The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-20

st;t,,t;onaJ requirement. As legal PROPOSE
,;nn tl,crc cptlld he no doubt about the pri-
mary liaiyiiisy of this present State Of Virginia
far the whole debt; and the last General A.
srmblv held that ii was historical ana
LEGAL fallacv to assert that it was not the
s,ma State: so the compromise with the cred
tors made in the funding billwas rs liberal
and as lust as could have been expected. The
creditors took sixty-siX cents In the dollar anc
Virpiuia,s certificate for the one-third when
the settlement with West Virginia was con.
| cluded. AS to the interest for january ana
.July. that great bugbear, he showed from his
estimates that it could be paid, and that, TOO,
without touching the school tax, without re-
ducine the salaries Of the officers, or without
increasing the existing rate of taxation On pro
merry. Comparing the rate Of taxntion III
! Virginia and i'm other States, both northern
and southern, Mr.. ASDERsoN adduced very
favorable conclusion as to our capacity 10
Stand ND to the funding bill and to restore
our state credit to firm LASTS. To tamper
with the funding bill would be considered
everywhere outside of the State as repudl-
alton however we'll the suspension ofthe fund
ing might be understood here.
re demonstrated in the case of Mississippi
how that State, by the reputation OF the
snn Of 81. COOS 900, had been the loser by
hundreds of millions. So would it be with
Virginia if gentlemen allow the popular eX-
element to get the better Of their Judgment
and pass this resolution, the effects Of which it
would be impossible to calculate. The
sneaker, in considerable detail, enumerated
various modes Of raising revenue and Of de-
creasinr the current expenses OF tile Govern
ment and thereby enabling us to keep up
the payment Of interest.
Al the conclusion of Mr.. ASDERsoS's re-
marks. Mr.. TlUMAs offered the following rcso-
luti"n:
"ResClaed, That the Auditor of Public
Account, he requested to furnish the Sclltte
as early ~ practicable what amount OF money
is now in The treasury applicable to the pny-
mcnt OF The interest upon the public debtallcl
the civil list, and " hat amounts are hppilci-
bic to each; that lie state how much OF Inc
money now in the treasury is necessary to
nav the interest upon that part Of the debt
which is now funded; how much viii
he required to discharge the civil list
lmuaid and to accrue; what will be the
surplus in the Treasury, in his opinion, after
dischareing the January interest, that can be
applicd to the interest falling due 1st July,
1872, That he also state what additional
means dcriyable from all sources can lie ap-
piled to the interest falling due 1st July, -
and what. i-lis opinion, will be the dciicit
in the Treasury upon the lst CT july, 'Ia, for
which prov isiOn must DO made.
The CHAIR stated that the resolution
could only he considered by common consent
or passing by the pending question.
Mr.. QUEsESBERRY objected to its conside-
ration.
Mr.. PATTERSON saw nc earthly use for this
information ~ this atage except to occasion
delay. His mind Ind been made upfrom the
first. He wanted the resolution sllspendin9
the funding passed, and then the whole mat
ter, from beginning to end, could be investi-
gated. He, too, objected 10 the considera-
ton of Mr.. ThUmas'S resolution.
Mr.. THOMAS said that his resolution would
occasion no delay. The Auditor could fur.
nish the information asked by tho lime the
Senate met to-lnorroW,
Mr.. PATTERSON still objected.
Mr.. THOMAS then moved to pass by the
pending question in order to consider his
resolution.
A vote was then taken--ayes, 10 hoes, ~.
The Chair voted Automatically,
1he CHAIR then stated the question to be
upon the adoption of Mr.. Thomas's resolu-
ton,
Mr.. ROLLER wanted a great deal OF other
information. lie wanted particularly to know
how much it would be necessary to increase
the present rate Of taxation, if any. to con-
tinue the payment of 'terest alter duly,
1872. He had been told by assessors that the
present tax bill WIS the most searching one
ever enacted, reaching from the shirt OH q
mars back and the chickens in the BARN.
yard to the homestead and the bondholder.
Mr.. CoNNALLY inquired of Mr.. ROLLER If
the assessors had told him that the five great
corporations of the State-the Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, the
Ohio and Atlantic Railroad, the Richmond
and Danylle Railroad. the Atlantic, Missis-
sippi and Ohio Railroad, and the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad Companies had paid not
q dollar of tax into the Treasury.
Mr.. TERRY informed the gentleman that
the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio railroad
had paid It's TAX.
Mr.. CoSSALLY admitted that he had heard
that they paid So, 900 Oh the last Saturday.
But all of them should be made to pay out
to the State a fair per cent. Of the money
which they had for these many years tiled
their SolllleSs pockets with ut the peoples
expense.
Mr. Thomas earnestly appealed TO the
Senate to pass the resolution which he had
proposed. in order to procure the Informal
ton which in any contingency would be
valuable, and was absolutely indispensable
to the Ineligible consideration OF the main
question now under discussion.
Mr.. QUESENEERRY, at 20 minutes to II,
moved TO adjourn, but withdrew his motion
in order to allow Dir. Penn to state that he
would be absent for two days on leave of
absence, and has paired oft on the funding
bill question with Mr.. Anderson, Of Pittsyl-
vania.
The Senate then adjourned.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
Mr.. WATTS, of Portsmouth, in the chair.
Prayer By Rev. G. II. Read, d. D., of the
Glace-Strcct Presbyterian church.
... BILLS REPORTED.
The following House bills were reported
from committees and placed Oh the calendar !:
In relation to the times for meeting and
adjournment Of circuit, county, and corpora
ton courts.
To amend the law as to grand iuries.
To repeal a portion Of section Al of the
public school uct, with a recommendation
that it do not pass. ...
To amend and rcGnact section = OF chap
ter 100 of the Code, as to claims cogniza-
bic by justices of the peace, with recon-
mcndation that it do not pass.
PER DIEM AND MILEAGE.
lfr. KELLEY submitted the following, upon
which lie asked the immediate judgment of
the House: .
Resoired, as the judgment Of this House,
That in view OF the pressing necessity for re-
trenchment in expenses it is proper that the
members of the General Assembly should set
the example in the matter Of per diem and
mileage. To this end the House Of Delegates
hereby pledges itself to sustain bill which
shall reduce the per diem from Sc to 81 per