The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-11
House Custom Makes Ii
Possible to I amper With
Important Measures.
SENATE COURSE
MUCH THE BEST
Not Likely That Tax Reduction
Will Be Made at This Time,
Clearly Indicated BY De
bate and Cloak-Room C
Talk ~ Lively
Debate.
by LEWIS II. MAcHEA.

BY LEWIS II. MACHEN.
The legislative day In the Senate
yesterday was q brief fifteen minutes,
and that OF the House was single
hour, part OF which In both houses was
employed in prayer. Prayer in legisia.
tive assemblies Is not always as sue
cessful as 1T might be, and results dn
not invariably strengthen ones faith
in ITS efficacy.
In the Virginia Legislature, how
ever. the prayers are usually earnest
and In good taste, and are heard re-
lverently by the members standing With
bowed heads. and the Lords Prayer Is
used, as In the Senate to-day. the mem
bers unite In repeating 1t. To those wiio
daily witness the opening OF the ses
sion OF the two houses 1t seems strange
that Benjamin Franklin, whose pfety
was not his strongest point, should
have found 1t necessary to make
speech on the floor, OF the convention
which framed the Constitution OF the,
United States. in favor of opening the
proceedings with prayer for Divine !
guidance. In Virginia the custom is
fixed. and Is regarded as entirely nat
ural and proper.
Few Bills in Senate.
In the Senate there We're but fen
hills introduced, most Of the members
having exhausted their supply on
Thursday. In the House the rush still
continued. and Will doubtless continue
next week. i3ssa
In the Senate all bills are printed
las soon as introduced, and on the
morning following copies are placed
Ion the desk of each member of both
houses. In the House the custom has
been to print only those which are re-
quired by resolution of the House
to be printed. and the others are not
lprinted until they have been reported
from the committees 1t does not seem
/ clear why this Discrimination should
be made against the House bills. 1t. Is
tue they are more numerous thar
those of the Senate, but 1t cannot be
presumed that they are less Important
or that 1t is less necessary that the
members Of the two houses should
know what Is being proposed in the
House. The result Is that, as a rule,
members of the two houses have nc
| specific knowledge OF what the Houss
bills contain until the measures have
been passed upon by the committees.
Then, in many cases, the knowledge
Genes too late.
The practical Inconvenience Of obs
tanning copies OF House bills Is con
obtain a copy from the patron, Which
| the patron may not have, or hunt up
lthe proper committee and get the
| original bil--a practice which makes
| 1t possible to tanper with a bill-and
| have copy made atathe expense OF
| the person who wishes 1t. 1t would {
seem that the State Treasury could
those bills OF the House, at least, which
deal With matters OF general interest. =
In the Senate the official proceedings
! were too brief to be entertaining. At
| ter adjournment q caucus OF the Demo-
cratic members OF the body assembled
to hear the report of the steering conf
mittee, as to the committees of the
Senate which had been selected. These
committees will be elected by the Sen
ate on Monday.
The committees OF the House will be
announced atitte same time. There will
4 be no session OF either house to-day.
Debate on Tax Reduction.
In the House the feature OF the ses-
sion was the debate upon the Joint
resolutitn OF Delegate Read. looking
toa reduction, OF the tay rate for State
purposes from 35 to 80 cents per hun.
dred dollars. Mr.. Read defended his
| position with force and feeling, butt
was apparent that the current was
against him from the start. Most OF (
the speeches opposed the reduction,
and the ,Withers substitute, asking the
Finance Committees of both houses 70
report within thirty days upon the
Feasibility Of the reduction. was adopt
Cd by a majority Of more than two TO
one.
The debate was conducted in good
form. the speeches being brief, clear
and full Of meat.
Though a good deal may be said In
Etavor Of u reduction Of the rate OF
4 taxation, it was clear from these
lspeeches and from the private express
sIsons OF members that It is not gen
3Ierally deemed wise to make the reduc-
tion at this time. Though the surplus
In the treasury has grown the past two
iIytars. itiiis replized that the sources
Iotrevenue in times of business depres-
sion are subject to decline. and there
arc few law, makers to8whonl a surplus
fIhas the same tarrors as detclt. BE,
jtsides, it is svident that the present
}iLcgislaturs has in view large schemes
i Tor progressive public Improvement
/ for WI tch larae part OF available