Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1914-12-08
The Legislature.


be confronted with a null
lpliclty of measures, many of which are
# grave Importance to the people of the
state. The constitution limits the regu-
AT session TO forty FIVE days. aud 1t Is
bought by many. that the Legislature
will be unable to complete the arduous
iuties which will confront it in that
time, and that an extra session will be
necessary.
The passage of the prohibition amend
ment makes it imperative for the Legis-
lature 10 pass revenue measures and 1t
is impossible at this time for one to saw
how far it will be necessary to revise
and repeal the present tax laws of the
State. The Virginia debt, primary
law, the county salaries law, amending
of the prohibition laws, Congressional
Senatorial redistrictlng,
reapportioumento of the membership of
the House of Delegates, possible wom-
an S suffrage amendment to the consti-
tuition, the question of change in the
number of members to compose the pub
lie service commission, revision of the
workmen's compensation law and the
question of water rights are among the
things with which they will have to deal.
There already is quite fight being
for ,rac.danov, Of fla %
and Speakership of the House, and the
contenders IN these two fights are not
alone in their efforts, for there is an ar
ray of asplrants for the cleI kship of the
House. So far, John 7. Harris does
not seem to have any opposition in his
efforts to be reelected clerk of the Sen
ate.
A plan tor re establishing the Senate
rial districts of the State has been pre-
scented as a suggestion being based on
the Senatorial vote of 1912. If this plan
shonld be followed it will make two dis
tricts Democr attic and thirteen Republi-
can.
Only one county III the State, with a
membership of thirty III the Senate, has
sufficient population to become Sena-
torial district in Itself. With fifteen dis
tricts the proper tomato rate of the popu
aton of the State IN 1910 would be 81,
4o7 to the district, and Kans wha county
has SI.457, or fifty over the required
number, and would be entitled to two
Senators.
The districts as proposed would be as
follows:
First-Hancock. Brooke aud OHIO.
Second Marshall, Wetz Il and Monon-
gala.
Third-Tyer, Doddridge, Gilmer,
Calhoun, Richie and Peasants.
Fourth Wood. Writ, Roane and Jack
son.
Fifth-Mason, Putnam and Cabell.
Sixth-Wayue, Lincoln and Mingo.
Seventh-Boone. Logan. Wyoming
and Mcdowell.
Eighth-Kanawha
Ninth-Raleigh, Mercer and Sum-
mers.
Tenth-Clay, Nicholas and Fayette.
EleYenth-M Marion, Taylor and Pres
ton.
Harrison. Lewis and Up
shur.
DISQUALIFICATION. Webster, Po-
cahoutas, Greenbrier and Monroe.
Fourteenth Grant, Tucker; Barbour.
Mineral and Randolph.
DISQUALIFICATION, Berkeley, Nor
gan. Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton.
The Thirteenth and Fifteenth are large
ly Democratic.
The Constitution of the State provides
for delegste districts, but for number
of years each county has had in the
House of Delegates at least one member,
In order thrt each county may have a
delegate under the constitution it must
have more than three. fifths of the ratio
of population. Grant co unity has the
sma lest population of any county in the
Stete, it being 1885. and the least mem
bership that the House can be composed
of aud each county be emitted TO at
least one delegate would be ninety flour,
or an increase of eight over its present
number Based on a membership of
ninety-lour, each county would have
the following number of dele ates:
Barbour l, Berkeley 2, Boone I, Brax
ton 2. Brooke 1, CabeI 4. Calhoun ! 4,
Clay I. Doddridge I, Fayette Il, Gllmer
I, Grant I, Greenbrier 2. Hampshire /,
Hancock I, Hardy I, Harrison 4, Jack
son 2, Jefferson I, Kanawha g, Lewis 1,
Lincoln I, Logan 1, Mcdowell A. Marion
3, Marshall ?, Mason 2, Mineral I. Mel
Ger 9. MIngo 1, Monongalia 2, Monroe
1, Morgan I. Nicholas 1, Ohio 4, Pendle
ton 1, Peasants !. Pocehontas I, Pres
ton 2, Putnam I. Raleigh 2, Randolph 2,
Richie I, Roane 2, Summets l. Taylor
I, Tucker I, Tyler I. Upshur I. Wayne
2. Webster I, Welz=l 2, Writ I, Wood 8,
Wyoming I.
Under the re apportionment Richie
and Tyler would lose one member each,
and Cabell, Fayette. Kanawha, Mercer,
Raleigh and Randolph would each gain
one member, and Harrison and Nc
DoWeu two each. Randolph being the
only Democratic county to gain an addl
tional member.