Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-23
GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
MEETS ON JANUARY 8
War Measures to Have First Place
in Attention OF State
Legislators.
BUSY SESSION IS ANTICIPATED
Coordination OF Penal and Reform
BUSY SESSION is ANTICIPATED
Coordination OF Penal and Reform
atory Institutions Is Proposed.
Present Officers OF House and Sen.
ate TO Dc REFLECTED.


! war measures, Amendment, to tax
and prohibition laws, coordination Of
penal and rcto.matory institutions and
4 woman suffrage sce;n likely to be the
/ principal topics for discussion and dis.
position at the session of the General
Assembly OF Virginia which will begin
on January .. No one can forctell
what other issues. now unforeseen, may
to injected into the deliberations OF
tho session. for issues have way OF
sprins;ng into public notice without
warning.
/ That the session will be an especially
| busy ono is TO he doubted, when view ed
I in comparison with the burdens of the
/ Legislatures OF 1912. 1914, 1915 and
1915. when the enabling act, prohibi-
sion legislation, tax segregation and
/ improvements in the tax system occu-
ipied such a large proportion OF the
| time. With these main issues out OF
the way, and present at. this time only
in details of comparatively little inn
portapce; it. liz believed that the Cen
cral Assembly at this time will have
more time for dcliberation. and will
not be required to work at the break
neck speed OF 1914 and 1916.
FIRST WEEK IS LOST
IN ORGANIZATION
Not that there will not be plenty
20 do. Sixty days is short time whe n
one considers the duties placed upon
the Leg sislature by the Constitution and
| laws. Committees are not named in
the House until after the election OF a
Speaker. and in the FIRST week there
is practically no committee work done.
II takes a day to canvass the vote for
Governor and other state officials cast
in November. II takes a day TO in
auguratc the new Governor. It takes
time TO elect two patches OF Judges
one bunch before February I and the
other after that date. At least ono
joint session Of the two houses is ncces-
sary. Bills must be pilotcd through
two dcliberativc bodies. and it is not
TO be doubted that the session will, at
the end. be in a rush much as usual
Yet there Is no ono topic anywhere
in sight at all comparable in maSni-
tude or in public interest with the
prohibition and taxation problems that
outweiEhed all others in the past three
or four sessions.
ONLY ONE NEW FACE
IN STATE SENATE
At noon Wednesday. January ., Lieu
tcnant-Govcrnor J. Taylor Ellyson. in
the Senate. and Clerk John w. Will
liams. in the House of Delegates. will
cali these respective bodies to order.
The Senate holds over, and will have
but one new facc-J. Douglas Mitchell.
of King and Queen, who succeeds At
torney-G C eneral- Elect John II. Saunders.
- l,o In nf -
session there will be a vacancy caused
by the death few days ago OF t. c.
Pitcher, Of Fauquicr. but a special cleo
tion already called by Governor Stuart
will have been held the day before the
Legislature meets. and as soon as tho
returns can be properly certified and
canyasscd the new man will take his
seat, only three or four days late.
The Senate is organized. and its Off
GERS will be tho same as those OF four
years aso-O. V. Hanger. OF Amherst.
clerk; Frank B. Watkins. of Charlotte,
sergeant-at-arms, and Roland a. Wise,
of Northampton, doorkeeper. The as
sistant doorkeeper, Major Moses NJ.
Green. OF Fsuquier. has been Ill for
many months. and It may be necessary
to choose his successor.
HOUSTON WILL SUCCEED
HIMSELF AS SPEAKER
In the House most of the old officers
are expected to hold over. Speaker
Harry r. Houston will be chosen to
succeed himself.
Clerk John W. Williams. OF Giles,
is fixture and has no opposition. j.
Montgomery Johnston. Of Rockbridge,
and S. NJ. NeWhouse, of Culpeper, re-
spectively. sergeant-at-arms and door
keeper, are expected to succeed them
selves. They must be formally elect
cd by separate roll call as soon as the
House meets on January 8, and will be
elected as chosen tho preceding night
by the House Democratic caucus
These formalities dispensed with, a
joint committee will walt on the Gov
ernor, inform him that the General
Assembly is, ready for the transaction
OF business and ask him IL he has any
conmunication to make. His biennial
Continued ON Eleventh EPaEe.)-