Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-03-04
EXTRA SESSION IS CALLED
Legislature Wrestling With the
General Appropriation Bill
WHITE WANTS INVESTIGATION
House Committee is Appointed te
Probe Charge Made Against
Prominent State Official.

Charleston, W. Va, FeD 25.-The
minority If the house last night put
II mn TO the majoritv TO take tull
charge of the Legislature and run II
or orit, as they pleased. When the
second reading of the preparation
bill was completed Yesterday after
noon. a motion was made to dispense
with the coustituti onHl rule. and read
1T the third time The announcement
of the vote, which followed. was held
over until after O'Clock in the hope
that enough votes could be secnred to
fIispepse with the rule, but the demo.
Gratis stood firm. two republicans
snined with them, and the motion
failed.
The senators would not vote to ex-
tend the session, but adjourned last
might, in which case it was necessary
for the governor to call an extra ses-
sion. Governor White sent to the
house special message. reciting the
fact that six charges had bean made
against him in the senate; that the
committee appointed to investigate
them had taken no testimony, aud
would take none, and demanding that
a committee be raised by the house to
sit during the recess and make full
asd complete Investigation. and report
to the next session of the Legislature,
regular or special, to the end that he
be proved guilty or exonerated.
REFUSE TO PROBE CHARGES.
A resolution was Immediately
adopted to create such com ittee.
The senate spent the morning in dis
cussing the majority and minority
reports of the committee appointed to
investigate the charges growing out
of the Elliott letter, together with a
resolution Offered by Mr.. Cornwell, in-
structiDg the committee appointed to
investigate the White Dawson matter
to go ahead and make the investigs-
ticn despite the refusal of Caldwell
to prosecute. Biting speeches were
of the majority report and against the
Cornwell resolution, and by Fisher,
Cornwell, and Kidd in favor of the
minority report and for the resolu-
tiop. The majority report was adopt
ed and the resolution voted down.
The dav was spent principally by both
honses in agreeing and disagreeirg to
amendments. in conference committee
reports, and other matters incident to
the wind-up of legislative session.
GOVERNOR SENDS MESSAGE.
There will be short special session
of the legislature called by Governor
White to begin today. The proclama.
fion. which will mention only the ap.
propriation bills. was sent to the sen.
ate late last night.
After the final failure IN the house
to pass the general appropriation bill.
the house adopted joint resolution
to extend the session for four DAYS.
The senate Immediately gave notice
that it would not concur in the reso-
luton, and the governor at once pre-
pared his message. The two honses
finished the more important measures
in process OF enactment and adjourned
TO get together at once for snch time
as 1t will take to do the work de-
manded by the pre-, lamation.
EXTRA SESSION.
Charleston, w. Va, February 81
An extraordinary session of the West
Virginia legislature is now on, with
nothing to do but consider the general
and legislative appropriation bills.
The thin line of democrats in the
house stood maDfully by the position
taken by them Oh Wednesday with
reference to the general appropriation
bill, and at 3 :55 o'clock Saturday
morning the regular session was
brought to close. The adjournment
came about through the refusal of
the senate to adopt a resolution ex-
tending the session four days. which
was adopted by the house as soon as
1t WAS found that the appropriation
bill could not be passed because of the
refusal of democrats to help set aside
the constitutional rule.
When the committees from the two
houses waited upon the governor to
inform him that the legislature was
ready to adjourn, he gave to each
committee copy of his proclamation
calling an extra session, to meet
Saturday at noon.
The only subject mentioned was APP
preparations as represented in the
general and legislative bills, and moth
. ing else can be considered at the ses-
sion called.
Both houses met at noon. The Com
mittee on finance of the senate report
ed the bill making appropriations for
the payment of salaries of executive
officers and the expenses of the legis.