Evening star., 1902-01-17
UNIVERSITIES FUND CUT OUT.
virginia Convention Stands by Fre'
yiOus sAction-LeGfsIative Sessions.

| Speciul Corresp. .ndence of The Evening Star.
RICHMOND, Va, January 16, 1902
| After a fight Of more than an hour this
| morning the convention refused to recede
| from the action of yesterday, when the sec
| tion of the report of the committee on educa-
! ton relating to the University OF virginia
| was stricken from the report Of the commit
| tee on education. The recommendation OF the
| committee was that the state should pro-
vide for an annual appropriation by the
| legislature Of not less than $4,000. The
! fight today was on motion to reconsider the
vote by which the section was stricken OUT
| but the friends of the university could not
muster strength sufficient to accomplish the
end desired, the vote standing 80 to ga
| tie.
| The report of the committee on legislative
| department was the next matter to engage
| the attention of the convention, and three
| hours were devoted to the consideration Of
| the recommendations of the committee
| The report provided for quadrennial ses-
| sions of the legislature. Mr.. Flood offered
an amendment looking to the holding or
| biennial elections, but the amendment was
defeated.
Section relates to the selection of SEN
ators and their terms.
Section stipulates that no person can be
| chosen to the general assembly while hold
| ing any other office under the state or fed
| eral government, and In case he is SO
| elected he vacates the office he may hold
| at the time of his election to the leg1sla-
| ture. This section was adopted without
| amendment and without debate.
Section relates to the question of COM
pensation to members Of the legislature,
which is to be left to that body to deter
mine.
The real fight Of the day came, however,
as section Z, recommending quadrennial
sessions Of the legislature, was taken up.
Mr.. Flood offered an amendment providing
that there should be biennial sessions Of
the law-making branch of the state gov
ernment, and after brief speech on the
amendment by Mr.. Ingram the vote was
taken and the amendment was adopted by
vote Of 3S ayes to 81 noes. This was
surprise to the members Of the committee
who had made the report, and when the
result Of the vote was announced there was
a little parliamentary sparring and a mo-
ton was made to reconsider the vote by
which the section was adopted. Then the
debate was on. Delegate Parks Of Page
said that the people demanded that the ses-
sions of the legislature be shortened In or
der that reduction in taxation might fol-
low. .-..-..-.
Mr.. Glass of Lynchburg replied to Capt.
Parks He said that the sessions were abb
solutely necessary in order that bad laws
might be repealed as quickly as possible.
He referred to the present pension law. of
which Mr.. Parks was the patron, which had
SlSHdIiy Idueu " tiCcouipliSH puTpoSe
for which it was intended the result being
that a great army of deserters and bum
mers' had gotten on the pension rolls to
the detriment of the deserving soldiers.
The member from Page was disgusted with
its operations and had so expressed himself.
Without concluding the debate on the
motion to reconsider the convention at 2
o'clock adjourned until tomorrow.
/ 1t Is believed that the effort in behalf of
biennial sessions will prevail, and if it does
the section relating to quadrennial elec-
tions will be reconsidered, and the MEM
bers of the legislature will be elected just
prior to taking office The sessions here
after will begin the fist part OF January
succeeding the November election, instead
of the first Wednesday in December