Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-09-26
NUMBER I.

of road to Lynchburg and thence the Orange AM
n Alexandria road to Baltimore, than it is by th
e, Valley route. The possession of the Virgin,
le Tennessee road by the Baltimore & Obi
n road would have established all of the South
a ern and Southwestern connections for Bati
lr more, which she Is now forced to secure b,
Is building the Valley Railroad, as is admitted
IS by the Baltimore papers. Thus think have
'r proven that, instead of being the opponent ol
. your interest, have been its guardian and
protec1or: Moreover, In protecting your in
y terest drew around me the most Of the rem
e resentatlon OF Southwest and Southside Vir-
e gina which enabled me to place the Court of
! , Appeals at the town of Staunton, and effect
many other measures of Importance and adj
vantage to you.
RE-ASSESSMENT OF LANDS
: The most important of all measures to the
: people OF Augusta likely to be brought to the
+ consideration of the General Assembly at its
a next session, will be a bill providing for the
: equalization of the assessments of real estate
: throughout the Commonwealth. The State
CONSTITUTION provides in article x, section first
a that: Taxation, whether imposed by the State
T county, or Corporate bodies, shall be equal
personal shall be taxed in proportion to its val
ue to be ascertained as prescribed by law. No
one species OF property from which tax NAV
be collected, shall be taxed higher than any
other species of property of equal value, and
further, In section of the same article, it pro
vides that The General Assembly shall bro
vlde Tor the re-assessment of the real estate of
this State In the year 1869, or as soon thereaf
ter as practicable, and every fifth wear tbereaf.
ter. provided in making such assessment. No
lands shall be assessed above or below its true
value, and yet we find the grossest inequality
Ia 10 the assessments OF real estate not only in
Eastern and Southwestern Virginia. but also
In the Valley. The object to be attained is a
uniform assessment in proportion to actual
value. 1t the assessment be uniform, it mat
ters not to the State or owners whether it be
| nigh or low, Tor given amount of revenue
must at all events be produced-but in case of
| Inequality, those whose lands are assessed at
hlgh hgures, are required to pay more than
their fair proportion, and this rule holds good
with regard to communities, the same as indi-
vlduals For example, the lands of the coun-
| " OF Augusta are assessed at one million, four
| hundred and thirty seven thousand, nine hun
apeu 1s Ian ana SIX dollars, twentythree cents ISL
| 43I ,9O6 23) above the assessment of the same
lands In lS56-whie the lands of the county
OF Rocklngham are six hundred and twenty
four thousand, one hundred and sixty-one dol
| lars and 81 cents less than the assessment of
the same lands in 1S56-making difference
against Augusta, taking the assessment of 1S56
| as standard, OF over two million and 6ftv
thousand dollars A still greater disparitv ex
ISIS between Augusta and several other Valley
counties with lands quite as good as hers The
| best remedy for this evil is a universal eouaI;.
zatlon OF values throughout the State If that
fails, the next best remedy will be to obtain the
passage OF bill authorizing the re-assessment
OF lands IN the county of Augusta. Tn that
| re-assessment your lands must, at anv rate he
brought as much below the assessment of 1856.
as the lands of Rockingham, which are quite
equal to yours in value. When so reduced YOU
will be relieved of two millions and sixtv tbon-
sand dollars of taxable values, upon which Won
are now paying, according to the present as
sessment, ten thousand, three hundred dollars.
(Sl0,3OO The counties that haye.been asses,
sed at low rates are going to fight against this
relief IN your behalf, for it is their interest to
do so, and 1t will require all of the influence
that you can bring to BEAR to attain either of
the remedies indicated. | think there are in
huences in the State that will unhoId INV bond,
and unite with me in relieving Won of this nal.
pable injustice. p'
REPUBLICANIsM
deem 1t necessary In conclusion To take mr.
tice OF certain reports that have already been
put out In the County againstm me. to wit That
am sympathlzer with the Republican mar
tY-a aDemagogue--and Disorganizer. To all
| OF which reports desire to give fiat and nm
equlvocal denial. | do not claim that T am
| either an extremist or fre-eater, and frankly
| admit that members of the Republican Marty
In the Legislature of Virginia and in the conn.
ty OF Augusta, have aided me in the accom-
pllshment OF ends of advantage to the peonle
| OF Augusta, purely local. and In no wise noiit
lcal-whlch services have always appreciated
and endeaVored to return in like spirit. But
there is no member of the Republican party
either In the county of Augusta or the State
| OF Virginia. who will not be compelled to saw.
| on
an unequlvocal and decided adhesion to the
| Conservative party of Virginia. If what I
have heard be true, | do not think that certain
prominent men living in the town of Staunton.
who are bending all their efforts to procure NV
deieat can obtain the same testimony at The
hands OF members of the Republican party.-
When the Republican party was in the ascen-
dant In Virginia, these individuals, | am told,
made such overtures and representations to
some OF Its members, as to induce them to be-
lleve that they were going over to them neck
and heels. The fact of their not being voters
at the time enabled them to straddle the fence
walt until the battle was fought, and then
tall on the winning side. Victory perched up-
on the banners of the Conservative party and
they at once sung Hosannas to its brilliant
| trlumphs, and are now loud-moutbed in de-
nounclng and endeavoring to cast suspicion up
on those VINO are not only now true but were
true at the time they were ready to DESERT
from this source, or from some of their satel-
| htes, emanates this charge
DEMAGOGISM.
AS to this charge call upon you to saw
whether have on any occasion endeayored to
use the articles and appliances of the dema-
gogue to procure your support. | am sure YOU
Will answer In the negative-and | am equally
sure impartial members of the Legislature will
testify, that whatever influence | had in that
body, was rot attained by either trickery or
wire pulling, but solely by bold frank and
honest advocacy of what thought was right.
independent OF the wishes of selfish indiyidu-
ais and cllques-and fearless denupciation of
what conceived to be wrong
CONVENTION.
As to the charge that am disorganizer and
opposed to Convention, / have only to saw.
that if the people of Augusta desire Conyen.
tlon, and indicate that desire by turning out in
respectable numbers, at their township and
ward meetings, | am perfectly willing to submit
my claims to a Convention called in this way
and fairly constituted-but do not intend that
! a certain Courthouse clique in the Town of
Staunton, who have already proclaimed that
they earnestly desire a Convention, in order
that they may have an opportunity to slaughter
me, because OF their acknowledged fear that
the people, without Convention, will elect
me-shall pack Convention against me. And
{ L now charge upon these individuals, that in
case they succeed in carrying out their designs
they are the disorganizers, and they only will