The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-24
Cuts Down Allowance
Made in Bill Which
Passed Senate.
PENSION WEDGE
FEARED BY SOME
Sharp Wrangle Over Speakers
Suggestion That Governors
Recommendations Be Incor-
porated in Primary Bill.
Senate Works All Day
on Game Legislation.

After two hours Of debate tho House
ef Delegates yesterday adopted Sen
ate bill for the optional retirement OF
5udgcs of the Supreme Court OF APP
peals. tho measure passed by the SEN
ate being go amended al TO make the
retirement allowance $4,000 year.
The contest was tiercely waged by
those who looked upon this the
entering wedge for general pension
net for all Judges. and possibly for al
State employees The act is optional
with each judge. who may take ad
vantage of the offer OF retirement on
reaching seventy years OF age, after
having served for twelve consecutive
years the Supreme Bench.
While ali OF the speakers agreed as
TO the high character and integrity Of
the present Court OF Appeals, there
were those who asserted that within
the past few years tho opinions have
not had the same clearness and at
tcntion that was given them by these
same Judges some years ago.
Allows Threc-Firths Pay.
Speakers who desired to avoid per
sonal references To the present court.
alluded to time few generations
back. when the court was made up
mainly of old men. who had been OF
great ability in the days of their vigor
but whose opinions lacked certainty in
their later years, ana who have more
than once been reversed. II was
stated that attorneys prac,icing in the
courts to-day hesitate TO elite as pre-
cedents the decisions OF that period.
The Senate passed the bill allowing
retirement on four-dfths pay. The
House changed this 10 three e-nftha. and
further provided that tho rate should
hc fixed as under the act OF 1912. which
makes the pay of Supreme Court
judges hereafter $1,000 "a year. thus
making the retirement allowance
$4,000 A year. -Four OF the five judges
OF the Supreme CoHrt hav. bees on the
supreme Bench continuously since
1895 when the old R.ajjuster Court
went out OF Office and = now bench WAS
selected by a Democratic General AS
ssmbly OF these Judge Buchanan has
already announced his determination
10 retire at tho end of Ills present term,
February J, 1915. Tho term Of Judge
Keith expires in 1917 ana that of
Judge Harrison In 1919.
Primary BiiI Debated
There was good deal of heat, not
10 say temper, In the debate before
tho House yesterday morning over 4
suggestion To make the primary bill
now pending conform to the sugSes-
lions of Governor Stuart. The sugscs-
ton that some Of The party leaders did
not want real primary law that
would make election frauds serious
offensc was bitterly denied. as was the
suggestion that the committee was en-
certain bills introduced without giving
credit 10 the men who offered them.
Speaker Cox left the chair to propose |
hat the Privileges and Elections Com
iufttec, which reported what is known
ss tho Browning primary hill last
week, prepare and report TO the House
such amendments to that bill az will
carry into effect the recoInrne nd a tious
of the Governor Judge Williams,
chairman OF the Privileges and Elec-
tions Committee, was promptly OH his
feet In protest His committee had
worked hard. he said. and had pro-
duced bill that was In almost all re-
fpects "dp all fours' with the recon-
nendations of the Governor sent I'm
after tho House bill was reported He
had never heard OF committee being
instructed to report matter it might
not approve Of and If that were TO be
tho practice, he said he would prefer
10 resign his chairmanship
Lnnd Visits Governor Stuart
Delegate Land, as chairman of tho
subcommittee which drew the commit
tee primary bill said that he had al
ready assumed the responsibility OF
making an engagement with the Gov
crnor for Il consultation as to amend
mcnts TO the pending bill. Mr. White
thought 1t 1t most unusual thing to
require a committee to bring in amend
incnts TO Il bill already reported He
was himself the author of n primary
btu which the committee had not seen
fit to report, but which carried almost
every provision outlined by Governor
Stuart. Mr.. White took sharp issue
with tho abatement that the committee
bill was .on all fours'' with the mos
sage OF the Governor
There is a difference" he pointed
out, ''as TO the appointment OF election
officers. The committee bill provides
no machinery for canvassing the re-
turns; II has no provision for a prefer
ontial vote recommended by the
Governor. IT does not specify that a
notice OF candidacy must be signed by
q reasonable number OF voters; 1t fixes
no definite time for holding primaries,
and makes no provision for dcclara ton
of party affllation."
After the debate the storm blew by
when Mr. Cox changed his resolution
to IL mere request" to the committee,
with no binding force. and I'm that
shape II was adopted.
senate Working on Game Bill.
The Senate spent the day In discus
sion OF the HartWhite game bill A
number OF sections. including the crea-
tion of tho office of State Gamo Com
missioner, were tentatively agreed
to. but there had been no final action
mt the hour OF adjournment.
Somewhat delayed by the long
drawn-out debates OF the morning, Mr..
Montague called UP his bank bill, and
spent some time expleining n series of
amendments, most Of which are nero
corrections OF the text. Objection was
made to a clause In regard to fraudu-
lent or worthless checks, placing the
sole liability on the bank making the
error or first payment, and to the
amendment striking out tho four-year
CONTINUED On Second Pagay