Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-04-02
WHAT 1T is NOT DOING.

the holiday adjournment ms Is an eA'
nensive extra session occasioned by the
adon,ion Of a new constitution for the
State. 1t was claimed to be, ana no
doubt was, necessary session. NoV Only
was it expected that the statute law Woulo
no 60 changed as to conform to the new
organic law, but it was hoped that impor'
tant and useful legislation on new lines
would take place at the extra session.
when the General Assembly would be al
most unlimited in the time Of its sitting
1t seems that very little progress has Deen
made so far in the way Of adjusting the
statute law to the new constitution, ana III
the line of new legislation there has practi-
cally been verylittle accomplished. what Is
called a pure elections law has been passed.
but many persons regard it as taKe' ''s
only purpose being to help poor poliu'
clans who are aspirants for office as against
the richer ones, which is purlhcatioh
that will be of no service tot he great mass
es of the people. Much time has been
occupied with the discussion of the liquor
estlon, but it looks very much like the
saloon men in the end will get what they
want
One of the most important things that
the Legislature could be looking after Is
good roads. This has become, in fact, ma
tional) question. The people of every
State in the Union have become aroused
TO the necessity of building new'roads and
improving the old highways. There is no
State that is more greatly retarded in pro-
gress by its bad roads than is virginia
Whv is the Legislature not responding TO
this great need of the people?
There is another question that is OF
great interest to the property holders OF
the State, and that is the regulation OF hre
insurance companies. There was good
law on the statute books, the Wharton
law. which had produced most satlsfac'
tory result in the way of breaking up the
insurance trust that had existed in Vlr-
ginia as elsewhere. At its regular session
of 1912 the present General Assembly
repealed the Wharton law. How or why
such action was taken the people have
never been able to ascertain. 1t is strong |
ly suspected that the repeal was effected
by the shrewd work of lobbyists, represen-
ting the insurance companies. At the
time of the repeal it was published to the
world that assurances had been given by
the insurance companies that if the Whar-
ton law was repealed there would be an
immediate reduction made in the fire in
surance rates in the State. Instead of that |
being done,there have been repeated ad-
vancements in the rates in every town /
until those rates have become almost con-
iscation or prohibitive. Here, in the
town of Tazewell, they have been advanced |
on many classes of risks'a from fifty to
one hundred and fifty per cent. The
business men Lere, and elsewhere in Vir-
GINA, are up in arms and will call the
members of this Legis allure to strict ac'
count, if something is not done to relieve
the situation.
There is another question that the
Democrats declare they will make a para
mount issue in the presidential election in
1904, that is the trust question. The pres
ent Legislature of Virginiaiis nearly solid
ly Democratic. What has it done, or
what did preceding Democratic Legislat-
ures do, in the way of antitrust legisla'
ton? The record shows that nothing has
been done. These same fellows, who now
have an opportunity to do something, will
be brazenly shouting against trusts In
1904, and be claiming that the Republi'
can party is responsible for the trusts, and
that it has done nothing to break them
up. The people, however, will be re-
minded of the record which the Virginia
Democracy has made by its Legislature
on this great question. {
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