The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-12
.lTS.LAST'.D|||.A1||.'Y|I'
TO Be BUSY ] '';''Y'|l'
Nitginia's Long Parliament
Will End It's Sittings and Ad-
journ Finally To-day. ss
THE LEGISLATURES LAST DAY D
Three Important Bills to be Dis
posed Of by General Assembly
and Long Sitting Probable.

posed iot ny General Assembly "a
+ and Long Sitting Probable.
The General Assembly Of Virginia,
known as the General Assembly Q! iSoi
'oc, but extended by tho constitutional
Convention so that 1t must BIO known as
INC LEGISLATURE OF 1901 -'O2-o3-'o4, will
russ Into history with the midnight
chime OF the bells tonight. Under tho
old Constitution the present Assembly
convened on the second "Wednesday IN .
december, 1901. about I'VE weeks aitor
the election at which Its members we're
chosen. Had that constitution continued
A. tho organic, law OF the state, the llfo
of tho body would have expired by liml-
Triton In December, 1903. The new Con-
utitutlon having changed the date OF the
assembling OF the General Assembly ana
recognizing that much legislation consc-
uuent upon tho change Of the organic law
of the srate would be necessary, extend.
ec the life Of tho Assembly until January
18TH. when tho new one began slttlns.
Until January 18Th, necessarily means
Until midnight on January 18th" owing
TO the volume OF work and the further TACT
that the two houses became Involved IN u
hostile attitude on several measures Oh
importance, the session was c8tehueo
into 1904
fI HAVE IS oRkED NEARLYA YEAH.
Tho Assembly has sat In all since Dc
ccmbcr. 1901, more than a25 Days, o.
re- thcr the memEers and enployes nay.
drawn their per diem for that many days.
THO two houses have been actually IN
eession almost as many. ~,
To-day, the last day on which inc
lcng Parliament OF Virginia may SIT. VI
10 marked by sessions OF both houses,
and the Indications arc that they WIZ "
long sessions. The House VIII meet az
10 IA. NJ, and the Senate at noon. ine
senate sat Yesterday until P. NJ, while
Inc House adjourned for the day about
i: 40. The Senate completely cleared us
calendar and the House had already dis
POSED of It's own.
There arc at least three important
measures on which the two houses must
pnss finally to day. First the Edmondson
generalt5road bill ordered TO conference
FOR the second time, Is yet to De hnhly
adopted or rejected, The conferences W
,ht. part OF the two houses consumed
,n,,ch OF the afternoon. a report WAS
agreed upon by them. and 1t wiz Dc SUD.
r,!tted TO the two houses to-day OUT
whether or not it will be accepted py
eltncr or both cannot be forccasted VIII
certainty. Both houses made conces'i
sions but the former report OF the same
committee was rejected by the ho 't
nnd this ls,nc may be also. Just what
rio conferees agreed uron was not given
AFT IN advance of the report OF tue COM
E:,ittec. ~,
EMINENT DOMAIN BILL VI
Tho Senate and House conferees on the
cm,nent domain BIZ met at r ~. yes.
tsrday. In the Senate Chamber ana .sa'
rn,il nearly II p. NJ, feachins an agree
,nent, which. however, Messrs. M t.
oft "a CnrQmlttEG
declined to give out for publication lAa.
night. The positions OF the two houses
were irreconcilably apart, and the ohiy
Way they could have reached an asree-
,,,cnt would have been on giVc-anu ldhe
conc,ssions which involved a bacrlhce OF
rcmething on each side. the rePolt VIZ
b., submitted In both houses to-uay.
GENERAL CORPORATION BILL 1 -
The Senate yesterday tinisiied eou
f.dcration of the House blll IN re'ae.oi ~
,,,iblic service corporations. with senate
.,,endments thereto to the number OF
over orr, hundred. II was late IN the
afternoon, and the action COULD not DC
communicated to the House. that bodS
having nd journed. 1t VIII reach Tue
House to-day, and 1t Is practlcaliS Cyl
lain that the House VIII non-concur
ma ask for conference Inc seh ate
Will, of course. agree, and contcrces w
l,e. named 1t .Till be too late to perm.
OF detailed consideration Of the amend
,nents. by the conference. and II is PROD,
able that If an agreement be reachedt
III ali. It will be by an even break on the
more important and really essential
1,cints OF difference.Ettl 1t Is within the
range OF probability that the Senate VIII
stand by its amendments and that the
biliS will fail. but that body has shown no
disposition Ia ha arbitrary or autocratic'3
and now that so much hard work has
been devoted to the bill and amendments,
tits likely that a. measure VIII be passed
IN the closing hours Of !, the Ass ZEN
Thes,. three til., and one in relation to-
expenditure for the Improvement Of the
Senate chamber, yet to be considered by
the House, are about all to engage the at
tcption of tho two houses. Allowing the
afternoon for con ferences. It is likely that
tina final session will extend into tlsa
evening, and that adjournment sine die
may not come until near midnight 1t VIII
no necessary to have a caucus OF the two
branches Of the new, Legislature to choose
officers and this VIII probably be held
some tima during the evening. AS there
Is little contest over these, the. caucus
will h.s brief In both houses unless the
IIouse caucus takes UP TIE Norfolk
county case. 1t will hardly undertake to
decide this, however. Mt this evenings
caucus, for the reason that time is lack
ins to go into that fierce quarrel. 5s
A HARD WORKING BODY.
With all the criticisms made of 1t for
sins OF omission and commission, the
General Assembly Of Virginia which
passes into history to-day has Eeen one
OF tho hardest working bodies over as
sembled here
Outside OF the work OF Code revision.
appropriations to exposll.ons and an ex-
haustive, but frultless discussion Of
oyster legislation several appropriations
for monuments and statuary, and some
statutes demonstrated to be desirable ny
experience, there has been little nav legls-
lation, The election laws have come forth
unscutched from the scrutiny. While
there have been many and large ap-
proprations, they have not been waste.
full, unless tho exposition approximations
may be so classed Large sums went to
~ oaI1e %lo ttas,