Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-03-18
CLOSE OF THE LEGISLATURE.
synopsis Of the Work Done---More
Bills Killed than Passed.

Synopsis Of the Work Done---More
Bills Killed than Passed.
Richmond, Va, March 12.-Ending
session remarkable for its industry,
but not for its sensational features, and
notew orthy rather for the bills it has
killed than for the measures it has
passed, the 1910 General Assembly of
Virginia has passed into history. When
the gravel of Speaker Byrd fell at half
an hour before midnight last night all
of the business that it had been decided
to pass had been disposed of. The SEN
ate had stopped work some time be-
fore.
Conditions were somewhat different
in the two houses. Everything was
passed on the Senate calendar except
ing those bills to which there were
three objections, while in the House
quite a number of Senate bills were left
on the calendar. They were for the
most part measures of particular i'm
portance.
Of course, the event of the day was
the passage of the general appropriation
bill. The conference committee work
ed for the greater part of the day and
their report was accepted without
demur by both bodies. The utmost
good feeling prevailed and the confid-
ence shown in the conference commit
tee was marked.
The Byrd oil bill in the Senate went
the way of good many other meas
ures, but it was practically the only
revenue bill which was not enacted.
The Finance committee chairman saw
to 1T that the other tax measure went
through. A strong effort was made to
get senatorial action on this one, but
the opposition was too strong.
= The Lime bill went down in defeat
in the Senate. The Richmond, Fred
ericksburg and Potomac Railroad will
not merge, and it is presumed that it
will not surrender it's charter. There
is to be no change in the relations of the
State and of this railroad during the
coming biennial period.
Analysis of the appropriation bill is
not possible just yet, however, the Leg
islature was as liberal with all of the
State institutions, including the normal
schools, as it felt, it could be. The
houses were not far apart on the mat
tiers.
Primary schools get good showing.
Good roads got better than expected.
The fees of the secretary of the COM
monwealth were restored. The office
of Virginia military records will be
abolished on February %, 1911. Ca
tawba Sanatorium gets liberal sum
and the health work will not suffer in
the least.
Much interest centers in the after
math of Noell's charges as based on
the Philadelphia physician he quoted
tonight.
On the House calendar there perish
cd all the primary bills, the Wlckham
Byrd oyster bill, the game bills, the
Throckmorton dairy bill, the West fee
bill, the income tax listing bill and
every one of the manifold liquor and
prohibition bills, saving and excepting
the Byrd bill.
Constructive sessions will be held in
both houses for the next four or five
days to permit Lieutenant overnol
.Ellyson and Speaker Byrd to sign bills
as they are enrolled. But the work is
over; no more bills will be considered.
| A feature of the night was the defeat
of the House bill of extra pay for mem
bers at the present rate of $500 for sixty
days should the session extend ninety
days. The Senate agreed to add the
additional $3.50. The House thought
$500 for the three months session suf
icient. Thus ended the Senate bill.
"Financially," said leader tonight,
"the Generally Assembly of 1910 has
saved the commonwealth"
| One of the hardest measures to gel
through was the coordination bill, per
tanning to unifying all the agricultural
interests and boards for the betterment
and concentration of the farming inter
ests. The appropriation, however, was
cut to $1,000.
The Senate agreed to the House reso-
tuition, extending the session five days
from tonight in order to give the clerks
chance to get up with the work
in hand and to permit the examination
of bills after they have been enrolled
and to have them presented to the gov
ernor. No bills of any sort are to be
considered and the sessions yet to be
held are purely constructive.
In conference committee on the ap-
preparation bill the House won on
practically every point, and the bill a
reported has been increased only about
$35, 600 over and above the bill as re-
ported to the House. The bill abolishes
the office of military records and allows
the governor to name clerk, to have
the naming of man to hold the place
under the direction of the adjutant-gen-
eral The agreed bill gives to the pub
lie schools five hundred thousand dol
Lars, increases the road fund to one
hundred and fifty thousand for the first
year and two hundred thousand for the
second year. Criminal expenses are
fixed at four hundred thousand year.