The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-03
House Passes
Pension Bill

| Although stated on the floor of the
| house that the pension bill may cause
a deficit In the State treasury and the
| $50. 600 added on yesterday BY amend
| ments would have to be taken either
! from the good road fund or the edu-
| cational institutions, only two mem
| bers stood by their convictions and
voted against the passage of the bill.
The bill as reported from the house
| committee on appropriations carried
IN appropriation of $4,000 for PEN
sions for the Confederate soldiers and
/ widows OF Confederate soldiers, an
| increase of 20 per cent over the PEN
sion bill of 1912, yet amendments
adding another 15 per cent were
adopted. making the amount or tine
| appropriation over 100000
The house Of delegates was warned
by both Judge Martin Williams, Dem
| ocratie floor leader. and Mr.. Brewer,
| OF Nansemond. chairman of the APP
| propr!atians committee. that II was
overstepping the bounds. yet headlong
they plunged passing tho measure,
and now TO make II up. the general
appropriation will have to be remod-
eled and many sums will have to
be cut down.
AGAINST mi-Annual Payments.
The utmost confusion reigned when
| the bill was passed. especially when
an amendment providing for semi
annual payments was offered Ac-
cording to the wording of the amend
ment, the veterans would have re-
ceived their fun pay twice a year.
making the pension bill amount to
sl,c0o,000 year. The amendment
was rejected, then adopted, and on
a roll call was practically killed. when
suddenly the house stampeded and
| members from every side changed
| their vote from aye to nay.
The confusion and uproar was so
| grea. it was impossible to straighten
out the tangle. SO Speaker Cox or
dered Il new roll call. Given time
Ito think the matter over the house
rejected the amendment oyerwhelm-
tngly.
On Saturday. Mr.. Brewer made the
general appropriation bill special or
der for Tuesday. He went carefully
over the figures and plainly stated
| that at the end of the two years
only $4,000 would be left in the
treasury. Several amendments added
yesterday carry practically an unlim-
| tied appropriation. the State auditor
declaring in a letter to the general
| assembly that he was unable to APP
proximate the amounts these amend
ments would call for.
Judge Williams, of Giles county.
and Mr.. Gregory. of New Kent. were
the only members on the final roll
| call to answer no.
The pension bill is only fore
runner Of what Is promised for the
appropriation bill 1t Is expected
the hottest fight of the session will
take place over the measure. and this
has been given added impetus by the
proposed cut in the road fund or
| educational fund.
When the bill will come to vote
is hard to say but il the fight comes
that is promised. ii will be Saturday
before final action is taken. To expe-
cite matters, however, the house
adopted a resolution introduced by Mr..
Willis of Roanoke. limiting debate on
any subject to five minutes.
Fo0tnotes Arouse Houae.
The discovery of notes on tho bot
torn OF btffs, asking for their defeat,
said to be the work OF the Hobbies
which have been SO active in the cap
itol aroused the house to action yes
terday when j. A. c. Grasty. of Au-
gusta, introduced resolution calling
for an investigation of the matter.
Many bills have been discovered with
this footnote attached. asking that
pressure be brought to bear on the
members of the house and senate to
defeat the selected measure. By some
mistake the bills came back to the halls
OF the general assembly and the mem
bers were Indignant The resolution
was referred to the committee on print
Ing.