The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-31
House saw Mt to adopt the change as
suggested. he would accept 1t.
Should lie Three Men,

Yloih8 Ior tnree commissioners, ad-
! dressed tho committee. He said that
the Legislature Is met at the outsst
| with the statement that the State has
| no money, and that there Is a Crying
| necessity for tax reform. Tho salary
question was of no r. oment in SO great
work. He thought ono commits
sloner would exercls. too much power,
, and that II 1t had boon thought wise
to give the State Corporation COM
mission three members to assess the
j property of public service companies,
certainly there should be as many
to supervise assessments of Individual
property.
II there were to be a commission
at all, said Hugh a. White. of Rock
bridge, there should certainly be three
members. In the first place. no one
could got real service without paying
Tor It, Then. the executive and judi
ciai powers were too much mixed The
Attorney-General might be called upon
10 prosecute violations of rules which
he himself had helped to make, aud
inc Governor TO pardon violators Of
laws which he had framed. Men in
ci- rGe Of such work should DO we'll
Palo anu give their undivided time.
Wants Segregation.
But he thought the whole PROPOSE
llon an effort to go back $50 years
anu centralize power. He favored
complete segregation. which, he said,
would settle the problem at one stroke,
Mr. Houston favored the threc-man
proposition. lie believed that the State
was facing an important epoch. and
~ that II was for her best interests
ihen $. II. Love, of LunenburE rot
the hoor. with q speech RICH. from
the heart. He opposed armin~ men
With signal powers such as proposed.
he thought IL commissioners OF the
revenue do not do their duty. state
ohicials should prosecute them. He
regretted the tendency in old Virginia
10 place power in single man, which
he called despotism.
III, In passing, he referred TO tho "un-
united, boundless power given TO the
state Board of Education, which has
paced the collar Of educational serf-
dom upon the people of this old Stntc.n
protest against this power he said,
Is going up from the Potomac to the
Pleads for Freedom.
Eioquently he told of tho Washing
ton Monument, and of the figure of
ratrlek Henry pleading for freedom.
COMMUNICATING the monument, he said
1t wisely showed Jefferson with
quill pen, instead of a fountain pen.
he pleaded with the Legislature to
allow Virginia to remain under those
laws which have helped her to such
greatness. He would not accent three
commissioners didn't want any OF
them.
Mr.. Throckmorton asked Mr.. Love
what ne thought of the situation when
property in Mathews county is assess
ed at l3 per cent, OF its selling value,
as shown by the transfers, while that
In Henrico is assessed at 65 per cent.
He replied that the Attorney-General
should prosecute such cases In re-
ply to another question, Mr. Love said
that his farm is assessed at SIS an acre,
ana fs worth about $40. and that the
property Of the Virglnian Railway
close by Is assessed at one eighth It's
value The Speaker then announced
that 1t was his intention to make a
provision that railroad property should
be equalized along with others.
Mr. Love closed with II passionate
appeal not to SO change the old seal
and flag Of Virginia as 10 put on
the collar of the State Beard of Edu-
cation and the shackles of Tax Com
mission, and change the motto to "Vir-
Einia in captivity"
Taxes In LunenburE.
Mr.. Byrd. regaining the floor, said
he sympathized with Mr.. Love-that
Masmuch as the latter's county OF
l-unenburg draws out of the State
treasury $4,000 year more than it
puts In, 1t was natural thut he should
object to an equal assessment. He
salo that he expected some members to
show patriotic unselhshness and act
for the good Of the State.
MIR. Montague offered his suggestion
lor q commission of three members,
TO be elected by the Legislature. SO
as as TO get 1t before the Committee of
Judge Williams feared that the pro-
ceedings might commit members for
tho bin against their wishes. but MT.
Byrd said It would be understood
that the situation would result In no
committals.
Mr.. White here offered for the com
iniltee,s consideration substitute for
The whole. instructing the Finance
Committee TO secure figures from the
Auditor and prepare Il bin for COM
pp ,ete Segregation Of sources of reve-
poration taxes and license taxes 20 to
their own criminal expenses save When
these these . exceed 500 in single case.
levy where necessary II LIQUOR licenses
should be lost the State could reach
out and take all the licenses.
COmmission's Figures.
Mt oliver said the adoption OF the
White substitute would defeat any re.
lief at this session, for the committee
SOuid NOT 90 the Work necessary. He
said the report of the Tag Commission
shows that segregation is at present
Some little stir was created here
by statement from Mr.. White that
the figures of the Tax Commission are
erroneous-thet he could prove tho
maker OF the report admitted that
some OF them were wrong. The entire
report, he proceeded, showed that It
was intended TO point to centralized
power.
Mr.. Norris inquired II the Byrd prop
osition OF equalization of railroad
property would not interfere with the
work of the State Corporation COM
mission. The Speaker replied that the
| Constitution gives the Legisla ture the
| right TO change the method of assess
ment after 1913
Addressing himself directly to the
! segregation proposition, Mr. Byrd said
he had carefully watched the iegisia-
! bridge.
y regret" he said. that his ability
! Is destructive and not constructive Ho
, mas Clenr and accurate mind oonb