Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-04-28

committee under the third resolution
| However illegal and injudicious we may be-
ieve the contract to have been, the State it must
be admitted, is in an awkward position SO far as
| there have already been sales of the bonds, and
| payments on account of them into the treasury.
But it well deserves consideration what course
| should be taken in respect to such of the bonds
as have not yet been delivered to Selden, Withers
| d Co. This will be matter proper to be consi-
dered by Committee if one should be appoint
ed under the fourth resolution. As it regards the
stipulation for thirtyfve years that has been re-
ferred to, the Committee can consider the expe-
diency of arranging for a modification of it, or
for testing its validity before judicial tribunal.
| Whether the contract be interfered with or not,
| it is proper to adopt the second resolution, or
some resolution having future sales in view, so
that bill may be brought in making further pro-
vision to protect the interests of the Common
wealth in transactions hereafter.
Reply Of Mr.. BARBOUR of Culpeper, to the fore
going speech, delivered in the House Of Dele
| gates April 24lh.
| Mr.. SPEAKER These resolutions as explain
ed by the gentleman from Richmond City, (NIr.
Robinson,) certainly involve very grave subjects.
If correctly understand him, he charges that in
negotiating this agency, the Board of Public
| Works have sacrificed the public interests, have
conferred an enormous peeuniary advantage on a
| firm of favored individuals, without any
ponding service to the State and have done all
this by gross violation of law. Nay more He
seemed to array facts to show that this had been
effected with such haste and precipitancy, out
stripping express messengers and telegraphic de-
spatches, as would justify suspicion that other
inducements than proper regard for the public
Ind IA, IL
transaction. These are grave charges, sir, and if
sustained by the proofs, it is our duty to expose
bare to the public gaze whatever of inalfeasance
| there may have been, and to hold up for public
censure with Implying hand the untrustworthy
| tiduciaries who are connected with it.. Impress
ed with this sense of the duties of my position,
| have carefully examined all the facts that have
| been within my reach, and have arrived at con-
illusions very different from those of the gentle
man from Richmond City, MR. Robinson.)
feel it to be my duty to present to the House my
| view of the subject. If | were possessed of one
half the abilities the skill in arraying evidence
which long professional experience has given to
that gentleman, I could present the facts now in
my possession in such light as to command the
judgment of every unprejudiced man in this
House; and | would not despair Of making con-
vert of the gentleman himself.
Mr.. Speaker, do not complain of the course
which the gentleman has thought proper to pur-
sue on this subject. But l may be allowed to ex-
press my regret that he did not choose to bring
this subject to our attention at an earlier period
of the session. The late Governor, (Mr. Floyd
who was the principal agent in these transactions,
has been sojourning in this city during our whole
session, until a week or two ago, when he return
! ed to his home in the West. | will not say
that it would have been more liberal and more
generous in the gentleman to have opened his
| attack when the party assailed stood full in his
p,1t %I,ok,f l. IL ~,
| gentleman s convenience and comported with his
sense of his public duties to have introduced this
subject while Governor Floyd was in this city,
| there would have been a fairer opportunity to
have full justice done to all parties, than there is
now after he has gone to his distant home in the
West.
Mr.. ROBINSON. The subject was brought to
my attention by the report of the finance COM
mittee, and offered the resolutions very shortly
after l had examined that report. | presume the
report was made after Governor Floyd had left
the city.
Mr.. BARBOUR. That report states no impor
tant fact that was not generally known before
| The gentleman, of course, was informed that this
| contract had been made, and no doubt knew the
material facts upon which his resolutions were
founded. But repeat that make no complaint.
The propriety of the genteman's course must be
| decided by himself, and not by me. [ only re-
greet the delay because as full justice cannot now
be done as might be if the principal agent in
| these transactions were here present to furnish
! the materials for his own defence. But the facts
that are furnished in the documents before US are
ample to refute the charges brought in the speech
and resolutions of the gentleman, and solicit the
| attention of the House while make plain, in
artificial statement of them.
| 1t is fair when we are passing the conduct of
the Board of Public Works under review, that
we should Judge thsm not by the lights which we
hav att NV 1iohtc
were before them at the time that this contract
was made. Our enquiry is not whether it would
be- udcious to enter into contract upon the terms
of this in April 1852, but whether it was judi
cious to make the contract in April 1851. The
condition of the public credit and of the public
treasury is now very different from what it was
then, and this beneficial change has been one of
the results of this contract with Selden, Withers
Co. | question much, sir, if there has been
for many years period when more of the pub
lie interest and the general prosperity of the
community depended upon the wisdom and ener-
gy OF an Executive agency, than depended last
spring upon the conduct of the Board of Public
Works Under the influence of the large increase
of the public debt authorized by the Legislature
at its late session, and of other causes the public
credit had declined and State stocks had rank be-
low par In the markets, and were sold at par in
the public offices only because the law prohibited
their sale on terms less than par. On these terms
sufficient sales could not be effected to meet the
accumulating drafts on the Board for pay
ments which the State had engaged to make
to works of internal improvement. So rapid
ly were these drafts accumulating, that with
all the efforts of the Board the amount which
they were unable to meet reached by July nearly
four hundred thousand dollars. The State had
made actual subscriptions to the stock of internal
improvement companies amounting to Sc, 3S2, 4O5,
and was liable to be called on for actual pay
ments to that extent part passu with the pay
ments made by other subscribers. The
only means by which the Board of Public
Works We're authorized to provide the money