The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-14
Urges Enactment o {
Antitrust Legislation
at This Session.
COLD STORAGE
BILLS INTRODUCED
General Assembly Must
Submit to the People an
Amendment to Corfsd-
tuition Providing for
Bond Issue.

In his message to the general as
sembly yesterday. Governor Davis
gives at length his reasons for not
calling the body together on his fnitia-
tive, and at the SANG time declares
that he In in full sympathy with the
movement designed foS speedy work
on good roads measures.
He said he stands ready to do all
IN his power TO help the legislative
hody in it's efforts, and puts himself
al the command of that body.
The governor at some length dis
cusses the problem. and declares that
good schools and good roads 90
hand in hand. AT the proper time he
says, he will introduce bills designed
t., curtail boarding and profitecring.
and hopes speedy action will be taken.
The governor says:
Gentlemen OF the General Assembly:
You have assembled self-convened
in extraordinary session in accordance
with the proclamation issued by me
upon your request. The building or
highways and the rendering avail
able of the allotment of federal aid to
rpad building in Virginia, presented
the extraordinary condition for which
YOU have requested this meeting OF
| the general assembly.
| II seems proper that / should in
| dictate my reasons for not having
| complied with an insistent demand
| for the calling by the executive o.
/ this speciaI session. 1t was widely
icousendesf tl1nse unless provision wal
made to meet about million OF dol
| lars of federal road aid at once tina
1 ii would be lost to the state. because
as prescribed by the federal statute
/ that sum must be appropriated and
| expended" by June 80. 1913. I
was further commended that the pro-
posed increase in the automobile taz
for 1920 could not be made available
| during that year, because large
| mum Der OF licenses would be issued
prior to the regular meeting of the
general assembly, and that what was
called a retroactive act" could mo-
be enacted increasing the cost OF IL
censes taken at the 1919 rate. IL
| was asserted that a million and halt
| dollars would be lost in machinery al.
| iot,ed TO the state by the federal gov.
| eminent for lack of funds with which
TO pay the freight thereon.
| Defends Course.
/ The assurance by the secretary OF
/ agriculture and his legal advisor thai
the word expended" In the fedora
| act was to be construed A. contract
1 ed 10 expend" or agreed to cxpend'
was conclusive thaS there was no pos.
| sibiiity OF the loss OF this federal aid
| The knowledge that the automobile
tax fixed by the state is license and
not a contract. and that the legisia'
ture of 1920 could increase the auto
mobile tax Atty t50se) per cent, and
4 that the revenue derived thererf on
would be available for road purposes
the same year; the Illusions of los'
machinery dispelled by the proffel
OF personal aid: the fallacy that thu
issuance of road bonds might be ex
pedited by a special session; the feel
ing that a road law which con
templates the expenditure OF vas
i sum OF money should be CONSIDERS
by legislature elected upon tina
issue where the people have had full
opportunity for the discussion Of thu
subject. and the thought that vol
1 gentlemen were probably OF the SANE
opinion. because at the last session
appeared before your committees ant
urged a ten C10c) cents special roat
tax. when In your judgment. you pro
vided only a tax of three t3c) cent
for roads; and the small additional
impost necessary in 1920 to assure
federal aid. all confirmed my con
victicn that no such extraordinar.
condition existed as to justify tn
calling of the general assembly b!
/ me into special session.
j / deemed 1t advisable before enter
Ing upon vast legislative program
for road building that campaign