Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-01-15
Richmond Correspondence.
EXCHANGE HOTEL, RICHMOND,
January 9th. 1867.

Richmond Correspondence.
EXCHANGE HOTEL, RICHMOND,
January 9th, 1867.
Editor of Spectator Perhaps brief letter,
now and then, from this city and this house,
may in some degree interest your readers, and,
having little leisure Twill attempt to write one
now.
Every body, you know, comes to the Elk
change; and no wonder. 1t could not be 9TH
erwise. A magnificent building and elegant
equipments, hosts who are gentlemen, servants
attentive and polite, and bill Of fare every way
unsurpassed in the country, could not fail to at
tract guests And what shall | say Of the clerks
in the office To Augusta people, | need only
sure them of hearty welcome and the kindest
attentions Wherever they go, the crowd Of
| their acquaintance must follow. | beg pardon
of the former, however, for not giving him his
present title In the army he was known as
Capt. & A. @. NJ, but now he is styled Colo
neL
Should any of your people, visiting Richmond,
prefer private boarding, | take pleasure in rec
ommending the house of Mrs. Gamble, on
Main Street, near the Spottswood House. Ru-
NOR says, and no doubt truly, that she keeps
one of the best boarding houses in the city.
A curious case has recently been brought be-
tive clemency, which I have not seen noticed
in the city papers. In the year 1929, free
negro named Hodges was tried at Norfolk for
forgery and found guilty, the jury fixing the
term of his confinement In the Penltentlary at
five years. The offence consisted in his chang
ing the amount of a due bill from s. &c to So
&C. Before sentenced by the Court, the priso-
ner escaped, and was not heard of in Norfolk
till during the war; when he appeared there
oh y,lo in, ha In,
the meanwhile he had been preacher, some
where up North. Remaining in Norfolk after
the war, he was lately arrested for the old Of
fence, and his identity being established by sew
eral witnesses, Judge Baker of the Circuit
Court pronounced sentence in pursuance of the
verdict rendered twenty eight years ago. Po-
litical feeling enters into the case from the fact
| that Hodges boasts of being the person who
ruthlessly shot and killed Maj. Burruss, Con-
federate officer held as a prisoner in Norfolk
during the war. The Governors decision on
the application for pardon has not transpired.
Speaking of the Governor reminds me that
his successor is to be elected in May next, ac-
cording to the regular course Of events. The
suggestion of some of the city papers, to post
pone the election till Fall, does not receive much
favor among members Of the Legislature, as far
as can learn. Many candidates have been
| named, and among them Speaker Baldwin and
Mr.. Stuart, of your town, are prominently men,
toned. | shall not be surprised if one or the
other of these gentlemen is formally brought
forward before the Winter closes. Of course |
do not mention them as competitors, but each
has friends here who think him the best man
for the place at this crisis
All speculations and plans on this subject,
however, may be brought to an untlmely end
We literally know not what may happen on the
morrow. The recent proceedings Of the House
of Representatives at Washington, is regarded
here as more threatening to our peace, and that
Of the country at large, than anything that has
yet occurred. All we can do is calmly to await
whatever may turn up, or rather what Provi-
dence may order or permit.
So far the Legislature has been in no hurry
to act upon the Constitutional amendment. 1t
is understood that the Joint Committee having
the matter in charge, at meeting On Monday
last, postponed the consideration of the subject
for more than week On the 7th an effort
was made in the House ofDelegates to take the
subject out of the hands of the Committee, but
it failed Yesterday, however, the House
passed resolution instructing their Committee
to report Immediately. Those who profess to
know, say that. ;under no circumstances, can the
amendment receive more than one or two votes
in either house.
Other matters, of exclusively State interest,
occupy the attention Of the Legislature. The
commercial interest is clamorous for repeal or
modification of the usury law-lnany members
from ''the rural district" are disposed to keep
the law as it is. The Senate has already passed
bill allowing interest as high as ten per cent,
but it is doubtful whether any measure Of the
kind can pass the House Of Delegates.
The subject of taxation will occupy much
time. Always difficult to manage, it is pecu-
liarly so at this juncture. when our people are
IA Ill VT =,
ally thought that, it we are ever to pay the pub
lie debt, we ought to begin at once Postpone
ment only makes the matter more, by accumu
lating the interest. No one proposes that we
should attempt to pay Immediately the interest
on the whole debt-we are clearly unable to do
that-and the utmost that is proposed is to pro-
vide for the accruing interest on registered
bonds. This class of bonds is selected in pref
erence to the other, on the ground Of public
policy, and especially on the score Of justice to
the land holders. A tax Of thirty cents on the
hundred dollars will pay the interest on the
whole registered debt, except the bonds for
this rate of taxation? 1t seems to me we can,
as last year we paid larger amount, including
the Federal land tax, of which we are now re-
lieved
The present Legislature has done one good
thing, if no more, in beginning to develop
new source of immense revenue Heretofore
the oyster trade has escaped taxation, but the
experience Of less than year shows that the
law passed last Winter will bring into the State
Treasury about two hundred thousand dollars
annually. A similar law imposing tax on
fishing, which is now proposed, will bring in
nearly as much more.
Lit Gov. Cowper seems to have surrendered
his chair to your Senator, Mr.. Trout, who gives
great satisfaction as presiding officer. 6.
Bankrupt Law.
The Richmond Tines is of the opinion that
Congress should pass carefully prepared bank
rupt law without delay, and says:
"a good bankrupt law is required at this
time for the relief Of that numerous class of per-
fectly honest men at the South who have been
utterly ruined by the war; We need the ener-
gy and enterprise at this time of multitudes Of
men of commercial ability and business enter
prise, who are kept out of business by the lack
of uniform bankrupt law.
Two MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN Parasitic
population of Paris, including the arrondisse-
ments of st. Denis, and Sceaux, according to
the census ofl962. amounts to 2, $50, GIG which
is an increase of 1926 above the number
given in the census returns for 1866. As the
annual expenditure Of the city of Paris now