The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-01-17
Gusui,sg stats Saarnal
TUESDAY EVENING, JAN. II, 1871.
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.


to "set" better. Yesterday IL was t.
much like new suit of store clothes, wit
all the creases and fold-marks shown
that they were not made at Devlin's
Spence's. 1t looks much better now, an
the type used being all of large size it wi
become more popular with persons who's
vision has been dimmed by age. Mr.. E
L. Pelouze, the enterprising type-founde
of this city, we understand, furnished GU
neighbours new outfit, and it speaks wei
for Richmond enterprise in that line. Their
is no need to go elsewhere for printing
material, when it can be obtained on bette
terms at our own doors.
The Enquirer hammers away at tn,
Legislature. 1t can't get over the chagrir
of its defeat in the consolidation war, anc
the "gift," as it calls it, of nearly six mil.
lions of dollars, being the States interest
in these roads. 1t refers to the long and
fierce struggle in the General Assembly
over this proposition, which was, in its
opinion, of far less Importance to the in
terests of the State than a proper care OF
our public highways, and yet the Legsa-
ture have paid so little attention to the
latter, that they did not even discuss the
highway law, reported by the committee,
when presented. After referring in the
bitterness of its soul to the long fight over
consolidation, it contrasts that protracted
struggle about single line of railroad, with
the indifference exhibited towards all the
wagon roads of the State, which are of far
more importance to the farming interests
than railroads We give its own words:
In fewer days than it took weeks to settle
this dispute, a general highway law was
passed, upon which committee may have
delberated, but on which the two houses GER
tainly did not. Yet man must be demeated
who would contend that any one line of rail.
road is worth as much, or anything like it, as
all the highways of this Commonwealth, or
that in the changes that have come upon us
they required no more elaboration than was
given to them to put them upon proper foot
ing of adjustment to the new order of things.
The value of lands in Virginia depends more
ON their highways than on their railroads, and
needs moro the hand of ameliorating legisla-
ton.
1t next refers to the scramble made by
the politicians and professors
to secure the agricultural land fund grant,
ed by Congress, for their sectarian COL
leges, and thus pitches into the COM
mittee of the Legislature for inviting the
clergy to give them their views as to the
proper distribution of this fund.- 1t says /:
That select committee, instead of quietly ap-
propriating the fund, getting the information
thereabout, If they needed it, by examining |
witnesses, has permitted or invited lecture |
pft ar fhn MT af two
aspiring politicians, ex-politcians, learned pro-
fessors and reverend divnes, thereby foment- |
ing discord and heart-burnings, tempting these |
gentlemen to combinations pro and con, and to |
intrigues and wire-working, very much against |
the dignity, if not the peace, of the grave |
parties TO this delectable scramble. The whole |
matter would have been a farce if it had not |
been made bore.
And next the Enquirer is anxious to !
know how these incompetent legislators,
who, according to its notions rise to great
ness in little things, and sink to littleness
in great things,-~will manage the fence
law question, when it comes up,-which
our contemporary declares is a matter of
very large Importance. The bill passed
without deliberation at the last session, but |
which fortunately failed to become law,
was a most outrageous one, according to |
our neighbours estimate. Mr.. Bell, Of Au-
gusta, however, has introduced fence
bill, which the Enquirer considers more
ust, although even it is not perfect.
1t then comes back to its mutton.-that
is, to the six millions of railroad stock |
given to the consolidated line by the State
and contrasts the action of the Legislature
In that case with its course on the fence law
and after showing that in Piedmont and
Underwater Virginia, it will cost more than
one~half the value of the lands to fence
them and seventeen times more than the |
value of all the stock, hogs, sheep and
cattle owned by the farmers-because, in
1861, the tax Of a compulsory fence law
on the same land was $105, 4,628.46,
while the value of the cattle, sheep and
hogs in the two sections at the same time I
was only $6,471. 674-the Enquirer re-
Dukes our Lawmakers thusly:
So that we see that the same body which
took away what was estimated, we think fair
ly, at 81, 900 600, from our ability to pay, was
willing to risk in irresponsible hands the power
to tax the people to an extent seventeen times
as great as the fund donated, and seventeen
times as great in value as the stock, the cattle,
sheep and hogs, for whose benefit this legisla-
ton was had.
Well, what good does it do /? We have
been a-trying to make our legislators ev-
erywhere, State and National, pass perfect
laws, for the last twenty years,-but none
of them will follow our advice They are
the most stubborn and self-opinionated
men we ever met. 1t does no good talk
ing to such men, and we have long since
given it up In despair. Of course every
man of sense could see that we were al
ways right and they. always wrong. The
Legislature ought to read what we say,
heed what we say, and do what we say
but they won land we have determined
to let them go to ruin in their own way.
We shall give them no more ADVICE
waste no more pearls foolishly
The Dispatch refers to the census Of the
cities Of twenty thousand population and
upwards, to show the present status of
Richmond. 1t appears we have increased
in population at the rate of 35 per cent,
which is per cent. more than Cincinnati.
AS matter of course, we ought to feel
properly proud of this rapid growth but
then, is it 50? Has it been an actual in
crease to that extent within the old bound
aries of the city, or is the largest part of
the increase due to the extension of the
city limits by which over ten thousand of