The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-03-10

| House insisted on Its amendment.
On motion of Mr.. CARTER, the House passe,
by the order Of the day, and took up the bill fo
| the relief of Spillman and James; which was or
dered to its engrossment.
REAssEssHENT OF LANDS.
The House proceeded to consider the bill pro
viding for q re-assessment of the lands of the
Commonwealth pending the question on the sub
stitute offered by Mr.. CHRISTIAN.
| Mr. CHRISTIAN moved to lay the bill and sub
stitute on the table, which motion was rejected
ayes A. noes &c.
Mr.. CHRISTIAN then withdrew his substitute
and the question being, upon the passage of the
bill, debate ensued, in which Messrs. PENDLE
TON of g., BRANNoN ANDERSON and FLOYD op
posed the BILL and Messrs PRESTON WELLMAN
| IMBoDEN, kEMPER, SEGAR, BURwELL of Bedford
DAVIS of Greenbrier GARNETr and CLAIBORNE
| supported 1t. Messrs PENDIETON and FLOYD
| were in favor of the rerassessment only in case
| there were appropriations made to internal i'm
provements; for without such appropriations, they
contended there would be no necessity for re as
| sessment OF the lands OF the Commonwealth. Mr.
| ANDERSON took the same position. Mr.. BRANNoN
inferred that there would be no appropriations, and
opposed earnestly the re assessment at this time
Generally in opposition to the assessment that
gentleman contended that under the constitution
there could be no enhancement of the value of ne
groes. while the land would be enhanced. and that
therefore it would fallheavily the West. 1t was
further contendsd that there was q assessment
five years since aud IL too early to assess the
lands again Messrs FLOYD and PENDLEToN urg
| ed the postponement of the consideration of the
bill until some appropriation to improvements had
been made, and then to bring it forward as . ten
der to these appropriation bills. Mr.. F. indulged
the apprehension that If this assessment bill pass
ed, the improvement bills might not pass, and then
the Legislature would be placed in the disagreea
BILE dilemma of having increased taxation without
| any necessity. But one Eastern man (Mr. SEdAR)
in the debate had expressed the detarn ination to
vote for appropriations to tho leading lines. He
| considered plethoric treasury . curse to free
people He warned the West against contributing
| TO such q state OF things.
On the other hand it was argued Especially by
Mr.. BURWELL) that it would not be proper if it
were practicable, TO enter into contract that il
| this bill were passed appropriations to internal
| improvements should be made; but it was no
more practicable than it would be to bargain til at
in case the appropriations were made, the assess.
| ment bill should pass There were members
| who would not vote the appropriations first for
| fear this bill would not afterwards pass. He oh,
jected earnestly to this mode of exacting guaran-
tee Ia Sotid0 before asserting to measure in that
| House. All the speakers this side Of the ques-
ton declared themselves the warm friends of i'm
provelneut, and especially the Covingtou line ex-
cept Ar. GARNETT, who professed to be friend,
though less unqualinedly. He had declared TO his
constituents before his election. that he must Co. if
| at ALL to the Legislature with the understanding
that he would vote for moderate and judicous ap-
preparations to some of the leading lines of i'm
prevement. If such appropriations were not made
the present session. it could be attributed to no.
thing else than the timidiy of the Legislature of
80 SO, which made large appropriations and failed
| to comply with the requirements of the Constitu
ton by increasing the taxes to meet the increased
| Indebtedness of the State.
Messrs PRESTON, WEIIMAN, IMBoDEN, KEN
PER, BURWELL, SEGAR, CLAIBORNE and DAVIS,
| earnestly urged the necessity of the passage of
the bill, in order to advance the cause of i'm
provement which could not bulge an inch with
out it, 1t was contended even If there were no
appropriations this session. it was necessary that
the bill should pass in order that the next Legis-
lature might have the means to 60 on with the
Public Works If the bill should fail, that Legis-
lature, would encounter greatly accumulated diff
culties which might prevent them from doing any
thing for the Internal Improvement cause and
thus infiict incalculable injury upon the State.
