The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-07-27
CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION.
Doings Of and Sayings in and About the
Great Virginia Body

The Secretary Ot The commonwealth rs
made keeper of the rolls duties now per
formed by the clerk OF the House of Dele
gates. The committee recommends that
Il the General Assembly be prohibited
from making any Of the clerks Of the
House or Of the Senate annual officers
Former member of the Louisiana
Court OF Appeals Moucure was in the
and introduced TO "a large
number of the delegates. Judge Moucure
il son of the late member of the y ir
ginia Supreme Court K &. l.. Moncurc.
The visitor said that in his state the
new Election law worked admirably.
The negroes made no attempt To vote
and attended to their business aialrs
and seemed contentcd and happy
Mr.. Watson presented his franchise
plan. IL requires the ownership OF $500
of real estate or $500 in personal prop
erty and excmpts i;om either that re-
qurcment or the further one OF the pre-
payment of 81 poll tax all those who
have served the State n time of war or
the grandsons OF such persons All per
SONS over go years of age Ia be relieved
of either of the conditions named. This
section is put in to allow all OF the old
darkies To vote and exclude the young
negro.
The Committee ON Education and
Public instruction has practically agreed
to recommend that the State Board oi
Education be- composed of the Governor.
Attorney General and the heads OF the
various institutions receiving aid from
the state government The board VIII
elect the Superintendent OF Public In
struction and after he shall have been
chosen he will become an eN-oilico mem
Der of the body The board as finally
will select the county and
city supcrintcndcnts OF schools
The Committee ON Expenditures sub
mitted its report ON the legislative de
partmcnt. The report recommends that
the sessions Of the General Assembly be
limited 10 so instead Of 90 days "a at
present. sessions 10 be- extended when
necessary by concurrent vote OF three
Gfths Of the members oi the two houses.
Members are To be allowed pay only for
60 days ut n regular and for 30 days at n
special session This amendment. how
ever. il not to apply To the first session oi
the Assembly held under the new Oonstl-
tuition.
Suffrage may be- limited. but not in
alarming proportions. The Constitution
may 90 back To the same sovereignty
that gave the convention birth. and
again il may 20 To sheol. and then fires
Of public Indignation may begin To burn.
and Virginia. having invested SGOOOOO
i'm smoke. NAV rest easier but her tenn
peraturc may be- n little abnormal and
excited. Every imaginable proposition
has been propounded to the convention
for solution. and still the supply seems
to exceed the demand Judging 10y the cx-
pressons Of certain chalrmcn.-Na~h.
Post.
one of the most picturesque speakers he
fore the Committee ON Education in OPP
position to dividing the school fund was
Giles b. Jackson colored attorney
and secretary of the Negro Business
League of Virginia. llc told a very hu-
mnrous story illustrative of the friend
ship OF the Southern white man Tor the
negro. Twenty years ago he wax Loaf
ing about the state capitol and asked
Mr.. h. Z. owen. now private secretar r.
TO Gov. Tyler. then "A newspaper writer,
for the loan Of a dollar Jackson told in
his inimitable dialect how Owen advised
him To study law He secured a j ensc
and is now at the top OF the profession
among his race. being worth many thous-
ands of dollars. Rev. u. II. Bouldin, OF
Norfolk. representing the Virginia Bap-
fist State convention, Rev. ". !. Ora
ham. also a Baptist: Rev. j. q. Howard.
of Petersburg: Prof VI. H. Moses. OF
stanton. Rev. John Smallwood, and
Rev. NJ. d. Middleton were likewise
among the speakers opposing said divi-
sion. No action was taken. The com
mittee il said to stand 10 to - against
dividing the school fund.
4 resolution to ascertain the manner
i'm which the Governors of the state have
spent their contingent funds during the
past 20 years was adopted. II also
asks what amounts the Legislatures
have appropriated during the TINE
named for refuInishing the Governor =
mansion. Its author insisted that the
people of the State are entitled 10 the IN
formation sought, for without this data
he did not consider that he could intell'-
gently vote on the proposition to cut
down the Governor contingent fund
from SiO.O0Oto $1,000, as recommended
by the Withers committee. While they
did not say so on the floor OF the cOnyen-
ton. prominent members did not hest
tate to declare that it was impOlitic to
insist upon this data. 1t might, they
said. be used against the Democratic
party in the coming gubernatorial con
yention. The resolution directs the Au-
ditor to furnish Information concerning
the Executive contingent funds az lar back
as 1881 This includes the administrations
of Governors Cameron, Mckinney, Fitz
Lee. O'Ferrall and Tyler. During that
period the fund has Pmounted To more
than 5000, 900.
MEAsurEs INTRODUCED.
Mfr. Parks presented a sui age clause
providing for n 81 poll tax nd that all
persons Offering to vote shall be able TO
read and write any section OF the con
stitutiOn of Virginia or pay tax on $500
of real or persona property. Veterans,
or those who have rendered military
services. and their sons a-e exempted Mr..
RobeI tson, presented a resolution pro
viding for Emitting the homestead eX-
emption to 81 900 instead OF $4,000.
Mr.. Earman submitted a resolution
making sweeping changes in the public
school system 1t provides for the cleo
ton of the State superintendent by pop
ular vote, n local superintendent for each
Senatorial district elected in the same
way. retention of all poll taxes by the
county or city in which they are collected,
and that the Legislature may enact n
compulsory educational system.