The Washington times., 1901-10-25
ELECTION OR APPOINTMENT.
The Choosing of Revenue Com'o.- .-'
sioners Discussed in RichT'nns

RICHMOND. Va. Oct. 24.-The ,'t
but one OF the convention befor'
cess had an increased attendance r- -1 u
bers over any day for more thai. .-eeiS-
Sixty nine delegates answered to their
names President Goode presided, prayer
being offered by Delegate Richard Nc
Ilwaine.
Mr. Braxton, of Staunton, arising to a
question of privilege. said that he was
not present yesterday when the gentleman
from Danville (AIr. Withers) gave notice
of his intention to ask the dtscharge OF
the Committee on Corporations after a
reasonable time after reassembing unless
a report were made on the ordinances
providing for corporation commission
and for Incorporating the employers s la
bility act in the fundamental law of the
State. He assured the convention that
the committee had given the matter
careful attention and was still working
on the two measures named. There would
be no unnecessary delay in making the
report on the propositions before it. lie
called attention to the fact that a ma
jority of the committees of the conVen-
ton had not yet reported.
The convention went into Committee OF
the Whole and resumed consideration of
ton and Government of Counties. the
pending question being the clause relating
to the method of choosing commissioners
of the revenue. The amendment offered
by Mr. Stebbins, of Halifax, was taken
up and the substitute offered by Mr.. Egg
gleston, of Charlotte was first considered.
MIR. Stebbins proposition was to have the
commissioners named by the judges Of
ha 10 fr COLE q
substitute favored leaving the question
to the Legislature. The report of the
committee recommended that the commits
sioners be elected by the people. making
them Ineligible to succeed themselves.
Mr. Hancock, of Chesterfield, opposed
both the amendment and the substitute
He could not understand why IL was pro-
posed to divest the people of the right
to name their officers. 1t would give the
judges too much power and political IN
fiuence. The present system was salts
factory to the people, and he saw no
reason why there should be departure
from time-honored and popular institu-
ton, and with whicn the people had no
fault to find.
Mr.. Withers, replying to the speech
of Mr.. Hancock, repudiated the suggestion
that any fight was being made on the
commissioners of the revenue individually
or collectively. The same argument had
been advanced in the convention and the
committees whenever a proposition was
brought to reduce the number of officers
or to reduce the expenses of government.
When the opposition could not defend the
present costly and cumbersome system.
there was a mad rush of the friends of
the officeholders to the defence when no
attack had been made.
He was attacking a system. He was
opposed to having the commissioners of
revenue elected by the people for the rea-
son that it makes the officer dependent
upon the people by whom he was elected
for continuation of his office
Mr.. Withers was accorded careful at
tention by the members, his array of
figures contrasting the cost of the pres
ent system with that which obtains in
the State of North Carolina, impressing
the members with the great excess paid
in Virginia for the same work.
Without reaching a vote on either of
the propositions before the committee, at
1920 o'clock the committee arose, report
Il