The Washington times., 1901-09-05
A SUFFRAGE REPORT SOON.
Richmond Convention Likely 10
Have Plan Monday.
Resolutions to Restrict the Contin-
gent Fund Subhiftted-The Subject
of Uniform Text Books Up BE-
fore the Educational Committee.

| of Uniform Text Books I'm he
fore the Educational COMMITTEES.
| RICHMOND. Va, Sept. i.-The climax
| of the suffrage question will be reached
| on Saturday morning and the Constitu-
| tonal Convention will get report on
| next Monday or Tuesday.
| 1t was agreed this morning that on Sat-
urday next each member of the COM
mittee desiring to do so should submit
| any plan OF amendment he might have in
| writing and that votes would be taken
upon them until something was adopted
and agreed upon for the report.
| 1t is practically certain that the plan
which will be finally adopted will be as
| follows:
| First-A poll tax of s1.50 to be paid by
| every voter before he can vote.
| Second-Boards will be provided for in
| every city and county who shall register
| all voters who can understand clause in
| the constitution. This is supposed to pro-
vide for the registration of every whlte
man in the State. Soldiers of the United
| States and the Confederate States ana
| their descendants are exempted from the
understanding clause and will be regis
! tered anyway This Is to last about one
year. when the permanent clause will take
| effect.
After the first registration all voters
will have to make an application in writ
ing to be registered, and must be able TO
prepare their own ballots. Any person,
however. who owns S150 worth of prop
| erty can be registered without the written
| ap1,,ication. Soldiers and their descend
| ants will be exempted, as in the tenn
poriry plan.
| The Constitutional Convention was
| called to order at noon today by Presideht
| Goode. The crowd in attendance was re-
| rnarkably large the fact that the DEBATE
| on the preamble and Bill of Rights would
| be continued being the attraction IL
| there is anything of which the people OF
| Virginia are fond it Is oratory. Even the
| negroes are imbibing the same love, ana
| they were present in large numbers to-day
Seventy-three members were present at
| roll call. The Rev. C. 2. Scott, of Barton
| Heights, offered prayer
| A deluge of memorials protested against
sectarian appropriations and asked for
| the regulation of the liquor traffic, ana
| fixing the homestead at 1000.
| Mr. Moore. of Fairfax, offered resolu-
ton repeating the section of rule
| which provided for referring reports of
commit es to the Committee of the
Whole, thereby making the convention
the scene of debate instead of the COM
mittee. The resolution was tabled under
the rules.
Mr.. oFlaherty, of Warren, offered the
following:
Resolved, first, That it is the sense of
the convention that the amount which
the Legislature may appropriate as a
contingent fund shall not exceed 5000
year. and that provision be inserted in
the constitution fixing that sum as the
maximum.
"Second-That no payment shall be
made out of the said contingent fund ex-
cept upon the written order of the Gov
ernor, directed to the Auditor of Public
Accounts and approved by the Board Of
Public Works.
The Educational Committee, at its meet
ing this morning gave its entire time to
addresses by ]. p Thomas, principal of
Richmond High School; ]. A. McGilvray.
clerk of the State Board of Education.
and s. II. Pulliam. superintendent of the
Manchester schools. upon several features
of the public school system.
The two principal subjects discussed
were the manner of selecting text books
and the composition of the State Board
of Public instruction. All of the speak
ers advocated leaving to the several coun-
ty and city school boards the selection
of such textbooks as they may respec-
lively prefer. This, they maintained, was
preferable to a system of uniform text
books for the entire State. The commit
tee seem to be unanimously in accord
with this view. These gentlemen also
advocated placing a few of the more /
prominent county and city superinten-
dents upon the State board. so that the |
said board shall consist of the present |
members-Superintend of Public In !
struction. Governor, Attorney General. !
representatives of the faculties of the |
leading educational institutions and Sc |
lect number OF county and city Superin-
tendents.
Mr.. McGilvray and Mr.. Pulliam elabo- |
rately presented their views on the sub |
ject.
Although the committee had already dis |
posed of the subject of the composition of |
the State board a desire to hear these |
gentlemen that point was expressed, |
and they were invited to give their views. |
The modification suggested by them of |
the composition of the State board as |
heretofore agreed upon, by adding a stat |
ed number of county and city superin- |
tendents, is a very important one.
The committee will resume the consider
alton of the subject at the next meeting
on Friday morning at $50 o'clock
The judiciary Committee held meet |
ing today and spent an hour in an inef-
fectuai attempt to get together and to
ization of the judiciary system of the
State. The time was consumed In an ef-
fort to arrive at a conclusion relative to
the number of court terms and it was ten
tatively agreed that county should have
as many terms of court 1t desired. the |
conditions being that counties should de-
fray the expenses incident to such terms.
The committee decided to request to be
allowed to sit during the sessions of the |
convention. and on Friday next it Is pro-
posed to remain in session until report |
Of some sort is agreed upon.