Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-03-27
PITTS BLAME ON NOBODY.

I
with during the cause of the recent ses'
sion Yesterday submitted its report. The
first matter touched upon was the Ports
mouth water bond matter, in which con-
nection the committee says;
ave fad from the evidence that L. J.
Wool attorney for the Portsmouth,
Berkley and Suffolk Water Company,
had an amendment to offer to this bill
and by direction of Senator John 5.
Chapman, chairman Of the Senate COM
mittee on county, city and town organl-
cation. the amendment was filed with
the bill, to be laid before the committee
when the bill came up for consideration.
This amendment would have prevented
the sale of the bonds when the bill came
up for consideration. The amendment
was rejected and your committee finds
that no wrong appears in this matter.
On tn, bill relating to the payment OF
the expenses of lunatics the report says
in part
"From the evidence before the COM
mittee it is ascertained that in the SEN
ate committee substitute was offered
to the House bill and certain amend
ments were adopted to conform the
substitute to the views of the commit
tee. A subcommittee was appointed
to perfect a substitute along the lines
indicated, which reported back to The
committee two alternative substitutes
drawn by Conway r. Sands, neither OF
which met the views of the full commit
tee. The committee adopted the one
marked two, subject to certain amend
ments, to wit: Increasing the exemp-
tions of property from 81 900 to 81, 900
and providing that suit could be brought
only in the Circuit Court within the jur-
isdiction of which the insane defendant
lived; striking out that portion OF the
bill which allowed suit to be brought IN
Richmond or in the county or corpora
ton in which the hospital is located re-
ducing the compensation for collecting
from 30 to 10 per cent. of the recovery I;
which amendments were written on sep
arate slips of paper.
at is further ascertained that all these
amendments, which were of vital import
ance, were distracted or lost from the pa
pers before they were acted upon by the
Senate, but were subsequently reinserted
in the bill on the floor OF the Senate
Your committee is unable TO fix the re-
sponsiblity for this act upon any person
or persons.
1.-THE bill was closely followed from
its inception until alter it passed mo
the enrolling Office of Messrs. Conway
r. Sands and Philip B. Shields. We
find that Mr.. Ordway Fuller, member
of the conference committee on the part
of the House, acted with indiscretion 10
attempting TO insert into the report an
amendment increasing the compensation
of the special agent to be appointed I'M
der the provisions of the bill from 10 to
Is per cent. OF the amount involved
without the consent of his c0nferees.
We believe, however, that he was ac-
tuated by his friendship for Conway
r. Sands. Who as disclosed iE the eyi'
dence, was the author of the bill and ex-
pecled to be appointed by the Governor
as special agent. Notwithstanding the
many vicissitudes and attempted alter
nations to which this bill was subjected,
your committee deems it proper to state
that it eventually passed and became a
law in the form and shape intended by
the legislative body"
Continuing, the report says /:
In the course of the investigation it
came to the knowledge of your committee
that check for $25 had been sent to
the enrolling clerk, w. S. GDOcb, by A.
A. Campbell, another attorney for the
South and Western Railway Company,
through the medium of Clerk Joseph
Button, of the Senate. Mr. GoOch had
done some extra enrolling work, for
which the parties at interest thought he
should be compensated. Ii was noted
that no inducement had been held out
for doing this extra work, and compen-
salion, therefore, had been offered only
after the same had been performed.
! Mr.. Gooch declined to accept the check.
"Ynur committee finds that no fraud
or bride WAS either attempted or COM
mitted, and while generating all the
parties to this transaction of any evil in
| tent your committee does desire to ex
press its strong condemnation of the
practice Of offering money as either pay
or reward to public officers and employees
for doing public duty. The commit
tee recommends that the rules be so
amended as to require the enrolling clerk
to enroll bills in the order in which they
pass the general assembly"
This report is signed by John w.
Churchman (chairman). R. 7. Gregory,
Aylell 3. Coleman and John p. Mel
meyer.
Senator T. Ashby Wickbam, of Hen
rico, lies a dissenting report, in which
he says, in part
~ do not think that evidence shows
that either Mr.. Sands or Mr.. Shields
has done anything in this matter forbid
den by law or good morals. AS to
Mr.. Fuller, ii appears that in writing
the conference report he acted hurrledly
and without sufficient warrant in assum-
ing that Mr.. Chapman knew of and APP
proved his proposed amendment in the
conference committee, changing the
agents compensation from 10 to 10 per
cent, but il does not appear that he
acted in bad faith.
Death of Dr. Nelson.
DIR. Hugh Thomas Nelson, GO years
nd. died in Charlottesville Yesterday