Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-12-18

will be allowed to die, amended and
taken up in January.
LEGISLATURE DOINGS.
The House has agreed to rails.
salary of Auditor of Public accounts
to $4,000.
MIR. Walker, of Northumberland
delivered very able speech in the
Senate on Tuesday in opposition t.
the breaking of the Baylor survey.
There is a big fight on about how
much money shall be appropriated
to work on the capitol building
Some want 100000, while other;
think it ought to be million.
Amendments in the House and
the probable amendments in the
Senate will leave the Jordan Oyster
Bill in quite q different shape from
that first published.
The Senate has struck out the
word "corruptly" in the Barksdalf
Pure Election law. This is deemed
making the law more rigid. In fact,
it is claimed by some that under ii
a candidate commits a penitentiary
offense by promising to vote so and
go on a certain measure in return
for suffrsges.
We should think that the present
General Assembly has rocked the boat
enough already to satisfy an ordinary
craving for excitement. 1t has raised
the wholly extraneous prohibition
issue and injected it into State poll
tics, in the face of the wisdom of ex-
perience and the dictates of common
sense, with the result that the dis.
organization of the Democratic party
is threatened. II has made the i'm
preston upon the people of the State
that the Democrats are still opposed
to fair elections. The House has
passed the Jordan oyster bill under
which as a law, the biggest steal
could be made since the carpet-bag-
gers issued bonds. We do think that
these things should hold it for a
while, without resort to proposed
amendments to the Constitution that
might stir up hornets nest nobody
now wots of.-Norfolk Virginian-
Pilot.
The final battles, certainly of the
present General Assembly, over the
passage of the Jordan Cardwell bill
to break the Baylor oyster survey and
lease the barren or depleted rock
therein will began at IL q. IN. Tues
day in the Senate. 1t promises to
be a brilliant struggle, with chances
against the bill. For weeks the sub.
ject has been uppermost in the minds
of Legislators, and for more than a
week past the senator's have been
giving the bill and its advocates and
opponents their attention.
A tremendous fight has been made
for the bill and against it, in the lob
bies of the Capitol and hotels and
wherever the members congregate.
Planters have been here in large
numbers and some packers urging
the passage Of the measure. Few of
the tongers have come to Richmond
to oppose the bill, because they were
by their representatives that
not Knowing the members and be-
ing inexperienced in dealing with
them, they could do no good.
LONGEST SESSION IN THIRTY YEARS.
The longest session of the General
Assembly of Virginia in more than
thirty years, and one of the busiest
IL now drawing to a close. No other
Legislatures life has extended into
three calendar years, as has the one
originally known as the General AS
sembly of 1901-1902, and as 1t must
now be know, that of 19O1-2-3.
Five sessions of the Assembly have
been held since the body convened
for the first time, December 4, 1901.
Estimating the item IF per diem of
members and pay of employees at
5000 q day, a low estimate, the cost
OF the sessions has been about $780,
oO0, and it will probably come nearer
100000. To this must be added
the cost of printing and many other
Incidental expenses, the two items
for the special joint committees
named above, and various other
Smaller sums for many purposes. III
's almost absolutely certain that the
session will continue until December
s3d, even it it be not necessary to
return after Christmas recess and
work up to the limit of life, January
IL, 1904. If that be the case, the
Assembly will have extended into
he fourth calendar year.