Evening star., 1912-03-10
END OF THE SESSION
Virginia Legislature Leaves
Many Bills on the Calendars.
BREACH AMONG MEMBERS
Hostility Developed Between City
and Rural Districts.
RETALIATION ON MEASURES
Redistricting of the State Predicted
at Next General Assembly-Fight
on Liquor to Be Renewed.
BREACH AMONG MEMBERS
RETALIATION ON MEASURES

Special Dispatch to The Star.
RICHMOND. Va, March 9.-Coming
to an end tonight after session of
sixty days, the members OF the general
assembly began leaving for their homes
this afternoon. and by Monday MORN
ing unless the unforeseen happens. not
more than score will be here to hold
q constructive session while the gov
ernor is signing the measures which
have passed The session has been de-
void OF legislation of any particular
moment, but it has developed for the
first time a hostility between the city
and the rural districts which has Great
ed a breach which will be long time
in healing. The breach is best de-
scribed as being almost on a line with
the liquor question-certainly to great
extent. The tenseness Of the situa-
tion was disclosed when the senate be-
gan to throw down the house bills,
and the house began the same tactics
in order to bring the senate to its
senses
The adjournment of the legislature
has left more than hundred bills on
the calendars, a condition which has
not obtained for long time. Time
and vain fights to defeat measures
which were known to be ready for
enactment. and which were issues In
the campaign, were waged by members
who were determined to do by a small
filibuster what they could not and did
not have the least hope Of accomplish
ing by force Of numbers. This is par
ticularly true Of the lime bill. meas
ure which is intended to benefit the
farmers by furnishing them with agris
cultural lime, ground by convicts in
state employ, at a rate which Will en-
less than one-fourth that now being
paid.
Many Measures Buried.
Buried under big load Of measures
ahead of them on the calendar, the bills
to elect school trustees by direct vote OF
the people and to abolish optional COM
pulsory education have been killed. with
the people asking for their enactment.
The bill to provide for the election of
members of the state corporation commis-
sion by the people was also put to death,
and the same system of appointment by
the governor will obtain. Another meas
ure which was killed was that seeking to
prevent the pollution of streams from
which cities take their drinking water. The
bill which sought to preclude the appoint
ment, Endorsement or employment of any
nearer relative than third cousin by any
state official, aimed at system OF nepo-
tism, which has a fixed and firm hold on
the state, also went down, as did the bill
to require clerks in the state departments
to work eight hours a day.
Redistricting Next Time.
With the congressional redistricting bill
out of the way-wherein the sixth district
lost Halifax and Charlotte, those counties
going to help out Judge E. W. Saunders
of the fifth-there comes the announce
ment that the democrats of the ninth dis
trict are at work to have the next general
assembly take up the matter, and TO pro-
vide for the shaking up of the entire state
with a view to getting solid democratic
delegation in the lower branch OF the Con-
with the liquor question, which was Won
by the vets, prevented any interference
with the districts at this time, there being
a lack of time in which to work out the.
details without seriously interfering with
the success of the liquor people
Another Contest Coming.
That the Anti-Saloon League will again
renew the lighting against the liquor traf-
ic in Virginia Is announced. There is
reason to believe that the campaign will
be such that the matter. will be put
suuarely up to the members of both
branches to do exactly what they said
they favored-allow the general assembly
todeclare for statewide prohibition, and de-
cline TO let the people of the state vote on
the propositions There is good reason 10
believe that the democrats will suffer as
a result of the action of the legislature
in rejecting the statewide scheme-that Is,
letting the people vote on the question
Politicians are pointing out that the re-
publicans of the senate had the chance OF
their lives to wreck the party. but with
single exception the republicans voted in
opposition to the bill which passed the
house.
Roosevelt Strength Waning.
That Col Roosevelt has lost strength
and is losing daily is the declaration
of those who have watched the trend
of events for the last two weeks. When
Col. Roosevelt shied his hat in the ring
and then climbed over the ropes. there
was a little confusion and some COM
ment as to what would happen in Vir-
ginia. The faction of the party known
as the outs saw in the declaration some
ray of hope for being returned to their
former positions. but there is no such
sentiment at this time. except in a
few sporadic cases. The reported con-
test between Alvah III. Martin and Royal
l.. Cabell for member of the republican
national committee has petered out,
and Mr.. Martin will win In walk.
The state convention assemblies at
Roanoke Tuesday. and what was at one
time thought to be lively occasion is
now believed will result in sort of
love feast. President Taft will get all
the delegates from Virginia. and will
do so without even a struggle.
Opposing Woman Suffrage.
fThe Virginia Association of Con-
servatiye Women is to be the name of
an organization which is soon to be
formed here for the purpose of op-
posing the moven1ent which developed
here a few months ago looking to votes
for women. The presence i'm the capitol
of many well known ladies who were
working for the enactment of the equal
suffrage amendment to the constitution
had the effect of creating opposition
among other ladies. and they have been
agitating this matter for some time, and
are on the eve of launching the counter
organization The stand is taken that
il is woman'S sphere to remain at the
hame to be the mistress of that and
10 rear children, training them to be
useful men and women. The movement
was kept secret for some weeks, and
today there are more than 200 prominent
women who are said to be connected