The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-08
UOTSE OF DELEGATES

The House was called to order ut T.
d. .t.k by Speaker Turner. Prayer by
-. Res. Dr.. Edwards. OF the Methodist
taU"ta.
~. r"ll was called, and IS members were
rt ir->ent.
Ma MAHooD was dcputcd to inform the
~.rsj. tAlt the House was organized, and
..,y I" proceed with business.
) grrum having appeared in that body,
.'.. ,~1.,' WAS brought to the House 10y
>.n.'uv SMITH. of llcnrico. that the Senate
Y.> "H-~H.Zed, and that they had adopted Il
H' resolution appointing Il committee Of
three IN the part of the House and two
iirm the Senate 10 wait upon the Governor,
tH1 inform him that the Legislature was
ready !" receive any communication he may
l.1" t. make.
II Speaker appointed Messrs. KELLEY.
N.4HuD. and llUpGINS the committee on
liz part Of the Hou,c.
!l- committee having performed this
G.ty, in short time Colonel Owens, aid to
,an Governor, appeared AZ the bar Of the
House and announced to the Speaker that
IT,, Governor had sent the following annual
m~>>agc to the Legislature:
COMMONWEALTH OF NIRGISiA,l
EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS.
RICHMOND, Dec. 1870.
.5.men Of the Senate and House Of Del
fu'.$:
Never before in the history of this Com
lanuW"alth has n Legislature assembled
u,"n which deyolyed graver responsibili-
H., than upon YOU" This opinion was
.>prr>>cd to YOU in my inaugural address
II Tie opening Of your first session, and l
j.,jre to reatiirm it now, at the commence
G,nt Of your last session. How you have
b. those - grave responsibilities is q
meter Of record. Your present session
AN complete that record, upon which the
...!.c Judgment, the Judgment of your
,N,,ituencics, and Of posteritv, will be
igMad. While you have done some things
which, in NY Judgment, you ought not to
bH" done, and have left undone some
'.I@-' which you ought to have done, nev.
os.A"Ics~, the ninety days Of official exist
ras" remaining to you will afford ample
o.i"ytunlty for correcting the former aud
i"..:"ctln3 the latter. Coming together as
N"G did. a young, and, to some extent, an
~ Ni"riCnbe0 body OF men. with new and
'Mc%hat iucOngruouS Constitution to put
j. :urc", working radical changes in almost
every department of the Government, with
n"Ily every office in the Commonwealth,
IN constable TO lieutenant governor, to
MI. with an imperative necessity for the
l,am"dalc modification Of nearly every sta
''.' III tI!t Ntttt, tlle Guuclule Oh
n.iy new ones, with an impoverished peo-
it'. suffering from the terrible ills OF four
var, devastating war, anXiOusly looking
10 you Tor relief, without, perhaps, a pro-
l"r consideration OF the limitations of your
powers contained in the Constitution, with
/" EA,l variety Of public and private interests
u'A4Ddng your attention. you may well
congratulate yourselves that with all this
variety and multiplicity Of important SUBJ
!'',s demanding your prompt consideration
ana action, you should have been able to
.rrpmpG>A 50 much with so few errors.
III" enough remains to you to correct
whatever errors may have crept into your
.c-l>latlOn, some OF which was necessarily
.a-E, and to enact such other laws as may
hr required TO put the Constitution fully
!Ht" force, and TO meet the wants and ne
''',lies Of the state and the people.
FINANCES.
One OF the first, as well as one of the most
Important. subjects which should engage
;"iir attention is our State finances. The
.'fcrt> Of the Auditor and Treasurer eXhi.
III lh" receipts and disbursements for the
i'>; l>Cul year, and the condition Of the
Treasury III its close. These reports, how
ever. afford no Just criterion by which to
ladee q the future. The new system of
taxation inaugurated by the Constitution,
"nl which you put III force by legislation
az YOUR last session, is not yet in full opera
,'rn and our experience under it is too
b'!ci TO form al accurte judgment Of the
results OF this, our first experiment The
~" assessment Of the real estate in the
Commonwealth will be completed this
Mol,h. From this and the returns made
l" "'Ae Auditor under the two acts approved
June 10Th last, and entitled respectively
an act III relation to the assessment of
'ASes on licenses" and ''an act for the as
se>,nrnt Of taxes" and the act approved
July on last, cn,itlcd "an act imposing
taxes Tor Tie support Of Government and
t'" schools, and 10 pay the interest on the
pubic Debt" you will be enabled to obtain
Vel correct data upon which to base your
stCuon upon the subject Of future taxation.
lo0 already have my views as to the
amounts necessary to be raised. On the
q . d day Of March last submitted 10 you a
I'M statement OF the financial condition of
,he commonwealth, together with my own
Vows as TO the policy which ought to be
pursued. Further thought and reflection
nave served TO confirm and strengthen my
cohhIencc in the correctness Of the recon-
M'hdations then made. They have been
heiTtIly endorsed by the best tinanciers Of
both this country and England. Had the
LEGISLATURE promptly adopted them, am
sattshcd that not only would the State debt
nave been reduced over ten millions Of dol
A't' The present year, and our depreciated
n u -