Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-15
virginiians End
Budget Battle
In Conlpron1ise
State Senate Yields
To House Demand
After IS Hours
BY Alex R. Preston
Stor Sioff Correspondent

4O4O4AINASANDt WAL L., 4O.-W AVA
unexpected suddenness the Gen.
eral Assembly broke it's deadlock
over the budget bill and came
to a dramatic close last night
after more than SO hours of con-
tinuouS session.
The Senate gave in to an
adamant House of Delegates
which first held out for an extra
ST million in the budget but.
after five conferences to COM
pose the differences between the
two bodies. whitfield its request
down to $2,186, 500.
Beyond that figure. the House
refused to recede, even under
the threat of formal notice from
the Senate that it was ready to
adjourn until March 81.
Arlington Delegate Speaks.
Shortly before the issue was
resolved. at 10:45 pm, Delegate
Harrison Mann of Arlington took
the floor to tell his weary coll
leagues:
This is no longer an issue Of
ST million or So million or sus-
pension of the Byrd automatic
tax reduction law. The issue
now before the people Of Virginia
is whether an adamant minority
can block majority in the
democratic processes"
For in five conference commit
tee reports which found the two
Houses unable to agree, a ma
jority of the 140 members of the
House and the Senate favored
using part of the money due to
be credited on tax bills toward
fulfilling the Senate's unmet
needs.
Despite repeated efforts of the
100-member House to use the tax
reduction money for these needs,
there were enough opponents in
the Senate to obstruct the move.
The laSt-minute developments
represented a victory for the
House of Delegates.
Victory for Fenwick.
They represented a victory for
Senator Charles R. Fenwick Of
Arlington who, during the four
years of the Byrd acts existence.
has argued that the law pre-
vented the State from meeting
all of its obligations.
They also represent a victory
for a faction in the House, led
by Delegate Armistead Boothe Of
Alexandria. which attempted to
attach the so-called "Boothe
amendment" onto the $752 mil
lion budget bill. The amend
ment would have raised the total
to nearly $760 million.
Legislators had stayed up all
night Saturday to hear report
after report from conference
committees rejected as unSatis-
factory. The first report, which
gave welfare activities additional
money over amounts trimmed
from the Senate budget, was
rejected by the House because it
entirely eliminated any portion
of the 81 million in tax credit
from being used for
health, educational and other
purposes.
Byrd Was Firm.
AS the marathon session went
on into the dawn yesterday,
tempers became short. SUBJ
sequent conference reports
showed the House willing to
compromise by not demanding
all of the ST million. But Senate
forces. led by Senator Harry F.
Byrd. jr.. of Winchester, author
OF the tax reduction law. held
firm against all efforts to meet
them half way or better.
The House had agreed to &C
cept the fifth conference report
about 9 o'clock last night but
the Senate refused.
Both houses then agreed to a
resolution that would call the
General Assembly back into ses-
sion on March 81, the date of the
So-called constructive session"
at which only routine signing of
bills usually takes place.
In the Senate. Mr.. Fenwick
had exhausted every means Of
acquiring the necessary 81 votes
there to accept the conference
report. The vote was 20 to 10
against the report.
Wyatt Breaks Tension.
Every one was set to go home
after both branches adopted
their adjournment resolutions.
a break occurred when
Senator Landon Wyatt of Dam
Vile. a consistent supporter Of
the Byrd act, moved to accept
the conference report.
Another organization stall
wart, Senator w. c. Caudill Of
Pearisburg. supported the mo-
ton. The Senate approved it by
a vote of 81 to 9.
In addition to funds appro-
priated in the budget bill, this
is how the extra S2,186,50 in
the watered down Boothe
would be spent:
For State aid to education.
100000 each year of the bien-
mum; for a William and Mary
library in Norfolk. $375,000; for
plans for a University of Virginia
hospital building. 100000; for
4 new power plant at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, $4,000:
for dormitories at Radford
Teachers College, $4,000; for
4 nursery for children at the
Virginia State Colony at Lynch
burg. $324.000. and for armories
20 be constructed with Federal
lid. $125.000
Retired Civil Employees
The Silver. Snrinr Cha ratai. Nh