The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-17
CONTRACT LABOR
TO Be CONTINUED
Senate SaoW; No Int l.
tIon 81 -A)oI;l,ag
Sy ste m.
PROTEST is MADE
AGAIlNST SCdERER
Penitentiary Director Recon-.
mended for Confirmation by
Unanimous Vote of Commit
tee-Woman's College at
University Is Discussed.
Byrd Opposes Change.

81 appearances. the movement
looking to abolition of. the contrac:
convict labor system in virginia is
doomed TO failure While 1t is prob
able that the road forces viii be
aerSely Increased by the addition
OF convicts from the State Penn
tcntiary. the result of hearing
before the Senate Committee on
PUBLIC Institutions and Education,
{. held yesterday afternoon, IL taken TO
mean that the Senate VIII favor some
pan looking TO the continuation OF
employment of at leust a PORTION III the
convict labor under contract with
some manufacturing firm.
since the assemblagc Of the Legisls-
lure, sentiment has steadily Erown
away from the Idea of total abolition
OF me practice OF hiring convicts The
nature OF the message OF Governor
Mann. which merely urged the employ
incht OF as many prisoners as possibIe
on the public roads. Instead Of tn, rad,-
cal recommendation which was expect
ca from him. attracted a good deal of
attention. The conservative nature OF
Speaker Byrd's opening speech o., this
subject added to the feeling rhe nnal
biow came at an examination OF Major
James IL. Wood. the prison superInten-
cent, AZ to the cost OF change the
availability OF the convicts for road
work and tho general feasibility OF
radical action.
KILLED spiri. OF Resolutions
At the end OF an executive session
which followed tho hearing the com
mittcc adopted the Holt resolution. but
chnnEed II TO mean exactly what II did
not mean when II was written. All
the preamble condemning contract
convict labor was stricken out. and
the resolution. when the committed had
completed ite Snrt,icnt lor,
- contains the abatement that the
present contract for hire of canyicts
should not be renewed" Everybody
knew thnt II would not be- sine, tho
directors long since adopted resolu.
lion TO this effect. and higher bids
which the state would undoubtedly ac-
cent rather than the prevailing lower
Ggurc. have already been offered
ne nomination ny the Governor of
Luther l. Schercr AS n member OF the
board OF directors OF the Stat. Pen,-
Tertiary, was unanimously recommends
ell for confirmation by the Senatr Com
nittee OH Nominations. at a ms etins
held yesterday afternoon. 1t war OPP
posed by Senator John NJ. Hart OF
Roanoke, on the ground that Mr.
Schercr Is an officer employed to track
down criminals, and therefore should
not oe in position to act on parole par
dons
DIR. Darlington Heard From
DR.. Charles V. Darlington. who told
Chairman Feathereton on Saturday
that he would oppose the conn-,nat ton
of both Mir. Scherer and T.. Gerald
Stratton OF Petersburg, was not pres
ent. etred TO get Senator Feathtrston
10 summon him before the committee
having made such request yesterday
morning. but the chairman declined to,
do 30, telling DIR. Darlington that he
could appear before the committee iii
he Ind anything to cay. Inst =at. the
former surgeon at the State prison sent
communication. in which he sad that
his fight has been against the prison
contract system. although he thought
there are some members of the board
who ought not to be serving on 1t
Mr.. Scherer made statement TO the
committee. stating that he Is Ia the
employ of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railway as claim agent. He said he
supposed Senator Hart referred 10 the
Bcattie case. in which he aeted at the
request of friends and received 70 fee
He offered to introduce many witnesses
whom he had with him. After q short
executive session. the vote for con-
frmauon was unanimous
The important events of yesterday
connected with the Virginia Legisla
ture came in committees outside If thu
meetings of the two bodies The pro-
ccedngs were brief and unintercsting
few local bills being disposed of in
the House, including the Richmond
charter bill. The House also passed
tho bill aprropriatins $4,000 70 repay
pensioners the 10 per cent. deducted
from their checks in 1911
In the Senate the only business was
the debate on the convict labor sys-
tenn. which was merely preliminary 10
the hearing of the afternoon. when the
position of tho Senate, or at least OF
Its committee, was practically outlined.
Consider Woman's College.
Thu proposed woman's college at or
near the University of Virginia was
heard from late In the afternoon at
meeting Of Senate and House commit
tees Mrs. &. f. AIunford, President
Alderman, Of the University OF Vir-
ginia, DR.. C. G. Maphis and Second Aud
ltor-Elect Roosevelt Page favored the
proigaitlon. while former Senator
Halsey. Of Lynchburg, made u speech
In opposition His protest was based
IN his conviction that the system spo-
ken Of would be in effect coeducationnl.
Those who spoke for the bill said that
cocducaton was not desired in Vir-
Sinta.
The House of Delegates is already
accommodating large calendar. al
though II has been III session but a
week. Such record Is Unprecedented.
With a View to ohviating frequent
changes In school books, Speaker Byrd
introduced bill requiring the State,
Board Of Education to extend the pres
ant adoption and contracts for four
years from the present termination OF
high school lists, and for SIX years OH
grammar books, which would make
I, them last until lal6. Then. II any
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