The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-19

inter nos for the plums, there Is dan
ger, apparently not small that in the
uproar the pium-tree itself will be up
rooted and nobody get anything.
It's Days Are Numbered.
Twenty-Five days, including four Sum
days, II is recalled In this connection, re-
main of the session, and 1t is now al
dent, almost beyond question, that there
will be neither an extension. without pay,
nor an extra session with pay. The
members, as might be supposed, are
averse to the one. and the Governor. as
heretofore, stated, Is unwilling to the
other. Within the twenty-five days, or
eighteen, more properly speaking, the
General Assembly by unremitting toll.
may. perhaps. succeed in disposng of
about one,tenth of the business spread
out before it: the remainder will go by
default. Fights mean delay and delay
means certain death in the maelstrom
Two bills were passed In the Senate yes
terday ard none on the day before. On
each day at least dozen new bills
were introduced.
Incident in Senate.
Attention was formally called to the
matter by Mr.. Strobe. of Amherst, on
Friday. at which time reference was
made on the floor OF the Senate to the
I
the normal school forces
The occasion for the incident was the
reception from the House of Delegates of
bill it had just passed appropriating
$4,000 annually for the benefit of the
high school system This bill Is almost
identically the same as that introduced in
the Senate by Judge Mann, of Nottoway.
The Mann bill has been reported favor
ably by the Senate Committee on Public
institutions and Education. The same
committee has reported In favor of three
normal schools. with an appropriation OF
$4,000 for each. Both of these PROPOSE
tions. since they called for the expendi-
ture of money-high schools. $4,000; nor
NAL Schools S150,oo0-went then to the
Finance Committee, where they are now,
and where, 1t Is claimed, the high school
bill will fare badly.
When the House high school bill, al
ready passed in the lower branch, came
over the opportunity 1t offered for
flank movement on the normal school
forces was at once seized. 1t was point
ed out by the Amherst senator. who Is
an ardent high-school man, holding that
before the norr1als are established, the
needs OF the high schools. which are to
feed them, should be served, unless both
could be accomplished at once, which
be erected is reduced, that within the
brief remainder of the session the Gen
cral Assembly would find 1t utterly iI-
possible to consider anything like nll the
bills before It, The necessity, therefore.
of insuring action upon at least the mat
tiers of vital Importance, arc considered
very urgent.
The people OF Virginia expected road
laws and school laws, and If the As
sembly had to sidetrack every other bill
OH the calendar 1t should net ut once
upon these two.
With this preliminary, Mr.. Strobe pro
cceded to attempt to wrest the high
school brl from the Finance Committee,
which he seemed to consider necessary
to insure it's safety. leaving the Mann
bill to It's fate he cndenvored to have
the Senate committees Mt once dis
charged from consideration of the
House bill with view to having tho
latter placed upon the calendar at once.
After n short but sharp fight the move
ment failed. The Senate agreed to dis
charge the Committee on Public Insti-
tutions and Education, to which the bill
would have first gone, but set Its foot
down there with the result that the
House bill now reposes in the Finance
Committee alongside the Mann bill.
After some sparring Mr.. Strobe made n
plain statement of the situation as he
viewed 1t.
Warning Among Themselves.
i ut is an open secret here" he de-
clared, that there is fight on between
the normal school people and the high
school people. There are about dozen
senators who want Il normal school for
their particular constituency, and while
not more than three at the utmost, and
perhaps not more than one will be es-
tablished as long as there Is prospect
for any at all each of the dozen has
hopes and all are working for normal
schools and opposing Anything that
might divert the money necessary to
inaugurate the system
We think $4,000 a year very little for
State aid to high schools, but facing this
combination we are afraid that we will
be overwhelmed and will not get even
that. Therefore want this bill taken
from the committee and placed on the
calendar 80 that we may act upon It on
the floor where think we have some
hope for success A majority OF the
Finance Committee are In favor of
normal schools. understood that the
committee Is unfayorable to the high
school bill ,S
~ do not know where tho senator
from Amherst received his information" 7.
said Mr. Wiokham. Of Hanover, chair
man Of the committee. and think
\, 4. ~, 81 Il &t,u %haua ,,,at