The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-08
Bill P a sse S House by
Large Majority With
out Debate.
ATTACK MADE ON
EPILEPTIC COLONY
Weaver Would Have Business
Management of State Institu-
tons ked Into-Dis-
tricts Rearranged With Few
changes-People May
Elect Commissioners.

In the House of Delegates yesterday
the Williams bill for division OF the
rolling stock taxes was passed by a
large majority, without consideration
as to the fairness of the method Of dis
trlDuiion.
resolution was offered by Aubrey
G. Weaver to have a joint committee to
investigate the business management o !.
state Institutions (not dcpartments) to
see IL they could not b. more econom-
ically run.
In the Senate there was passed the
Submission TO the people of the amend
ment to the Constitution allowing city
treasursrs and commissioners of the
revenue to succeed themselves
In committees q bill was reported
rcd!strcting the congressional lines.
and another was approved providing
for the election OF members of the
State Corporation Commission by a
vote of the people after 1915.
In both houses representatives OF TIN,
commission which is arranging the
semi-centcnnial celebration of the bat
lie OF Gettysburg were heard In an in
viiation to the people of Virginia 70
cooperate.
Williams Is Successful.
The rolling stock bill was made a
special order for the day. Judge Mar
tin Williams. the patron. offered the
suggested in committee. dividing the
rolling stock taxes In proportion as
local assessed values OF railroad prop
erty are to the whole assess. ID value
in the State. There was not the least
debate over the matter. and no one
Inquired II thu distribution were fair
or Just or uniform. The vote was So
TO II.
II Is presumed the opponents OF the
measure Will rely on the compromise
reported by the Sonata cornmittee-4O
per cent to so TO the cities which are
the homes OF the roads and 80 per ce at
to the other cities and the count ~
through which the roads run.
By vote of 81 to : the Senate agreed
to the treasurers' amendment. Senator
G. Harding Walker mad, his final plea
in opposition. in the effort to show
that the resubmissioa OF tho question
In this manner was plainly unconstitu-
tional. But the members did not heed
and voted almost solidly.
Few Redistricting Changes.
As predicted by The Times sd spa tch,
the only changes made in the congress
sional redistricting bill are TO take Hal
flax county from the Sixth District and
put II n the Fifth. AID to remove Giles,
Bland and Tazewell from the Ninth
and put them In thu Sixth. The latter
change will help the Democrats OF the
Ninth by only 500 to 100 votes. WAL,
the change in Halifax is expected to
make the Fifth District surely Demo
cratic.
Other results may BE- the shifting of
political power in the Sixth District
from Lynchburg to Roanoke. with the
addition of the new counties OF the
Southwest Some Of the Sixth District
delegation Will fight the bill on tive
floor and try to have all the districts
remain as they now are. In the bin
the Third and Fourth districts are un-
touched. 1t having been agreed that
Chesterfield shall stay where 1t is
with Richmond.
Investigate Institutions.
Mr.. Weaver's attack was remarkable,
and Is Of a kind seldom heard. He
said, under repeated questionings. that
lie had in mind especially the State
EpIl optic Colony, near Lynchburg,
which Is reported to have made show
Ing before the Finance Committees
which was received unfavorab biz.
1t was not a question OF corruption.
said Mr.. Weaver, but of business. He
did not have in mind an Investigation
Continued on sixth pape1