The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-12
Legislators Grimly Deter
mined to Be gin Real
Work Without Delay
CERTAIN DEATH
FOR MANY BILLS
Rush to Save Pet Measures from
Tomb Will Enliven Early
Weeks Of the Session.
Trying to Prevent
Committee Con
gestion.
BY LEWIS II. n1AcHES.

BY LEWIS H. MACHEN.
Like banquet halls deserted were the
two chambers OF the Legislature yes
terday. No feat OF reason. or unraason:
no flow OF soul, or OF anything; only
silence. which some say Is golden. No
life preservers for the State were ton
dered. calling incidentally for large
appropriations. In word, the Legis-
llature was not in session.
AS the routine work had heen nearly
all accomplished the committees not
finally announced and large number
OF bills and resolutions already ac-
cumulated, there was no occasion for
a session Of either body. After the first
breAthlng space before beginning the
long race will doubtless prove bene-s
fcial.
Some Of the members. especially those
Who live near Richmond, availed tt1enl-s
selves OF this opportunity to make o
flying visit to their homes. Many, how
ever. remained and busted themselves
With routine matters and In, preparation
for the task which they will undertakes
next week.
Perhaps there never was a Legisia-
ture which assembled with such grim
determination to get down to business
early and vigorously. The experience
OF last session furnished a warning not
to be disregarded. Then five or SIX
hundred bills. which had been more
or less maturely considered by COM
mittees died upon the calendars bs-
cause there was not time enough to
reach them.
That the same thing. perhaps to
greater extent, will happen this session
lis certain enough. But every member
wishes to rescue his favorite measures
frTsv, <oS1 ut,
quilted In the capacious tomb of
final adjournment. s 81
The Long Parliament.
The first session Of the legislature
after the proclamation OF the new
Constitution, known as the Long Par
Lament, sat during parts OF three years.
and was unrestricted as to time. 1T
Is true that Legislature accomplished
a vast deal OF work, but 1t was not
hurried.
1t adjourned the day before the next
General Assembly convened, beQueatll-
ing some unfinished business. chiefly
OF detail. The mass Of work which the
Long Parliament had done was in the
hands of the printers and did not mako
its appearance until some weeks after
the new Legislature convened. Few OF
the old members, II any, knew what
the old Legislature had accomplished.
about It. and the public generally were
In Egyptian blackness It is not easy
to propose to change the law until one
knows what the law Is. The old menl-
bers had wellntgh exhausted their con-
structive craftsmanship in the session
OF 1902-3-4. and did not offer many
bills except to perfect their work,
which they considered pretty nearly
perfect.
The new member who came forward \
with new proposition was generally
politely given to understand that he
had good deal to learn about the
|n.atter-which was In most cases truea
and the sources OF information were
not always accessible.
Furthermore. the new members
found the old ones so bound together
by long association that they were as
|dit11cult to scatter as the Old Guard OF
Napoleon. There Is no wonder, then,
that the "Acts Of 1907 Is a slim book,
most OF whose contents were but fill-.,
|ings in of the work OF the preceding
session. The general primary bill was
talked to death in the Senate by two
or three voluble gentlemen, on the last
day of the session, but few other meas
ures perished prematurely.
Different Story In 1906.
The session Of 1905 had a different
story to tell. The work OF the Long
Parliament had gone forth. For the
most part it was we'll and thoroughly
done, but amendments to so large a
mass Of new legislation were naturally
demanded. Many OF the members who
were new In 1904 We're old in 1905, and 1
began to seek recruits among those
who were new in 1906. There was q
new alignment which might be roughly
designated as prosressives and con-s
sarvatives, though each man. no dou BIT.
claimed to be both progressive and
conservative. The result was mass
of bills, some strongly amendatory OF
existing law and some upon entirely
new lines, which the conservatives
called radical. The controversiesso ovtsis "
some Of these measures were vigorous
to the verge OF bitterness.
Rlocked by Investigation.s
The spirit OF investigation was
abroad In the Legislature OF 1905, Any
member who had any doubts regard
Ing any Institution. officer or sappointeeG
had but to present a resolution for an d
before or after the atl
OF the Legislature, and tbs
thing went through like a. cannon ball.
The opinion seemed to prevail that a.
demurrer to the Indictment Is equiv
alent to a plea OF guilty. and the
friends OF the accused persons and ms
stitutions We're the loudest In their
demands for investigation. No doubt
some OF these invesu cations did good;
perhaps all did good, Az any rate.
much OF the time and attention OF
the Legislature was thus occupied.
The conclusion OF the whole matter
was that there was such congestion
OF business before the committees dur
Ing the latter half Of the session that
full consideration OF measures was In
most cases impossible. The calendars
became hopelessly crowded, and only
measures about which there was no \
controversy had much hope OF success
Tha lesson has been we'll learned by
the present Legislature. Consequently
there is an early rush ct bills, and
there will be Immediate and strenuous
efforts to have them considered by 4
their respective committees