The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-09-08

VIII SOutfut III SSlL Win CxAIuIs3 kttHllO
to them They are accessible TO alls havin
been published in the docnnaelts of the pa
three years. In this connections, faiso invite
your attention to the very Ahie report Oh this
subject prepared by C0pnstssioners Hay
rnond, Johnston, ana Campbell. This re-
pert contains recommendations and sussyes-
lions Of much value and importance aud |
commend them To your favorable considers
ton.
This is a matter OF practical importance
and requires early attention The Interest,"
OF the State demand that the reforming ham,
Of the Legislature should be applied 10 1t -
With regular supply Of raw material, SO a.
10 Keep the c0nvicts constantly employees,
and With an intelligent aud Jud,cious apgi
cation their labor, We may reasonablyi spe
fhat the institution will be selfenstaiiin4, ii
no more.
submit the report OF Capt Edward II
fi1zhugh, now IN charge OF the Quart efnas-
Ter Generals eilice, TO which invite your
attention. 1t presents q clear and s,ieeinct
statement OF the condition OF aifAfrs IN that
Office from the organizat ion Of The state ine
iorees to the present time. aud wiifdaubtless
he Eeau with great interest, especially when
1T is recollected that Just before the State
Line troops were ,lis.,aa,ied ii wss quite cur
rently charged that the entire appropriation
had been expended. This fes,yrt sl,qxs, that
The sum 81 one faillinf twss l,rls5ff Isl alssl
3 twenty five Thousand ,lo li5a fstai dawn
froin the treasury for that department, and
that Since Tie fofes was dlsbaiideli sis Fun
dred AMI sixteen tasEils.iid five hundred aud
seventeen .loii1ss;f.f,l niilety-two cents had
been re;uaded, t>fsine the actual cost OF the
state liue forces, So IL, as that depart men. Is
| concerned, six hundred and. eight thollsant.
four hundred aud eighty-!ao dollars agd
cisht cents othci property how bcih. col
lected, ;tiii which Will be turned over to tE.
| Confederate Goyeraluent, will further reduce
! the cost No report has been received from
the Piymaster Generals department.
In this CONNECTION it is appropriate and
| becoming that slouli refer to the dis;in-
guishei commander of the 81 ate Line, whose
| race is rum whose la,or5 are ended, and who
now quietly sleeps with thc dead General
Floyd was no ordinary man. lie was blessed
with rare intellectual cndoWments. lie pos
| Scs5ed incoininou energy and great physi-
cal endurance. His information was ya.ie..
/, extensive, ana valuable. As an orator, he
he had few superiors-is astatesmal, he was
equal TO any oi the ,nen OF his day-and rs
| 4 patriot, devoted to his country and his
! country's cause, his services in this war best
| attest his merits. lie was equal to every
position to which he was callcd-as Dele
| gfc III the General Assembly, us Governor
OF this State, Is Secretary OF War under the
old Government, as Briss,der General com
handing the Confederate troops, or As Major
General commanding the State Line When
| the news OF Ii Is death reached this city |
caused the State fiag to be displayed at half
mast, and the offices to be closed for the ,iae,
| i'll token Ot respect for his memory.
On the 18th day cf August last 4 reQuisi-
ton was made upon me by the Secretary of
| War for 3 $40 slaves, to work upon the iorti
iications around Richmond. Copies Of the
| papers are herewith submitted to your CON
sidcratlon, and particularly invite your at
tcntion TO the draft made upon the several
counties. The appoftIonmcnt upon the
counties seems to be entirely arbitrary, and
bears very unequaliy. In some cases live
per cent of the slaves is called for, and in
other cases less. thal one per cent Thus,
| Amelia, With upwards OF Z 800 slaves assessed
| with taxes i'll 196?, is required to furnish 90
while Allegheny, with less than 100, is re-
| quired 10 furnish SO. The county of Albe
marie, with i2,GSl, is called upon for 700
while Bruins wick, with Y,2l2, is called upon
for 80 The county of Augusta, with $50
is called upon for 50, while The county OF
Rockingham, with =, i6i, is called upon for
| 100. Hanover, Will. S,G2l is called upon for
| 30, while Prince Edward, with 4, ,a.!S, is called
upon for 1870. These examples Wilfsuflicc TO
| show how unequaily this burden is dlstiibu
| ted; ANA trust that some amendment will
be made to the law. which will afford pro
lection against such inequality.
| The law requires that "flIe value of such
! slaves as may escape from the Confederate
| authorities aud not return 10 their owners,
| or be seized, or killed by The public enemy,
| or may, by want OF due diligence on the part
| oi the authorities Of the Confederate States
| III any hlanuer be lost 10 tho owners OF such
| slaves and in like manner compensation
| shall lie made for any injury 10 slaves arising
| from, lie want Of due diligence on the part
oi the authorities OF the Confederate Siates."
Many cases o1 peculiar hardship, arising from
| the loss oi slaves, have been brought 10 my
| attention., and much complaint has been
| made by the owncrs, in cons equeuce OF the
| fact that they have moi received the value rs
| provided Tor i'll this act. in several Cases the:
| only slave capable oi field labor thai the
| owner possessed has been lost, and coinpe.i.
| sation not having been made, he las becn
unable 10 supply his place. II the value hai
been promptly paid, the hardship in such
| Cases would have been greatly relieved I
| invoke your early attention to this subject,
| o 80 much Importance to our common con
| StItucnts.
In my last MESSAGE recommended an in
crease of the salaries III the officers aud eni-
ployees Of the Government, and assigned
the reasons which prompted the rccom,neil
| dation. Subsequent experience las greatly
/ strengthened those reasons: and now, there
fore, without repeating tl,em, renew the se-
colnInendation, III the earnest hope that il
will meet yout approval
have received 4 communication from the
l President OF the Central railroad, cnciosin.
| report made to him by the Superintendent,
| on Il subject of great importance to the road,
and not less to the State and the Contederl-
cy The demands for the transportation OF
passengers ant freight over this aud the other
| railroads of The State have been very great,
| and tke roads have been severely taxed to
meet them. So far they have fully met the
| demands, but it is apparent 10 any person
| that will pass over thcnl that extensive &c
| pairs are now much needed, and must be
made, or they viii be broken down and ren
| degcu useless. Besides great difficulty Is ex
pefienced i'll procuring cross ties and the ne
ccssary supply of wood for fuel. Labor IL
| indispensably necessary to relieve then, aud
/ SO far As legislation can aid them / am salts
fed it will be clieerinlly extended
| The Central, Orange and Alexandria, aiia
! the Virginia and Tennessee roads have more
to apprehend from raids than any oil the
| o<her roads in the State, and this apprehen
sion makes it difficult to procure labor CD
| reasonable, or Indeed OH amy terms. The
| owners of slaves are unwilling to hire them
| on these liues, LIST they may be seized and
carried off, or may be induced 10 2'scond.-
| Under these circumstances they Very pro
| perry desire that the subject shall be brongia
to your attention. The papers are herewith
| asibinittel, and trust your Wi3daln wlli ena-
| bile you to devise some measure III relHi.
! communicate herewith fhe reports ot
The Board OF Visitors, fhe Superintendent,
| and the Surgeon of the Virginia Military In
stitmte, and commend them to your con
sideration They are deeply Interesting,
| and, Notwithstanding the embarrassments OF
the times, they show that the institution is