The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-15

4 these. desirable citizens, we Cannot SCI
why the Northern Italians should b
excluded because from Sicily at,'
CalabrIa come others who regard th,
4 Malta and, Black Hand as natural an,
proper methods for business or re-
venge.
The true way to deal 1.-THE situa
| ton is not to indict a whole nation
but rather to refuse admission to, OF
upon conviction of certain crimes de
port, those persons whose training, as
socations or antecedents mark them a.
unnt to assin,.!a.e oiir institutions anf
become IN spirit as we'll as in fac
American citizens. tsgs
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THE WORK. OF THE LEGISLATURE
AT the conclusion OF the Legislative
'labors OF the Legislature The Times
Dispatch congratulates itself upon the
excellent service 1t has been able t.
render Hts readers and the people OF
Virginia by means OF the lucid analyses
and narratives by Mr.. Lewis IL
Machep OF the work .of the General
Assembly. which have from time to
time appeared In these columns. We
feel that the publicity thus afforded
was OF service to the members them
selves, giving them succinct informa
tion concerning the more important
matters considered. and, In one case.
at least, publication in The Times
Dispatch effected very radical change
of front towards a bill that was being
strongly supported. AS the Legisla-
ture has practically completed its
work, we may sum up .what las been
accomplished.
AT the outset. let 1t be said that this
Legislature was distinctly conservative.
without being subservient to corporate
interests. The spirit of discrimination
some ill-considered and radical bills
We're offered. yet in the main. the
enacted laws were not conceived In
animosity nor passed In unfairness.
the paralleling OF tho Richmond. Fred
ericksburg and Potomac Railway was
hailed as a great triumph of the anti
monopoly spirit. 1t remains to be seen
whether the. people of Virginia will
gain any material benefit from this
enactment. It would certainly be Of
great service to Richmond to have
connections with Manassas and tho
Northern Neck. as we'll as to those sec
tions themselves. but there will be
neither profit nor advantage in spend
ing money to parallel the Richmond.
and Potomac IL that
road is able to do all the work that Is
offered to it at the present low prices
which 1t charges for freight and pas
sengcr service.
The Times-Dispatch deplores the
failure Of a bill for uniform bookkeep-
ing perhaps more than any other meas
IRE that did not gain final enactment.
Here in the vicinity of Richmond we
have had continuous troubles with our
county treasurers. not from any in
tention upon their part to commit mis-
feasance In Office. but because the sys-
TEN of bookkeeping which they are
allowed to maintain is an almost UNI
avoidable trap and snare to such be-
havior rs would demand the imme-
date discharge. of any private person
In tiducary capacity. From
every part of the State in which treas
urers' books have been examined we
have received exactly the same reports.
and though the matter does not seem
Of great Importance. we do not believe
that more salutary piece of leglsla-
ton could have been effected than to
give Virginia uniform system of
Likewise, the bill aimed
at the formulation of uniform sys-t
tenn of taxation sought to remedy one
of the most glaring defects in our
whole administration. But, again. the
slow strength of the happy posscssors
of governmental favors was too grea:
to be overcome, and the Old Dominion
will have to battle along for two years
more with six watches reported in one
county and 600 in another, and cattle
assessed all the way from IS to Sis a
head.
The position of The Dispatch.
on oyster legislation is too we'll known
to need further explanation here. Other
important bills that failed Of passage
w.l be found in the summary of the
work of the General Assembly, pub
lished elsewhere In to-day's paper.
In analyzing the work ofathe Legis-
lature, 1t is a striking fact that nearly
all of its important measures fell un-
der two distinct heads, one of which
comprises sociological work and the
other public expenditure for roads and
pensions. Under the former head We
find the establishment of local option
for compulsory education. a geological
survey, school OF mines and two
normal schools for the educational
part of 1t. On the sociological side
may be mentioned the increased pow
ers for the Board of Health, the en-
tension of the child labor law. the