The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-25
| THEY LIEF THEIR
FOOT PRINTS
Great Expense Of the
Underwood Convention
MADE THE COIN FLY.
Mr.. Brenaman Makes interesting
Comparisons.
| PREPAREDAl LINDSAY'S REQUEST
Political News aud Gossip Majer Anderson
Returus from the Southwest Highly
Encouraged n.eeting
To-Nish.-The Social
lists Hold
Rally.
PREPAREDAl LINDSAY'S REQUEST

Below will be found some interesting
statistics and comparisons in regard to
| Constitutional Conyenrtons in Virginia.
prepared by Mr.. j. N. Brennman, on,
| of the convention clerSs, at the request
of Delegate ]. II. Lindsay, editor of the
charlottesville Progress, in whose paper
they will appear this afternoon.
| The facts and figures complied as to
| the Underwood Convention are especially
| interesting at this time in the light of
J the criticisms that have been passed in
certain quarters upon the present con
| vention. Below will be found Mr.. Brena-
! mans communication in part:
In compliance with your request. I beg
to submit herewith q statement of sal
aries paid and other expenses incurred
ny the. Underwood Constitutional Con-
vention OF 1S67-6S. The convention met on
the od day of December 1867, and adj
journed on the 18th day of April 1868
but its work was not submitted to the
people for ratification until July g. 1859
! The Underwood Convention was in se;s-
| sion 15I days. Assuming that the pres
ent convention will adjourn next Satur-
day, October 26th, which now t7eems
probable, it will have been III session loT
days.
SO you will observe that compart-
( son of the costs OF the two conventions
! for t . same number of days Will be
eminently fair to both. No account need
be taken of the adjournments and re-
/ cesses in either convention, for they viii
about balance each other
! PAY OF MEMBERS.
| The Underwood Convention paid its
members and secretary S. per day; ser
|. .geant-at-ar1ns, Sc per day; assistant sec
retaries, committee clerks, and doorkeep-
ers, 50 per day; pages and jdnitors, s.
| per day, and a chaplain $50 per week
There We're ten committee clerks.
+! The present convention pays it's men,
/ bers, the assistant secretaries, sergeant
| alarms. doorlleepers, and committee
clerks. 81 per Gay; the secretary, So per
Gay; the pages and janitors, g per day
| but 1t Goes not employ paid chaplain:
| neither did the conventions of 1885, so ana
! 1S50-'51 pay the chaplain. There are only
! six committee clerks.
When the convention found itself in
! financial trouble, it discharged the steno-
! grapher and nearly all the committee
! clerks, but later re-employed the steno-
| grapher and a number of the committee
| clerks. increasing per diem of the latter,
as it had already done in case of the as
| Sistant secretaries.
The entire cost of the Constitutional
| Convention now sitting for the 137 days
! above mentioned will not exceed $4,000.
1t is impossible to give the exact cost OF
/ the Underwood Convention. One hundred
! thousand dollars had been set aside for
| its use, but on March ?. 1868. the Commit
tee on Finance and Contingent Expenses
| made the following statement:
| Amount appropriated. 800, 900 90
| Amount expended. 93, ,t05 43
| Amount unexpended.. d..............s 6,596 ~ ~
| This comes down to the morning Of
the 10Th of February. 1868.
c. Y. THOMAS.
| The above statement was made after
| the convention had been in session only
IS days The convention then resolved to
divide the S6596.57 between the members
of the convention the printer and the of
ticers of the convention, giving to each
| member s52, and dividing the balance
equally between the printer and the Of
ficers.
AS TO EXPENSES.
On March is, 1868, Mr.. Thomas, chair
man Of the Committee on Finance and
Contingent Expenses, by general consent,
called up the ordinance providing for the
expenses of the convention.
Mr.. Williams offered the following sub
stitl,te which was lost: "Resoived, That
a committee be appointed to memorialize
=
thousand dollars. or such sum as Snail
be found necessary, to pay the expenses
Of this convention, and such other obti-
, cations as it may be necessary to incur
! for reregistration and taking the vote on
the Constitution
On March 49, 1865, Mr.. Clements proposed
the following resolution: Resolved, That
- be appointed, in conjunction WITH
the Auditor of the State, to ascertain and
report upon what terms a loan of $4,000
can be negotiated for the use of this con-
vention the tax levied in the ordinance
passed March is, 1867, being pledged for
the same
On March 10Th the proceedings were
suddenly interrupted by the following
preamble and resolution: Where as. on
the Cd day of March. 1868. the Constitl-
tionaI Convention for the State of Eir-
ginia did pass an ordinance apporticning
to each Of its members the amount of SJ2
it being the residue of the one hundred
thousand dollars set apart to defray the
contingent expenses OF said Constitutional
Convention; and. whereas. when certain
members called to get their certificate for
the purpose of drawing the amount sp-
portioned to them according to its prGvis-5
ion, they were told that there was no
money IN the treasury: theraf"- 10 -
"Resolved That a special committee OF
five be appointed by the chair to inquire
into the cause of this defalcation. and
ascertain if by any collusfon or malfeas-5
ance, these certain members have been
choused out of that which has been justly
appropriated to them by a special act OF
this convention, and report thereon at
as earlya day as practica bic.
On March 20..1S6S- Mr.. Maddox proposed
the following amendment to Mr.. Glenn
ent's resolution. offered the day before:
resolved, That the committee be first
instructed to solicit General J. NJ. Scho-
Z field to order the payment of the ex-
penses of this convention out of any
money now in the State Treasury: should
the general commanding decline it shall
then be the duty of the committee Il. APP
s ply to General Grant for relief. and only
as dernier resort to seek a loan to meet