoc it has made, and We can
console ourselves with the knowledge
that 1t might have been worse, though
we hardly see how. One measure that
might have been passed had not the
several bodies been too weak kneed to
| do SO, was that measure which reQuir.
ed the payment Of capitation tax as
prerequisite for voting. This was not
done out of pure cowardice, for every
thing in honesty and fairness dictated
| 1t. and 1t would have put into the
treasury many Thousands of dollars
which under existing circumstances
the treasury never sees. But with
legislature made up Of chronic Office
seekers, men looking for higher places
and trucking for votes, what else
could be expected. They must not
therefore feel badly when their con-
stituents call them to account for
their failure to perform plain duty
We omitted criticism OF the body
| generally during the session in the
hope. that at last it would come to its
senses, and accomplish few things
calculated to benefit the State and do
the body itself credit. But it failed
signally and utterly. 1t failed because
there were too many statesmen in the
body. All knew exactly how and
what to do and each had his different,
distinct and individual way to do
everything, and always pulled In oppo-
site directions to everybody else, and
at cross purposes Grant spoke vol