The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-09
not P0P !
WITH sElNllI
Hold Overs May lose n 81 1hsif::
Terms.
LONG DEBATE ANTICIPATED 4 TED
Convention May Yet Be in sessiss
Many Weeks---knott1 Problems
May Arise Over Various and
sundry Matters.

Tho work OF the Convention Committee
on Final Revision and Adjustment IS hAe-T
" to prove moro Troublesome than ~
at first anticipated.
The task OF adjustment and rccoSc.ilE1
the various articles. sections. and Clauses
of the instrument so that It will FORM
one harmonious whole. while requiring
Tho most assidious and painstaking work.
can be performed without serious u;s
agreement or factious contention. ms T
part Of the work is chromosomes Wl ~.
well-defined limits. The substance mas
already been fought out and Determines
,1pon. and it only remains for the com
rnittee to change the phraseolosy wneES
necessary to make the mea ninE unanl-a
biguous or to rearranss sections H. ia
proper sequence.
The trouble will como over fixing tno
schedule by which the Constitution VIII
be put In operation, the time Its Prov
sions as to new officers will SO into ea.s
feet. and the appointment OF the I.ooS
registrars provided for IN the suIsfaSes
PLAN AGREED UPON.
It has seen tentatively agreed by the
committee that all officers, such as coun-8
| ty Judges, clerks, &C.. will be allowed 70
hold over until January ], 1904. and those
officers, such as sheriffs. treasurers. &c.
whose terms would otherwise expire IN
F. July. 1909 will be extended until Janu-S
| ary i. 1901. upon new bonds being given.
| 1t had been mooted for several days pc
fore the convention adjourned that TINS
tacit understanding among certain mem
| bers of the committee was not SatSfac-!
tory to considerable majority VINO
were not willing to wait until 1904 before
beginning to feel the beneficial effects
/ Of the new Constitution, after 1t was
/ adopted
/ Since that understanding. too the con-.
! vention has adopted two measures that
! will materially complicate tho situations,
! not only as regards the conclusion OF
/ the Revision Committee, but as to the
acceptance by the convention of the re-
| port Of the committees. should only
| ma joritv report be submitted.
INTERESTING TO SENATORS.
I The last acc of the convention requires
the election of all State Senator'S once In
! four years.
That means literally the adjustment OF
/ such Of the State Sena tors as were elect
ed in 1901 for a term of four years.
/ Should the Revision Committee recom-
4 mend the retention of these Senator's I'M
4 til 1908 it would also have to recommend
that the Senators elected IN 1903 from the
| alternate districts should be elected for
4 only two years, SO that the holdover Sem
ate would not really be abolished until
the session of 1906.
1 Either this course will have to be pur-
! sued. it would seem, or the heads Of the
Senators above named will fall in the
Constitutional basket. for the language OF
the provision adopted admits Of no other
construction.
1t can be said in favor OF the PROPOSE
ton that Senator's who are elected in
1908 be given only a two-years' term, in
order to carry out the intention OF the
convention in abolishfng the holdover
Senate as soon as practicable. that it
& VIII not be as unfair to them. who ran
A with that knowledge, as to cut Off In the
Il middle OF their terms those Senators wira
last year were elected for four years by
: their constituents, without an idea of hav.
ing their official heads cut off before the
, ,xniration of their term.
: Fhsa comes the personnel of the regis
) tFehs 20 be appointed. There may or may
. There is no question but tAsk deDatos
Glass contemplated the naming OF these
registrars by each delegate for The terri
tory he represented. Some Of these dele
gates stated before they left that they
should submit a list to the Democratic
Executive of the counties or cities repre-
scented by them. and would abide by ths
decision OF that committee as to tbs
names agreed upon by them
Other delegates declared they would dc
: no such thing. because the Democratic
I COMMITTEES OF their county represented an
1 element that they did not train with and
could not be influenced by.