Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-04-08
LEGISLATURE.
SENATE.

Lane, OF Williamsburg, W pe
missioner of State Hospitals. The APP
pointment was confirmed. Mr.. Lane
is a member of the governors stan.
Mr.. Anderson offered resolution
requesting the attorney general to give
the Senate his opinion in writing whether,
under the constitution, it would be COM
petent for the general assembly to
appropriate public funds to the Virginia
State Firemen's Association, to be used
as fund for the relief Of fremen, mem
bers of the association, &C., and for the
general purposes set forth in House Dill
No. 81, known as the fremen's relief
bill. The resolution was adopted.
A debate was precipitated by the
amendment of Mr.. Walker to the House
bill designed to amend section 5S7 OF the
code as to liquor license revoked by
local option. Mr.. Walker proposed to
make the act effective from its passage,
instead Of from January l, 1902. as pro-
vided by the bill.
Mr.. Walker advocated his amendment
and Messrs. Lyle and Wickham earnest.
" opposed it, contending that it would
work an injustice on those liquor dealers
whose license had been curtailed in 1902.
In the course Of his argument Mr. Wick
ham stated that so far as he knew those
dealers whose license had been curtalled
had bowed to the public sentiment Of
the community. He contended that 1t
was lust TO them TO refund the portion
of the license covering the period of
curtailment.
The Walker amendment was voted
down and the bill was passed.
Mr.. Anderson offered bill to amend
section 3O49, of the code, in relation to
designating judges to hold court in the
illness or disability Of judge. The
existing statute applies only to circuit
and county judges. The design of the
Anderson bill is to make the provision
of the statute applicable also to judges
of the city courts. In the event OF pass
age it would be applicable in the case
of Judge Witt, who has for some months
been i'll. The bill went to the COM
mittee on courts of justice.
These House bills we're passed with
out amendment, and now go to the gov
ernor for his approval
To allow auditor of public accounts to
paw officers of State at stated periods.
To amend section 931 of code relating
to jails.
To amend section 5S7 of code as to
license revoked by local option.
HOUSE.
No action was taken by the House on
the conference report of the General
Revenue bill. 1t was read and ex-
planned in detail by Mr. Boaz, chairman
of the conference committee. He
checked an evident desire of some mem
bers to offer amendments by reminding
them that the bill had passed the
amendment stage and that the House
could only receive or reject the report.
Mr.. Folkes, the cnly member OF the
conference committee who did not sign
the report, opposed its adoption. lie
was particularly severe in his criticism
of the Mann liquor section. 1t had no
place in a revenue measure, he said ;
religion anG temperance, he declared,
were being appealed to to pass meas
ure that would drive people out of a
legitimate business.
Mr.. Cation followed against the adop-
ton of the report. The House adj
iourned without taking action.
Following are the principal changes
made by the conference committee in the
revenue bill:
The Senate receded from its position
as to chartering public service corpora
tons, and the House did likewise as to
its provision on the subject of chartering
industrial corporations. While the
plans are little different in the COM
promise, the met amount of revenue to
be derived is practically unchanged.
The system is a graduated one, and is
much after the fashion of that in force
in New Jersey.
The Senate annual franchise tax sys-
tenn was taken and the graduated amounts
doubled by the conference committee.
The tax begins at $40 on S25, 600 of the
capital stock of corporations, and Is
graduated on this basis up to 81, 600, 600.
After passing that amount there is
an additional percentage added. 1t was
stated by Mr.. Boaz that the franchise
tax would likely yield over $50, 900 per
year.
The report recommended that the
Senate recede from its amendment re-
curing the publication of merchants
licenses, and in the section relating to
the peddling of farm products, the word
"milk" was inserted, so as to allow the
undisturbed peddling Of that article.
The House receded from its position
as to the tax on building and loan asso-
Citations. The tax on these had been
doubled in the House bill, and the con-
ferees reduced the tax, so as to make
the increase only 70 per cent The
Senate receded from its position in strik-
ing out the tax on BARRIERS, and it was
restored by the conferees.
The license tax section was further
amended so as to exempt clearinghouse
keepers from the payment of any license
tax. Another amendment was to strike
out the provision requiring attorneys to
pay 800 license before appearing before
legislative committees, and the tax on
vendors of patent medicines was raised
from so to $25.
The committee recommended that the
high license feature be so modified as to
make the license $3.50 and $l75 instead
"a 400 4 nnnn .. oIn.,tnI h., Tho Gnn-