Mr.. PRESTON contended that the West was
more interested in the passage of this bill than the
East, and that it would be harder on the East than
the West. The Eastern lands were already gen
orally enhanced by works of Improvement while
those in the West were but partially enhanced in
value because their works were not finished. If
the assessment take place now, the West would
only be brought to pay on this partial enhance.
ment whereas, if the assessment WAS postponed
until the works were finished, the increased value
of lands would be general and the assessment
would be so much the heavier.
General DAVIS urged the passage of the bill for
the cause of Improvements. and contended that the
East was especially interested in its passage and
in pushing on the great works, because they were
"
the West, which would be poured down upon
them .a.
Mr. SEGAR was especially earnest and impas.
stoned in his support of the BILL and incidentally
of the general cause of improvement. He declared
his abiding and unaterable faith in the system of im
provements, as the only means of regenerating Va
and relieving her from her commercial vassalage
to the North. He expressed his satisfaction at
the great change of public opinion in the East du
ring his day, on this subject; and gloomy as
seemed the prospect at this session. he still ndulged
hope He spoke especially of the great ovington
| and Ohio line, and his idea of its magnitude and
value to the State. So important did he consider
it. that he would vote for it if that vote were GER
tain humiliation to him e..t' .
| In answer to the argument on the score of the
fixed constitutional value of the slave, it was said
that though his value was fixed, the tax upon him
might be Increased along with the general increase
of taxation other sub ects and that therefore 1t
was no reason against the assessment of lands
| Mr. GARRETT, on behalf of the East, contended
that ii she were opposed to Improvements 1t would
i be her policy to go against this bill, keep down
| revenue, and keep State stocks below par, which
would effectuay prevent their sale and, OF conse-
| quence the progress of improvements. The east
| ern lands had he believed, been more universally
| enhanced than those of the west-he would pre-
dict that the rise in value of eastern lands was at
least dOuble-therefore, the East, so far as the
| mere question of burthens was concerned, was
not interested in the passage Of this blu. 1t was
certainly not eastern measure; for all the reso-
lutions of inquiry into the expectancy OF tue re-
| assessment came from the West, except one
| moved by his friend from Loudoun, (Mr. PowELL),
and Loudoun, upon questions Of political power in
| the State had been generally identified with the
West Simply an eastern man, then, ne should
feel Indifferent to the passage of the BILL but as
Vrgiaiaa, desiring the prosperity Of the State he
| hoped 1t would pass.
| Mr.. FLOYD moved to lay the bill on the table,
| which motion was lost-ayes 81 noes "a.
| The bill then passed by the following yote
| AYEs-Messrs. Crutchfeld lSpeaker) Anderson,
Baker Bass Bondurant. Brown, Burweil, OF r., Bur.
we'll of B.. Bush, Bywsters, Calvert, Carter, Ciai-
borne Claybrook Cox, Craddock, Crawford CIocker,
Crockett babney, Davis, of O. Davis of A., Deane,
Dejsrnette, Diekinson of R., billiard, Dodson, Drom-
| gooie, Early, Edmunds. Eggborn. Garnett, Gregory,
| Gurley Hancock, Hawks Herbert, Hobbs, Holman,
| Imbodeu, Jones, of A, Jones, Of r., Jones' OF g.,
Kemper, Kirby, Lee, Mallory. Moor man, Murdsugh,
Nicolson, NowIin Parsons Patterson, Pendleten, Of
L.. Pitman, Powell Preston, Riddsk, RutineI Ruth
erfoord, Samuels, seddon, Sesar Shumste, Sinclair
| Smith, spsdy splitter, Sprinkle, Stanard, Taylor,
| Thomas, of W., Thompson, Thritt, Tomiin, TowneI,
| Tredway, vanorsdall, Wellmsn, Welton, Wood,
| Wright Yancey-83.
| NoEs--Messrs. Barnes, Foreman, Bosworth. Brady,
Brandon, Brsnnon Byrd, Carpenter, Cander, ,CaIper,
| Clarke Collins Crabtree, Daniels, Dickinson. OF y
Doyle, Floyd French, Frost, George, Hays Heskeii'
Heitt, Holden Holiday, Howell Johnston kee, kei'
1y, y,Lsntz, Martin Mays McChesney Mclver, Newton,
4 Il q