The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-05

80 IT. .ncccas In the Fifth district !.
| MIR Jennings Of Lynchburg. wanted
4. tha Halifax man to explain now tne
! House Democrats could hold tnei
.s,yes free 10 vote for the smeno-
Mani offered by the Senate when the
| House caucus had adopted resoIu-
| ton that the districts should All
! main as they now are. AS paIe.
man he wanted to KNOW NO"
! could get around that. ~
! MIR. Stebbins said that the House mao
| kept faith by passing the bill as u
came from the caucus. but that tne
matter now came UP as an oriei'ia'
proposition and further that pracu
caliy all parties In interest nad asrceo
10 the change.
The vote was then taken ana inc
bill with the Senate amendment ADOPT
ed by IS to IL. the Republican mem
/ bers voting selidly asainst H. ana
! few Democrats opposing II.
The House then took recess 'ho
hour OF two having arrived.
Afternoon Session.
| When the House resumed it's scs-
! sion at 80 o'clock "a number OF SER
ate bills were passed. here being haro
/ lights however. over some OF tneh''
! one of the most interesting contests
!
| tated over Senate bill 1856, the OBJ
/ ject OF which Is to do away with any
| further prorating of pensions sach
| az was resorted to last year Nhen,
! the pension fund having fallen snort
I 10 per cent. the pensioners were ohls
/ paid 30 per cent. by the auditor I'M
! I'll the Legislature convened ana MADE
| appropriation to cover the remaining
| 10 per cent. The bill provided that
! - a car
| so long as the money lasts in the or
| der that pensioners were placed on
the roll. leaving the recent pension
| els In the cold in case Of Il deficit. the
bill was passed in this shape MT:
| Oliver moved a reconsideration, ana
had the motion passed by for the
time. Later in the evening 1t was
| reached again, and Mr.. Oliver led a
| successful Hsht ca the faeastFe.it be-
| ing the sense of the House that 1t
would be far better to treat all PEN
sioners on the ROLL alike e9en- n
| necessary to cut off 10 per cent, than
! il would be to absolutely leaves I'M
cared for any pensioner lawfully on
| the roll, the measure being dismissed
! from the calendar Mr.. Bowman of
| Roanoke county, and Mr. Love, OF
| Lunenburg. championed the bill on the
| ground that it might be better to have
! or 10 per cent. of the pensioners
| left on than to have them ali mad for
| being cut down. Judge Williams de-
| clared that ii was not a question or
anyone being made mad. but whether
| or not some of the needy should he
| forced to go-to-t the poor hnuse--He
! was supported In strong argument
| by Mr.. Oliver, and the vote dismiss
followed in short order.
| Relief for Alexandria
After strenuous effort on the part
| of Mr.. Moncure. Of Alexandria, SEN
ate bill 100. which gives boards OF
supervisors In counties having a popu-
| lation In excess OF 500 to the square
mile the same power possessed by
councils in cities an dtowns, with the
| limitation that where they seek to
enact law in addition to the powers
they now have the judge OF the Cir
cult Court may have a veto power
thereon. and shall summon witnesses
and take testimony with reference
thereto. as in the trial OF any other
cases. Mr.. Moncure explained that
while the measure was general In
terms, 1t was meant to give relief to
an intolerable situation in Alexandria
county, where a. number of small
towns had sprung up with no central
authority TO promote or supervise
works of permanent improvement. OF
do those things which are found ne
cessary to be done in connection with
a rapidly growing and thickly settled
community. which had not yet reach
, ed that state which would permit OF
general Incorporation,
White Makes Attack.
Mr.. White assailed the bill as being
combination of the legislative and
judicial powers In the person of the
! Judge, and said that 1t would mean
that the judge could aid In making q
: law one day which he would be called
upon to consider in his judicial ca.
pacity the next. He declared that In
5 this case the hand that made the Law
must deal out Justice under the law
and that 1t would he a monstrosity
He had. he said. heard that in Alex
andria county there were two fac
tons, each of which was afraid of the
other. Hence the proposal to place
the judge of the court in this anon
alous position.
Mr.. Moncure asked Mr.. White II hi
.. would be satisfied II he would y,
amend the measure that 1t would ap
ply only to counties having less thar
fifty square miles
Mr.. White replied that 1t should
not apply TO any spot in the United
States.
A Great ObJcctor.
Mr.. Mcncure replied that he hat
hoped that the objector from Rock.
bridge would not have been heard
from In connection with this matter
and he was of the opinion that If the
Lords prayer were introduced in the
House the Rockbridge man woulc
object TO 1t on the grounds of its con
stitutionality
He then made . complete exposi'
f+tiefr of the situation III his county
, He declared that there was a popula.
.. ton Of some $4,000 people who were
clamoring for some form of relief. Mr.
White had offered an amendment tt
the measure taking the authority Of
, the judge away so far as It pertaineC
to local legislation. Mr.. Moncure de-
clared that HIS people did not want q
measure 50 amended. They wanted
the whole bill or none at all. 1t WA
the first measure In twenty-five Years
ii on which all parties an dali factions
, of all parties had agreed in Alexan.
dria So desperate had become this
situation that some Of the citizens ia.
vored the movement which had beer
suggested by the Federal authorities
to test the legality OF the recession OF
alexandria county by the Federal gov.
eminent to the State OF Virginia
, nv Lunsford defended the measure
, declaring that an extraordinary con-