The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-08

circuit judges only meant a different
ruling in every circuit, and the delay
and expense of an appeal finally, by one
side or the other, to the Supreme Court:
He strongly dwelt upon the extent OF
delay and confusion which able lawyers
would be able to bring about in every
case. On the other hand, he cialmeu
that the majority report met the dlfh-
Guilty by giving the commission power
to hear and determine complaints With
out cost to the citizens. and upon due
notice to the railroad, with the right ii
either side to appeal to the supreme
Court.
HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE
Referring to the assertion that the pas
sage of the majority report would BRING
the railroads into politics. he asked when
had they not been in Virginia politics and
generally on top. He urged that the
adoption of the majority plan would take
them out of politics, for, knowing that
fair, Just and stable method OF regulating
their conduct was fixed In the Constftu-
ton, they would gladly cease to harass
and look after every Legislature that as.
sembed in Richmond to prevent the pas
sage of more drastic measure.
II it was to be battle between tne
rights OF the people on the one hand ana
alrogaI. demands CT railroads on the
other, he for one should not be driven
from his position by such threats, Tor
he thought it high time if such was the
case that these corporations snould De TO
minded that the meat on Which they nao
fed and grown so great was furnished by
the State and the great body OF the peo-
pie There was very great applause at
the conclusion of Judge Kendall's great
speech.
JUDGE ROBERTSON SPEAKS.
Judge Robertson il.lIncdia tely began an
argument in opposition to both the ma
! ior:-y and minority report. He outlined
| the powers and duties OF a convention
| and the Object Of prescribing fundamental
| laws for the direction and Limitation OF
| the powers Of the legislative branch or
government. He forcibly demonstrated
| that such details Of legisla ton as the ma
| ioritv and minority reports proposed to
| place in an interchangeable and lnfeX1b.e
| constitution was contrary to all prece-
| dent and an invitation to disaster. 10
| tie the hands of the Legislature IN one
respect meant the powc, to tie it i'll all
others, and the practical result Of such
| concessions would be thu complete &c
| struction of the legislative branch.
| Referring to the amendments made oy
Mr.. Braxton, he charged that Mr.. Brax-
ton answered arguments by amendments
| instead of argument, and he hoped the
| ma iority report would continue to be
amended until it contained just the oppo-
| site provisions to those which had been
| recommended.
| The more important a law was the
| more danger there was in placing 1t III
! the Constitution If every man. woman
| and child in Virginia were to demand 4
change of the law it could not be done
without the slow and expensive progress
| of either calling a. Constitutional ConVen-
| ton or having an amendment to the Con-
stitution, which would require nearly I'VE
years time He insisted that II the Ma
| son legislative statue was detective 1t
could be improved by the Legislature,
| and the fact that advocates of the MAJOR
! ity report had not attempted to amend
it in the Legislature was no reason lol
| abandoning a fundamental principle Of
constitutional guidance by making a leg
| islative body out of this convention. lie
| declared that the convention was calied
| to settle the suffrage question, and every
| thing else on earth, from the Woro Cnris-
| tan down to a little police bill for regu-
lating the sale Of countryl iquor had been
the subject Of academic discussion tSreat
laughter and appiause), and only one poor
little vote had been taken on the suffrage
clause in conference, and those voting e1-
planned that when they voted yes they
meant no. Great laughtero
COULD NOT UNDERSTAND.
Judge Robertson contendeo that NOBODY
| could understand one half the measures
| that had been proposed, and neither The
Legislature nor the Supreme Court coulc
construe the various provisions of tEe
majority report on corporations. He de
clared that it was at best but an attacE
on representative government
Discussing the wide range OF Legislation
| that the convention had INDUCED IN. NJ
asserted that the people didn't demanc
+ it, didn't know or care anything aoou1
4 it or did not know what they wanted
He claimed that. prejudice against rail
roads was largely due TO isolated instance:
of wrongdoing, and that the same prin
ciple applied to every human being tina
ever lived. He had always been in faVol
of the Legislature .a1opti-S an employers
liability bill and thought the roads hae