Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-12-27
Virginia General Assembly to
Meet January 9th

der new rules, meets this sessio
the second Tuesday in January
instead of the first Wednesday 4
. December, az heretofore. 1t wa
shown in practice that, under tn
old order Of things,s the Legisls
ture would hardly get well organ
lied before an adjournment would
be taken for the holidays, and il
was always the second week il
JANUARY before the memberl
would all get back, a whole montl
practically being lost. Thi'
change, it is believed, will resul
in a greater amount Of business
being transacted In the 90 days
allotted for the session.
The new Legislature will con
tain a; larger percentage of new
members than usual. The entire
Houee-100 members-and hall
the Senate-20 memberc-were
elected in November. Owing to
the new Constitution ard other
causes, perhaps more than half of
the old House members did not re-
turn.
The Legislature will convene in
the magnificent new halls contain
ed IN two wings added to the main
building since the adjournment
two years ago. The entire capt..
tol building has been reconstruct.
ed on the old model, the arehitec-
ture adopted by Thomas Jefferson,
the architect and builder OF the
original building. The cost of the
new work is $l75, 900.
This General Assembly will have
as its chief work a general review
of the new code Of laws passed by
the last Legislature, carrying into
effect the new Constitution. and
the correcting and smoothing down
The rough places where friction
has developed.
A matter which will attract
much attention will be the re-
modelling of the Barksdale Pure
election Law. While it has correct.
ed many of the evils under the
old plan, 1t has been far from
satisfactory, and has worked some
hardships, and new bills will be
presented with view of correct
ing such evils.
1t 10 said that Senator Keszle of
Rockingham, the author of one of
The most popalar election bills be-
tore that body last session, and a
Of the Barksdale law in
The main, has prepared a bill as a
for the Barksdale law.
The equalization of taxes will
,e the purpose of bill already |
lrawn by Senator w. w. Sale of |
Norfolk, and will be Introduced
larly in the session. Under the
present. system it is alleged that
be larger property holders escape
portion of their tax and that the
'urden falls on the poorer classes
md those strictly honest in the re-
'ort of their property, while on
he other haRd, some of the dis
lonest property owners escape
nth nominal tax on their per-
onal estate.
Mr.. Sales bill has for its nam
eature the creation Of an equaliz
1g board, to whom shall be refer
ed all questions in dispute as 10
roper assessments, and they will
ave power 10 investigate in every
UGH case.
A ill Of unique character that
as already attracted much atten
on has been prepared by j. Gar
md Pollvrd of Richmond, which
rovides for converting che old {
all of the House of Delegates into q
hall of fame. Mr.. Pollard pro- /
oses to give place in this roof
,r large bronze tablets to Wash
lgton and Lee and smaller ones
'r other famous Virginians, tell
X Of their most noted deeds.
Only those who have been dead y
" ten years will be eligible to {
ace in the hall of fare and v
lily then by two. thirds vote of
le General Assembly. The bill Il
az already met with public favor. Ii
Governor Claude A. Swanson G
lcceeds Governor Montague Feb
larry l. He will have the appoint b
emit of large number of execu. Il
We boards to State institutions r
I'd quite a considerable number
salaried officers, Many changes Il
i'll probably be made. A
The Legislature has the election
a corporation commission of il
rec members aud six judges CT s.
9 Supreme Court, besides the b
acers of the Legislature and other
lall Positions. b
John F. Ryan, of Loudoun j
unity, for many years speaker of b
Q Houss, has retired and lively N
hit is on between w. d. Card
Ill lof Hanover, and Robert E. N
'e, Jr., of Fairfax. The contest is 7
~ close, 10th sides claiming a
ajority of the votes. q
lore Valley Railroad Rumors 6