The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-04


scribe the present Legislative
" situation.
Yesterday the House of Dec
gates during most of the forenoon,
and the Senate during most of the
afternoon. wrangled over the question
of whether the Governor should be re-
quested to call an extra session, OF
the present session extended, or the
session allowed to expire on next Satur-
day by constitutional Limitation.
The House voted for an extended
session for thirty days. with an ad-
jcurnment from the 9TH until the 30th.
and. indirectly rejected the proposition
for a called session. The Senate, how
ever, directly refused to ask Tor an
extra session or to extend the session.
II the action Is not rescinded-and a
vote to reconsider is pending-Judse
blackstone cannot be removed, unless
the Governor should, of his own motion,
call an extra session. Neither can the
great mass Of business now on the cal
endars OF the two houses be disposed OF
Indeed it is doubtful whether the ap-
preparation bill itself can De peii T.
ed by Saturday night. Certainly II
could not be, without the sacrifice OF
practically everything else upon the
Senate calendar.
Remarkable Situation.
The situation would not be 1ulty
met by concurrence In the resoiu.'on
which has passed the House. Thnt
r.solution excludes the consideration.
during the extended session, OF every
thing but the Blackstone matter.
II the appropriation bill should tai!
of enactment by Saturday night II
would, OF course, be out OF the question:
for the General Assembly to come oack
later and decline to act upon II. III.
deed there are many other matters
nnon the calendar which might Wen
iustifv the attention of the members
for a day or two, even at their own
The whole mixup is fine illustration
of the unwisdom of the sixty day ses-
sion. against wnicn the Legislature mas
protested at this session ana ''te 'f' :
In the Senate yesterday the Dill
which excited the most acute interest
was that to establish retirement fund
for teachers of public schools VINO
shall have served the State IN that
capacity for twenty years or more.
Fair representatives Of the professor
thronged the lobbies and the galleries
during the discussion, not only eNinc-
% ing Keen interest, but appealing in a
most bewitching and convincing man
ner for the votes of the members.
The success of the measure in the SEN
ate, against strong opposition, ana the
fact that large majority Of the othef
house are pledged to the bill, demon
strates the effectiveness of their work
The fact, too, that it will be many
Years before any Of them will be quail.
lied to receive the benefits Of the bill
makes their interest appear all the
more patriotic.
The firemen's relief bill, which hae
passed the House, was passed BY TN
Senate and now e gees Q 10 70 the GoVernor NOR
struggle. Senator Parks, himself
fireman, has advocated the measure TO-
years
pelegate Markham, Of Portsmouth,
whose predecessor. Mr. Bland. wa
long a Champion Of the bill. The. Sen
ate also authorized the sale Of tn
Jamestown EXposition Grounas ssa 70 N m
House child labor bill with amend
ments. and disposed Of other meas
ures Of interest, including the appro
priation Of $4,000 to the Board %
Hills Passed by House.
The House, after O. .racy, debate
passed the so-called pink tea bill
which prohibits betting at any a,ows Mna -,
'''square" games, provided not NOR
than $40 is won or lost within twenty
four hours. The proposed bill make
l.. no dlSllHCliOH duu fllS pei'S w o6 =
is branded as misdemeanor. Should
the Senate put the stamp Of its ap
prevail upon the measure, the gentle
mans game of cards, (once) so,familia
to quite number of members of TIL
Virginia Legislature, will be no longe
a source of innocent merrment, but
crime. Just how such a law could b
enforced without the invasion of prl
quite clear.
Whether rowdy games, played 70
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