Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-03-16

good for the game to have a rest from
the shooters muzzle, the oysters could
not stand continuous use Of the rasping
patent tongs. So, pay your just dues
to the State, ullhonestly and the future
will take care of itself.
Seine Leading Spirits
This Legislature has agreeably dis
appointed the State at large. Much
criticism was early heard as to the
number of bills introduced and fears
expressed that it was body Of wild
cat embryo statesmen that could not
be held in check. But results have
shown otherwise. While some good
bills died the body seems to have sifted
the calendars taking a majority of
the best and killed the harmful ones
or the least important ones. There
were many able men in the body but
none stood out 50 preeminent as the
young and hitherto untried Speaker,
Hon. w. ID. Cardwell, of Hanover.
Without disparagement to any of his
predecessors, among the number his
father, Judge Cardwell, it is expressed
by very many who watched his rulings
| that Speaker Cardwell was the ablest
that has filled the chair for years. Of
masterful resources, quick and clever
in deciding he guided his charges as
one who had handled the ribbons on
many a victorious track. A man of
xwoxdorf,,l x,stol;kxr onI aoa-<x.~ l.. ,>.ob
ably labored harder and accomplished
more for the State than any man in
the two houses. He was never tripped,
and only once in his thousands of decis-
ions was an appeal from the chair made,
| and then bya Democrat who afterwards
sustainedh is ruling, making his decision
unanimous among the Democratic
members. Personally Mr.. Cardwell is
one of the biggest hearted of men. 1t
makes his heart ache to say no to even
a political foe. A good illustration of
this, which was not given to the public,
was in little episode that occurred at
the close of the session. An aged Re-
publican representative from the south
west crept up to the Speakers stand
during busy moment and said: ''Mr.
Speaker, I want to say goodbye. You
have been the fairest man ever saw
If come back here it will be happy
moment to vote for you as speaker, and
l mean to tell my people SO, too" No
one but the political enemy heard the
whispered answer, but standing by one
could see tears start in the eyes of
each as the old man quietly crept back
to his seat
Commenting on the splendid body of
men the Times-Dispatch adds:
| One thing can be said in truth and
that is that it is a leaderless body, if
there ever was one It's members wore
no mans collar. This has been demon
strated time and again, and many have
been the occasions when strong men in
both branches haze been run over as if
they were mere children. One of the
leaders of the independent spirit in the
House is Hon. G. E. T. Lane, of Math-
ews, who perhaps made as much repu-
tation as any other new member in the
lower branch. Hon. Roger T. Greg
DRY, of King William, not unaptly
called ''the great objector of the
House." is another. Many were the
times that the keen eye of Gregory dis
covered weak point in a bill, and
often when he interposed his object
ions, Lane, Swift, Curlett, Mason and
other militant young spirits would
take up the cudgels and ''backstand
the member from New Kent" The
Senate likewise has it Independent
spirits, and often they put their heads
together and carried their points. In
this group are Sears, Strobe, Thomas,
Fulton and others, all men Of ability
and amply able-to take care of them
selves in any arena. Taking the per
sonnet of the two bodies as whole, il
is considered equal to that of any Leg
islature which has assembled here ii