The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-19
elected at times different from those g Il

You protected the cities and HI towns
from the entry upon and use Of their
streets by certain corporations without
the consent the municipal authorities.
Y gu put g. safeguards around the proper
ties OF the Il cities, and restricted their
right to grant municipal franchises ex-
5cept In certain methods Il and put q max
Imum upon the periods Of their exist
sence. You required their. boundaries to
be changed under general III laws. You
put safeguards around the bonded findebt-
}edness of cities and towns.
;In nothing were your changes and in-}
novations. more fundamental and bene-
ficial. than In the provisions as to edu-
cation and public Instruct ion. * our State
Board of Education must nov have upon
1T some Of the leading educators of the
State ed catlonal institutions. Y gu changed
the organization of the State Library,
and prevented the appointment Of tho
STATED librarian being n matter ofsmere
political patronage. * on empowered each
school district to levy an additional school
tax to expend upon such schools as tho
local school authorities might decide the
public welfare required. z:
}2ssS...'Y gu made the Department Of Agricul-f
ture a constitutional department. You
required the Commissioner of Agriculture
to be elected by the people. ! on created
a State board for the control and super
gons, and provided for the appointment Of
a commissioner Of State hospitals.
Control Of Corporations.
q by article 12 of the Constitution you
introduced an absolutely new feature or
power into the government Of this State.
for you therein declared the necessity for
a control over corporations. which could
not be entrusted to legislative action. Il You
required that corporations should be ere
:ated by general la VS.. You created that
body known8as the Corp lion Commits
sion, That department has been so much
under the public eye, has been the sub
fject OF SO much public discussion, and
has been SO universally approved by the
people, that no word of praise need be-
spoken OF 1t. Personally OF such import
ance do I deem this apartment that here
after In casting my vote for Goycrnor,I
shall be greatly guided by what I shall
believe such candidate will do as 10 this
department., for i believe tho appointment
upon this commission to be one of, IL not
the most Important of the gubernatorial
duties fHssi .f
@ I'm that article you not only saw fit
to attempt to putaan end TO the oppres-
sions upon business and the .irresponsi-4
BILE conduct OF corporations, but you Of
fered protection to a class of people,,
whose lives are always amid danger, and
application Of the doctrine of fellow SER
want to railroad employees Surely IL 1t
was right to enbody in the United States
property should be taken for publc1use
without due compensation, you were
Justified In forbidding the application Of
any rule OF law. preventing tho recovery
Constitution, the declaration that no mans
of compensation for the negligent taking
OF life or limb.
You modified the rights under the
homestead provision, SO MS to prevent
certain fraudulent acts.
Your treatment OF taxation and finance
Is, perhaps, the most marked change both
in principles and In practice. 3 83I
you removed the restriction that all
property should be taxed upon its value,
and required 1t should be uniform upon
the same class; thereby adopting the
rule OF the United States Constitution,
ana that most approved by writer's upon
the subject OF taxation. You restricted
the exemption. of property from taxation
to a. few classes of property; those used
strictly for RELIGIOUS, charitable and edu-
catonal purposes You authorized the
taxation of franchises; a modern species
OF property. u s3l
You removed the temptatlon@to make |
false returns for taxation, and encouraged
the investment by the people of this |
State In the stock az our local enter
prises, by prohibiting the taxa Ion III OF
shares OF stock under certain clrcunl-
stances. You protected the owners OF real /
estate In cities and towns from many
of the onerous burdens frequently im-
posed as assessments for public improve
ments, IA i.1
"You prescribed a new system Of taxn-
ton of corporations, by which this State
has been able TO reduce her rate OF taxa
ton. and yet at the same time increase
hera revenues; and to-day she presents, ms
to her Changes, the most prosperous
condition that she has shown in nearly [
fifty Years. 8
q rSuchBis a mere skeleton of your labors,
yet 1t shows how varied We're the sub
jects. how many and important the
changes, After two years Of trial We
feel that we We're Justified In believing
that modern Constitution requires an
abandonment Of the generallties Of The
older forms, and requires great 4 estrIc-'
ton Of powers of the legislative depart /
ment. aud more specific and detailed state /