The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-01-30
25 BILLS PASS
LEGISLATURE
AND THIRTY-SEVEN
NEW ONES INTRODUCED
Bill to Abolish Capital Punish
ment Defeated Variety
of Bills Passed.

CHARLESTON, ". Va, Jan. 29.-
Passage Of twenty bills by the house,
and five by the senate. and the In
PRODUCTION Of twenty new measures
In the former and seventeen In the
latter, indicated something Of the &C
tivity of the West Virginia leg1sla-
ture today.
Introduction In both houses OF q
Joint resolution directing that no
steps be taken looking toward settle.
ment Of the Virginia debt judgment
until further negotiations are ex-
hausted, the appointment by Speaker
J. S. Thurmond, Of the house special
Virginia Debt Commission, and the
defeat OF the Duty bill to abolish
capital punishment for first degree
murder, were features characterizlng
the day OF action, the house not get
ting its calendar cleared until late
In the aft,rnoOn.
The house committee on Virginia
debt named by the speaker Is as
follows: Septimus Hall. of Wetzel,
chairman: J. F. Bouchell, Of Kama.
wha; Robert Bland. OF Logan; Frank
C. Raymond, Of Marion; B. NJ. Yea
ger, of Pocahontas; A. B. G. Bray,
of Greenbrier; 4. A. Riddlebarger, Of
Summers; (seven Democratsl; F. r.
Hickman, of Tyler; w. H. Glover, Of
Preston; A. r. Fleming, Of Dod-
bridge; G. II. Hunter, or Marshall;
flour Republicans.)
Capital Punishment Stands.
The most important business be-
fore the senate was consideration
and discussion of the Duty Senate
Bill 100. providing for abolishing cap
ital punishment for first degree muir
der. After this bill had passed the
senate by a vote Of II to 13 and re-
ferred to the house for concurrence
on motion of Senator Scott C. Lowe,
it was recalled. After Senator Lowe
called up the bill on special order he
said he was dissatisfied with his
former vote In favor Of the bill and
that he was afraid abolishing the
death penalty might be step In the
wrong direction. He said he believed
it should remain with the jury
whether the death penalty should be
inflicted.
The bill was defeated by 12 to II.
sage: Beckwlth. Billings. Carter,
Duty, Godbey. Gregory. Gribble, Nc.
Aboy. Morton. Parrish, Sinsel and
President Goodykoontz; those voting
against passage were: Arnold, Bur
CESS, Coalter. Cobun, Dodson. Fox,
Frazier, Hawley, Hogg. Hough, Kump,
Lowe, Luther, Miller Montgomery,
Rosenbloom and Vencill.
Senate Passes Five.
The five bills passing the senate re-
late to appointment Of state auditing
hoard, combating the San Jose scale.
fixing standard Of commercial fertll
izer, medical licensure and methods
of making appropriations.
Bills introduced in this branch Of
the legislature relate to tho industrial
home for girls. continuance Of state
board OF embalmers, marriages, ways
for county courts to improve public
roads, jurisdiction Of city councils. ex-
animation Of court stenOgraphers, fill
ing vacancies in national congress,
regulating elections. for providing
tracts Of land for use by high school
agricultural departments.
The house passed twenty bills COW
cring a wide variety of subjects, IN
Guiding the marriage Of first cousins.
liens on personal property, convey
ances by married women. changing
Cabell county criminal court to com
mon pleas court, fixing expiration OF
appropriations. prohibiting the div-
sion Of fees by physlans relating TO
re,lles and pleadings. providing for
school books and a number Of others
covering local subjects.