The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-05
WHAT THE ARM0R
PLATE BILL MEANS
To Establish Factory in Connection
With the Ship Yard.
A GUN FACTORY MAY COME TOO.
Several Candidates for Common
wealth's Attorney The Police
Justice Has q Wholesale Vac
cination in Fills Court.
A GUN FACTORY MAY COME TOO.

NEWPORT MEMS. v a., Jan. 4.-SPe-
ciaI.-The announcement that the State
Senate yesterday passed under suspen-
sion of rules the bill. authorizing the New
port News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company to issue preferred as well as
common stock. and to establish an arr
ulor-plate factory. comes to the oeople
here fraugh. with peculiar interest and
Significance. 1t Is believed to mean the
actual beginning of that much-talked-of
plan to establish an armor-pate concern
here, and all Indications go to CONFIRM
this belief.
THIRD MORE POPULATION.
Inquiry at the yard to-day elected tho
information that the bill was passed sim
ply to put the company in q position to
establish such d factory should 1t see MT
to do so: but the inference Is perfectly
reasonable that there Is much more TO lt
than this. The fact that the matter has
been under consideration for several years.
the various incidents of the arror-piats
manufacturing business, the recent vislc
OF distinguished congressman ana OF Cor
ueI.us Vanderbilt. the present visit OF Mr-
Huntington himself. owner OF the yard.
and many other things point to the con-
Summation OF this enterprise. which Will
mean SO much to Newport News. which
l.
to its population. the expenditure OF mil
lions of money here. and the inauguration
OF q new era in Shipbuildng. giving to this
country for the first time a plant capable
of building and armorinS a ship without
having to 90 outside for anything. Should
the gun plant be established here. as has
been talked of also, the plant could turn
out a ship complete and ready for COM
mission Negotiations have been In pro-
sress some time in connection with this
proposed gun plant. but what the status
OF the situation is, no one on the
outside knows.
THREE CANDIDATES.
The. January term of the CORPORATION
Court begins next Monday 1t is believed
that before that date Judge T. J. Barham
will appoint 4 commemorative attorney
TO take the place made vacant by the
death of the lamented j. n. NJ. Newton.
So far four candidates have been men-
toned for the office. all OF them exceo-
tionaliy good men and popular. They are
Colonel j. C. Baker. c. G. Mitchell, C.
AyIett Ashby and C. w. Robinson
Colonel Baker came here some time ago
from woodstock. where he held the office
OF Commemorative attorney. lie was
colonel of the Second Regiment. virginia
Volunteers during the recent war. and Is
one OF the brightest and best-known men
in the State.
MIR. Mitchell Is one OF ltle loTeHostsoL
the. young lawyers OF the city. having
won a solid reputation in the time ha
has been here. Before taking. the law
course at Washington and Lee. he was
newspaper man, having driven the quill
successfully in Ohio as we'll as In the Old
Dominion He has received the endorse
ment OF the City Democratic Executives
Committee.
Mr. Ashby IS also young man-every-
body in Newport News is youns-and one
OF the ablest members OF the bar here
He is q brilliant speaker, witty and I'M
nensely popular.
Mr. Robinson is. another OF Old Kan
boys having graduated several years
ago at Washington and Lee. HE has been
prominent atSthe bar and in politics ever
since the city was Incorporated. and has
| hosts of friends He is best known IN
; Tfdewater Virginia through the fight he
made against Hon. D. Gardiner Tyler fos
the nomination to the State Senate.
/ Ills Honor has not yet announced or
intimated his choice.
HINT, TO JUSTICE JOHN.
His Honor. Poice-Justice Brown. sur.
prised the aggregation that filed the
j courtroom this morning. When the
crowd was ali in he stationed an officer
at each door of the room, called on two
ri1ysicians and had the whole business
. yaccfuated He proposes {" do this every
| morning and il is probable that thers
will be a falling-of aud a. thinning out of
rho haryers-ou hereafter.