The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-26

Revenue. insurance and Child.
Labor Bills.
"a BIG BATTLE IN HOUSE
Chair Is Reversed and Amendments to
u Tax Bill Offered bYMr. Lasslter are
Adopted ~ Senate Passes lnsur-
ance Measure to Engrossment. #

( q
$l ance Measure to Engrossment.
The Legislature did d great days work
yesterday. THE House passed. the the general
revenue Bill and took d recess until to-
morrow morning In order to allow the
argument In thelC Campbell case to go on
today, rho Senate took important ac-
ton on two interesting bills
Tho House, after the greatest oattlc OF
the session, adopted the amendments Of
fered by Mr.. Lassiter, OF Petersburg IN
.creasing tho tax on real property from from
twenty to twenty-five cents, the addition
to be applied to the payment OF pen.
sions, aud tho reduction Of the tax. on on
Intangible personal property FROM ..iirty
cents 10 twenty-five cents. The battle
was pretty one, and was led by Alessrs
Cation, OF Alexandria, and Lasslter5 and
Davis, OF Petersburg, and Spe.# OF Rock
Angham, The report Of the COMMITTEES 9.
wac: ably defended by Messrs. Cardwell,
Boaz and others, and the. vote on the
first amendment was. ayes %. noes 2G
The Chalrrulcd that the amendment was
lost, as It REQUIRED nfty-one affirmative
votes In this Speaker Ryan was over.
ruled BY the House after a lively and
spirited parliamentary wrangle. In which
good deal OF feeling was displayed at
times, l5 ys g56
When these amendments had been
adopted the bill was passed by q vote of
fifty mine TO nothing. The body passed
bill to authorize cities and towns to. Issue
bonds to pay Off outstanding obligations.
and number of local measures We're Of
fered and referred
Tho Senate passed the Lyle child labor
bin without amendment and ordered the
sale insurance measure to It's cngross-
ncnt without debate or amendment. The
latter action was something Of sur
prise, as big fight had been ANTICIPATED
overthe BILL
1t provides for the appointment Of an
Insurance commissioner at salary OF
s., 800 ard then goes on to adjust all the
pr esent insurance laws In e tormlty with
the new Constitution. t5SS4 N Bs Is
The term Of the commissi oncr Is fixed
at six years, and he is to be elected by
the General Assembly. 3
Beyond the action on these two bills
the Senate did but little, but this was
considered q pretty good days work
The Senate.
The Sale bill to create a Bureau OF ms
surance and to provide for, the election OF
Superintendent of Insurance came up In
the Senate at 1880 O'clock. 1t required
fifteen minutes for Clerk Eutton to read
the lengthy document. The clerk had
the Lieutenant-Governor and himself as
his audience. There was conversation go
Ing on throughout the Senate chamber!
Many visitors were there and the most
Of them were ladies. Not a single scna-S
tor could in the nature&of things. follow
closely the reading of this unusually long
document. The new Constitution re-
qulres all bills to be read and the SEN
ate's clerl: did his duty manfully.
( Mr.. Sale offered amendments to perfect
the bill and they were all agreed to
without objection. Then, without dis
scnting vote. the act was ordered to its
engrossInent. 1t will come up upon Its
passage to-day. This is one OF the most
far reaching oils offered at this session
and the Norfolk senator did not even
have to make speech before the Senate.
to secure the favora Bile and unanimous
action taken. The opponents of the bill.
made their fight before the committee
and were whipped out. They realized It
would be useless to continue the fight,
on the floor Of the Senate.
# The bill provides for Superintendent.
OF Insurance to be elected for term OF.
six years. He is to he chosen by the.
General Assembly as other State officers
are elected. His salary vii be S2,50o per
year to be paid by8the State, the Com.
monwealtll to be reimbursed through. and
by the assessments upon the insurance
companies. Both fire and life insurance
companies are affected. The bill also
provides for $500 for the expenses Of
the office to be paid In like manner.
The billBis designed to protect the citi-3
zens against weak and fraudulent COM
pan!es. is s@as i &gs II III
The Superintendent Is given broad pow
ers to examine into the solvency and
.l.s IT, 1oty,
business in this State. He Will make his
reports to the Corporation Commission.
Heretofore. the Auditor of Public Ac-
counts has had charge of insurance mat
tiers. on the part of the State. In the ma
ture Of things, he has been unable to
make that examination as to the solvency
q: companies such as Is contemplated by
this net. l
y There have been efforts made at every
session of the Legislature for many years
to pass such a bill but all these efforts
failed. Many States have their lnsur-
ance commissioners.
THE ROUTINE WORK.
81 The Senate proceedings were opened
without prayer. There was larger at
tendance of members than on any day
since last Thursday
Several petitions in favor of the pas
sage of the Mann bill We're presented.
The Lyle child labor b.. came up as
the special oruer AZ lS'lo . cloch. ~ d!ttu
been engrosed and the question was upon
the Passage of the measure The bill was
passed without n dissenting vote. Twenty
i've senators voted for 1t,
Mr.. McIlwaine stated that he was de-
talned at home on Tuesday by sickness
Had he been present he would have voted
for the Cabell bill, while Senator Keezell
with whom he was paired, would have
voted against that measure, s5
Mr.. Cogbll's act to remove the nrohib-
!tlon upon PERSONS Of over sixty years of
age from serving upon grand jurles was
passed without dissenting vote.
The bill offered by Mr., Mann to nuthor-
lie the Supreme Court OF Appeals to d.
rect Its clerk to destroy certain manu-
script records was passed without OBJ
lection. ,59 "a
Mr. MoTlwaine's bill to provide for the
appointment of commissioners on unlfor-
nifty Of legislation was passed.
e The Senate adjourned at 1;l6 p. NJ.
e. i : . i T. .