Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-03-01
REPUbL|CAssARE
NOT|PLEAsED WITH
! WORK OF SESSION
NOT ONE SINGLE CAMPAIGN
PROMISE WAS FULFILLED BY
THE MAJORITY-PAss MANY
LOCAL BILLS-BOARD OF CON-
troll BILL WAS MOST IMPOR-
TANT MEASURE ENACTED.

When the leg stature OF 1909 al
journed at O'Clock yesterday morn
iHg sine die, IT left no record of
great achievements behind 1T. 1t
was a session OF omission rather
than OF commission. IL came here
10 do certain things and left with
those things undone. 1t was a dis
apo. ntment to Governor Dawson,
but greater disappointment to
elect Glasscock 1t may
become necessary now for him to
cal' an extra session IN 1910. OF
course this Is all speculation but
4 Glasscock remains in his present
frame OF mind for year. the extra
session will be forthcoming.
From Republican standpoint the
legislature was a complete failure.
in the platform on WHICH the Repub-
lean members rode into office were
four p edges to the people. One TO
submit the prohibition amendment.
The second to enact a local option
law. Another to pass primary
bin of some -bhd and last, to pass
an employers liabiIty act. The
failure of the legislature to pass
single one of these measures will
have Ito fall upon the Republicans
FOR they had a two-tM rds majority
each branch of the legislature.
There is one bright spot in the
legislative history of 1909. That
was the day when the Legislature
pas. ed the board Of control Dtl, the
most important measure enacted at
this session. This means the doing
away with a the boards of regents
that are supposed to manage the sew
eral institutions OF the state, and
centrapzing the control in the hands
Of three competent men. Another
bill of some importance to the south
ern part of the state was the "p.s-
tol toting' bill OF Senator Johnson,
which passed both houses after some
opposition. This bll will do away
with, to a large extent, the unwar-
ranted shcot,ngs THAI have occurred
n Fayette, Mcdowell, Mercer and
Mingo counties, casting blot upon
the entire state.
A general gc2d roads measure
was enacted and two other meas
ure5 providing for revenues to keep
mp the roads. These were bills that
should have been enacted years ago,
but the legislature put them off.
No Production Tax
One of the things that the legis-
allure failed to do, and which, by
the way, pleased majority of the
people o fthe state, was to pass the
bills placing production tax on
coal, oil and gas. The legislature
also saw that it was not WISE to pass
The public service commission bill.
The governor wanted this bill pass
ed very much and wou d have call
ed an extra session TO follow tho
present one had a majority Of the
enat not advised him against 1t.
What held back the Legislature to
urge extent was the number Of
local bills that were considered
Nearly every member a. the legisla-
ture came to Charleston with a b. |
IN his pocket creating the indepen-
lent school district OF Lonesome
Creek or Incorporating the q ty of
Hollowvllle. The delegates were
afraid to oppose these bI1s when
hey were introduced for fear the
patrons would inturn work against
them.
Many Charter Bills
OG the SO b. lis that were passed
"a of them were Of rocal charac-
er. OF thege local bills, the two
that attracted the most attention
we're the Huntington and Charleston
charter bills. A specia train came
here from Huntington, bringing
hundred OF her enthusiastic citizens
TO impress upon the legislature the
value Of tho proposed Huntington
aharter The advertising worked ald
the charter went through without
he slghtest difficulty. Charleston's
charter was not begun until the SEES
son was half over. But there was
he same interest manifested in It,
md after several hearings it too