Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-03-16
A Review of the Legis1ature's
Work

The General Assembly of Vii
, ginia of 1903-'04 adjourned sin
die yesterday at noon, completing
its sixty days of legislative labor
Perhaps the most generally re
peated comment on the work o
the body has been that it has BEEF
lavish, not to say extravagant, il
appropriations. The most impor
tant appropriations have beer
1915, 900 for the Improvement O
the State Capitol, $165, 900 for tn,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute an(
500, 900 for the Farmville Norma
School.
Besides this the only measur.
carrying an appropriation Of any
Importance was that giving $40, OO(
for a Virginia building at St
Louis.
Aside from these appropriations,
only the usual ones to the eleemosy.
nary institutions, public schools,
pensions and to the expenses
Of the various departments of the
State government were made.
A large number of bills were in
troduced in the two Houses, the
aggregate slightly exceeding five
hundred. Some of these are
formidable measures in their length
and bulk and the infinite details
of preparation and perfection.
Every one Of these had to be offer
ed, printed, referred to committees.
acted on BY them, reported, read
three times and then passed, if
they had managed to reach that
stage. Each reading had to be on
separate day, and the roll had
to be called many times. On some
OF these bills prolonged hearings
were had before committees, at
which the advocates and opponents
of the measures apI cared. All of
this work consumed time, and
gave the members plenty of work
in the sixty days they were sit
ting.
Among the important measures
passed by body these are re-
called, without making a systema-
tic review of the session 6 work:
The general road law, of which
Mr.. Edmondson is the patron, a
measure which failed in the last
moments Of the recent Assembly.
An important bill passed in the
asst week of the Assembly was
hat offered jointly by Senators
Mann and Holt, the purpose Of
which is to terminate the fake
Iocial clubs of the State. This
sw requires all clubs hereafter
to procure license to
dispense liqu ors, just as other firms
r persons acquire it.
A bill which somewhat offsets
his was that which relieves the t
iolator of the law against Sunday {
cling from the Jail penalty i'm i
Osed by the statute it amends. t
he law leaves the penalty at a L
esvy fine and the forfeiture of L
cense. C
A large number of bills, affect
z the courts of the State and the b
rocedure therein, have been pass d
/, many being necessitated by b
hanged system of courts. The a
rms Of the various courts have y
cen arranged and certain changes n
ade in them during the session. o
n important law, relieving women b
no are complainants in charges tt
criminal assault from the ordeal IL
examil alton in public, and W
lother providing for change of
nue. in such cases are of greatest d.
lblic Importance and interest. IL
The dispensary system of selling II
luor has been considerably ex- tie
nded, but only in localities. q,
Aft "a dozen or more additional tn
spensary bills have been passed to
d in almost every case, where 10
e system has been tried, it has in
EN- retained. ar
The General Assembly increased "'
e appropriation for the care of tn
ayes of Confederate dead in the W,
neteries Of the State, despite pl
otest by some members and the an
It that the total appropriation is tn
owing steadily. ia
While a number of bills, relating w
elections have been passed, few In,
any way affecting the subject al,
We been passed. The Machen in,
mary bill failed in the last day
the session on the question of ,p
currence in the amendments. nm
lator Patteson's bill for elect rs.
senators by popular vote, fail ste
to be reported. Several bills as
red by Republican members 70,
ed Of passage. Bills in rela- 70
to evidence of prepayment of art
tax have been passed.