The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-16
FOXES Prevents Killing Of the
Tonnage Tax. Bill.
MAY BE PASSED IS SEQ TO-DAY 81 Y
sennte PasseJ oils 10 Amend Constitu-
5 lion ln leIatlon to Election OF
Commissioners Of Re Revenue venue S6.S
\, lays Proceedings

poth ho,kes Of the General Assembly ASS !
held lonp sessions yesterday, but they 'fe'!'
aid not dI]poso Of much important lus'-
p ness. "a. !. , .
,rho Hose had another long fll NIB Z,
n seams taxing up 1.-The TONNAGE tax pi -,
4 = III n nrvcd yuuiessfnl. II was TX
MI N.Y. t,roi,,Ia Of Richmond. who sp y,
S,, tine for Yearly two hours h az
Y Xii viii Tome vi again to-dhy, y ''' =.
chances Stem TO hvor It's p 2asstsd a1most
Ihe .en ,.atta I'm III consideration Of com.
: exciusiVeiy - t,lcd by Mr. Halsey. OF
Y ramon DlIls. ~ dinr the Constitution
4 Eyncthpu[s ,.r,W Commissioner ofthe rev.
y 40 as 60 h pr, r,,osr, BY the people. to sue
4 etius' t~t..no..,,,aa1and after much discus
s s,an thev werehlnally passed. !.
4 sion tney sarL routine business IN both
mere "a e.. ilhad no great public Inn
lie Senate.
~, 80, -, f tho Senate was opened
Inc scss So Yesterday Lieutenant
wl!lous, p '.yviihrd in the chair There
were twentyIeveh oe'a "
seats, y. 49,, "a House an
q coi,'' ~ nncurrence OF that body IN
i nounceu .n' ! IL resolution directing the
4 tlo Ip,e3.. nnO copies OF the general
revenue bill = ,,,, with
.S- ~, ..,o.,.l "a to debts OF decedent
I hns 49, n,.,r In which they are to pc
y s a.'u a NJ Ale. OF Norfolk, objected 70
pa,n ,,rsanc In the amendment The sen
y - .chcurring. in tho amen I'M 2 en- :,
! ~ ~ Nc II will go to conference.
= ~. ~, -. -, lre OF the House bill to amend
uaa ~ 4, fixing the number q com
,,,as,oner OF the various counties. e. ny ~
I Bill was leferred. Il. 80, -, =
,,ttha r,use bill to appropriate the sum
- e. ri to defray the expenses @ me
& sa,nt ommittee on final revision OF ing i
3 .ta.,,+I Tho bill went to the tl lnlillee
Comm tee. ,.o,,. !
o,,anncnt TO tho Senate bills relatlne
to rtds In Orange County, y Is q local '.''1
rnealre. .4. a.o.,nr =,
.shnunds az public roads in Ale1an-.
al County was taken from comf mites,
ian I'm ont OF its order and passed
y,ho,it objection.
II. Barksdale. from the Committee on
nneral Laws. reported a. bill regulating
* sale OF merchandise In bulk.
a} a. 12.15 the Senate entered upon the
confederation; OF the special order. the
companion bills. offered by MT. Halscy'
nronostng to amend the Constitution 80
as ia leave the manner of choosing com
= issioners OF the revenue In cities ana
counties. The Constitution provides ina !
4 f53tthe commissioners are made elective
nv the people they shall be Ineligible 20
reelection The entire purpose OF the
nroposed amendment is TO remove Inc
CONSTITUTIONAL inhibition against the re-
nlnctinn OF commissioners and to leave
the General Assembly to decide whether
commissioners are to be elected by the
5ncople or appointed. One amendment re-
Iates to commissioners in cities. the other
NJ ~ = PATRON SPEAKS.
/ 4 AR, Haley advocated tho proposed
!, ,trrnendment, . pointing out the objections
- Inc Constitutional provision. These
are familiar through the elaborate dis
QUESTION Of the matter early in the legls-
Ia tive sesdon. One OF tho objections was
that tho People will lose the services Of
good commissioners as result OF the
lneligibjty provision. Mr.. Halsey made
the poi1 that the passage OF the amend
ment h this General Assembly would
not meke 1t effective, but that It would
rive IL people an opportunity to In
struct their representatives before the
next General Assembly as to their pre-
/ fercnds In the ma tier. Furthermore,
tho nendments would have to be sub
y nittg to the people for their ratification.
s5., Mr. Walker, OF Westmoreland himsalf
! ntmber OF tho convention which
frarhd the Constitution, defended the
proysion making commissioners ineligi-
HE 10 succeed themselves, and stated
thereasons which actuated tho conven-
& tiol In adopting the provision. The COM
! fnisioners. In their anxiety for re-elec-
4 tioI sometimes bowed to tho mammon
x OF hnrIghteousness. The Commonwealth
wa not deriving the revenue from tax
uy,, to which 1t was entitled, and It was
bteved that better results might be OBJ
+ tined II tho commissioners were made
dependent and did not have to look
tthe people for reelection. Mr.. Walker
r joted the parable of the unjust stew
ia and applied 1t to the case Of COM
alissioners.
[ He claimed that the members OF the
Constitutional convention were them
selves representatives of the people and
responsible to them, MS we'll as the Gem
eral Assembly. The argument that tho
action Of the present General Assembly
would Dot be final was hardly fair, for
such avon would put the stamp OF dis
approval on tho constitutional provision
before its operation had been tested. He
urged the Senate to reject the amend
ment.
MIR, WICKHAM SPEAKS.
Mr.. Wickham, OF Hanover, advocated
he amendments. The Anglo Saxon people
were and had always been jealous of
their rights, and would resent any attempt
to deprive them of those rights one Of
the dearest of which was the selection
Of their own officials, In tho selection
OF no other officials were the people so
concerned as In the choice Of commissions
ers-men armed with the right to enter
their homes. The people would resent any
attempt to take from them this cherished
right Mr., Wckham commended that 1t
was not the poorest people who escaped
taxation, but the great wealth OF the
country The poor man's property was
visible and tangible and could not escape
taxation. On the other hand 1t was the
wealthy man, with his Invisible and intan-
gible property and his great power and
influence, who esca ped adequate taxation,
The speaker defended the commissioners
and commended their service. Whatever
defects there We're In the present system
could not be reached by the constitutional
The poor people Of the State
were already taxed all they could bear.
Hhe poor lands of Eastern Virginia could