The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-03

.LEAIYEP owe
he LEGIS'LAIU.R| RE:
May Still Enact Local Road
BROWN AMEN 0 MENT ADOPTED %.
Committee OF the Whole Practically Disposes
ii Legislative observation-disclosures
Case to Come W Toby.
Yesterdays Session.
BROWN AMEN MENT ADOPTED.
The Constitutional Conve1

SESSION d Two iAohA
day, and it practically completed Inc
consideration OF the report Of the Com
mittee on the LIE gislative Departillen..
Several sections We're passed ny uiieii
Monday, III order to allow absent iLe es
bers a chance to speak upon eile ii:
One relates to the incorporation Oh
church property, another to the taA'.ls
or damaging of private properly hoi
public use. and there are one Or Two
others upon which no action has 6een
taken. but they are not of sweeping m
oortance.
Seve.lty-two members were in Their
seats when President Goode called to
order and Secretary Button, VINO was
i'll on Tuesday, was at ms deSh.
a number of memorials were present
ed but there We're no resolutions.
There was a great fight when the re-
port of the Committee on the Legislative
Department came up for consideration
in Committee of the Whole.
Mr.. Brown, of Bedford; got recon
sideration of his amendment to sub-sec-
ton 16 of article q, leaving the Leg
isature free to enact local ioao laws
for the various counties of the State
and the debate upon it was long drawn
out Chairmen Moore resisted the amend.
ment in a strong speech as did also Mir
Tlrrrbli, of the committee. Several
others members spoke against it. and
it was defended by Messrs Brown
Portlocll, O'Flaherty- and others.
The amendment was finally adopted
and the whole section stricken out and
then other sections were taken up and
passed with little or no debate.
The Treat Gregory contested election
case will come up for consideration by
the convention to-day.
THE DAY in DETAIL.
President Goode called the convention
to order at 1880 O'Clock and prayer was
offered by DR. W. e. Dunaway, the mem
Der from Lancaster county. The rolf
call developed the presence of seventy
two members and the journel of Tues
days proceedings was read and approx
cd
There were a number of memorials and
petitions presented by various members,
most of them relating to the Barbour
Quares liquor resolution,
on motion of Mr.. Moore, of Fairfax.
the convention went into Committee Of
the Whole CAIr. Boaz in the chair for the
further. consideration of the report OF
the Committee on the Legislative De-
uartnlent.
On motion of Mr.. Brown, the vote by
which his amendment to subsection l6
of Article 81 was rejected on Tuesday,
was reconsidered and the member from
Bedford took the floor to speak for his
amendment the effect of which is to
leave to the Legislature the power OF
making special road laws for the various
counties.
He spoke briefly but ably for his amend
ment and was followed by Mr.. Stuart.
| Mr.. Stuart said he fully appreciated
| the conscientious efforts of the commit
| tee. but in this matter he thought they
| had gone to an extreme When they
! took power away from the Legislature
| it necessaril; had to confer it some
! where else In the comforting leSisla-
| tive power III regard to many local meas
| ures, among which We're roads, upon
| supervisors and making one hundred dit
| ferent legislative boG!es in as many coun-
! ties. he thought it was a very dangerous
! experiment 1t was impracticable for
| the LEGISLATURE to bring within the COM
! pass OF q general law the vafious and
| conflicting necessities of a, hundred differ
| ent communities. He strongly favored
| Mr.. Browns amendment.
| MR.. PORTLOCKs SPEAKS.
! Mr.. PortIock supported the amendment,
| urging that no question was more import
/! ant than that Of good roads. He SAL.
! the saving in the United States of the
| difference between 8 cents and % cents
in the expense of hauling over good
| roads and bad roads amounted to over
| one billion dollars each year.
He thought the Legislature much bet
to a county than a local board of super
! visors; that but few counties We're homo
genous Each member of board>of SUI
| pervisors was looking out for his imme-
date neghborhood and it was next 70
| impossible to get them to agree on any
| question that was urgently demanded
by one section and as bitterly opposed
by another portion of county. mem
her OF the Legislature could look after
the interests of the whole county and
was not subject to such conflicting neigh
| horhood influence except as it related tc
the benefit of the good of the general pub
lie.
He considered a matter so seriously af-
fecting the vital interests OF the state
Of too great Importance to be experiment.
! ing with He said the matter Of expense
being the only question the committee
had failed to show that the passage by
the LEGISLATURE of special road laws was
attended By any serious loss of time
OF expense whatever.
TRUST COUNTY BOARDS.
Mr. McIlwaine said the whole issue wa:
eminent. The contention of the mover:
! of the amendment seemed 10 be that one
| member of the legislature WIS better
qualified to represent the county than five
men who went in and out among the
people and were directly responsible c
:, them Tor their Of1lclal ACTS. re WlslIS'
i it distinctly understood that he did moi
subscribe to that doctrine. lie was will
| ing to trust the county boards Why wa:
not board OF Supervisors of a county
| as safe to trust country roads to, as mlcf
/ so as a Committee on Streets in the large
towns and cities?'' he concluded.
/ Mr.. rurnbull for the committee SAID
the State already had a general road law
and the statute books we're ensun1heret
/ with innumcrable special roads laws
The report of the committee authorize:
the legislature to delegate authority Z
! local boards to provide laws suited 10 th'
4 needs of each county. That power die
not now exist in the constitution ant
counties were compelled to come to the
legislature for relief
/ He. again gave his experience as q mem
/ Der OF the Legislature in raising {; how
/ about q road law, and said it was
1 serious matter to sacrifice a valuable
member Of the Legislature for nassinS s
road law that suited everybody when i
1 passed and nobody when his re-electior
came around I.aushter)
1 ADEQUATE. LOCAL REMEDY.
Mr.. Brown said the advocates of his
i amendment were not afraid ofsthe BoarG