The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-25
rFor the Dispatch.
D.vnvs OF virginia"

,+o candidates for the Sei'i"
.,'1, 7. is not only proper, n.i' ~
49, frankly and fairly to revue" '"' 80
on'!' toto representatives. II they "s,e
Oh W., ,nfa;,hful to their trust, we snoulo'
u, ue'' sa,sdcfcnce, repudiate them ~ uu
III sorvants: but Il. on inc Quiet
WIZ" .. deserve our endorsement we
nSn'' honor them with q reelection. IL Is
'uo Wv. ,hus that we can purify The elective
ON! I'D nrotect ourselves against cor
,.nnf{on and demagoglsm. 49,, r.o-
fut'. 1,'rnose. therefore, to furnish the pe"-
r; utih some plain facts for their conslue-
p'.u WV Tn the first place, then. arTaien
IA! Ia.io r,emhers of the last Legislature ior
. ~, neglect of official duty. ihey were
&, sessiou six months before tney p'sseu
any tax law ut all and when they iea ,.sh;nb
bled thew took four months more VIZ !,
to add some very stnpio alhclu ,rera ami. |
During all this time our interests Moio
for;nn in many ways. But they booh
ns,a,.;,I care of their O,rn interests ny pass
;np law to pay their per diem during |
recess. .,.o.,o, law was IN.
a;.nans;h7e- although such laws nave Az tne
time been on our statute books, ana thel.
precise framework familiar 10 US III, SeS
fhcsc wiscucreS did not condcscend 10 lass
one until within few days of the elecuon.
Ana S,1ch an anomaly! Important as IL
is--ulain as it should be-they eseDt ~ TO
lis in the careless multiform OF NINE
AMENDMENTS! This one fact Is enough
in itself to condemn these men ana Ior
this reason: that with form before tne.a,
they were either too stupid 70 Kno" now ~
draft a proper law, or else 100 neyn9e'1 "
take the mains to do it. Now, they are
narfecily welcome to either horn OF this
dilemma, -,
Having amendment on the brain, they
amended the registration law FOC
TINES, and il is still so obscure ana III
perfect as to be difficult OF lntcrpretag,roI'
Here again we behold their ctlpablllly:
And so il il with nearly every important
1aw nassed by them-drawn carelessly,
botcbed accordingly, and amended innu-
merably, These are ear-marks which
would identify an estray in any court OF
Justice, without regard to age, color, or
previous condition.
do not speak unadvsedly. Take TIE
simple matter of q tax on deeds, one III
which we are all interested, and to which
their esDecfQl attention was twice called at
their last session. The law provides that
"when the consideration OF the deed OF
value of the property conveyed exceeds
81 .OOO.' it shall be taxed one dollar. AMI
len Der cent. on the excess over 81 600.
Now, here is q common case. John Doe
executes deed of trust to indemnify his
sure,ies TO bis bond as administrator OF
Richard Roe, deceased, in the penalty OF
S1N.eW. Where is "the consideration j"
here?
Nomoncy is paid, none is loaned-nothlng
but mere deed of indemnity. Nor can
YOU always get ut the ''value OF property,
Sometimes it is an undivided interest, ana
sometimes it is Il lot Of personally. such AZ
horses, cows, farming implements, furnl-
Il 20 inl "a p
zion Of argument, what is the ConS,derdh0n
in any deed Of trust whatever! Their OBJ |
jprt is merely to provide security, and
las Il often happenS)a security for an OLD
debt contracted long ago ard sometimes
they provide, in general terms, Tor credI- |
tors without preference. And, pray tell
me. what is the consideration IN that heaFy |
deed of trust recently executed ny the |
Washington and Ohio Railroad Company |
TO secure the ultimate payment Of bonds |
for s, COO, 600, which may never be SOLD |
Certain II is they are still unSOld, and likely |
TO he i'm the market for some time TO come. 1
And the tax on suits is by no means certain |
as to the amount, and often works gross |
injustice to the poor debtor, who has the |
tax to pay for the privilege of being suec. |
Iventurc to assert that the law in regard |
to process Improved March 81, 1871, p. 1922
was passed through trickery, corruption, /!
ignorance, or outrageous neglect. This most
extraordinary law requires clerks, upon
the return day OF every process, to award
rule against the sheriff If he has failed 10
make his return! In cases of executions
this law will prove very oppressive on tue
debtor. The return-day may be just De.
fore he threshes his wheat or gathers ms
corn. when few days indulgence would
benefit him without iujuriDg the creator
and vet the clerk is compelled to rule tiie
sheriff il be fail to make his return prompt-
ly. Such law as this is false IN principles
vicious in policy, and oppressive In appi-
cation. It is more than this. 1t Is, an my
opinion, an inhumau law, passed Wltnout
rhyme, reason, or excuse. IL can oil's,.p ny
any possibility, be excused: upon .ne
ground of reconsideration, winch, 5t,a,
but serves to show how utteriy iethiese
and untaithtul these renegades have been.
And vet majority of them have the aSsur-
ance 10 ask reelection ut your banus
1t used to cost about 81 500 per annum
in counties like Augusta, Albemarle, lou
doun, Fauquier, &C., to assess Tue IaAt ~ !,
but now it costs over Sa,ooO 10, na we Iile
same work done-an increase ., " pei
cent "You pays your money anu Soo
takes your choice. a., 49,,
Gentlemen, rest assured we are the VIC
Tins of oross injustice or gross neglect. 10
NOT wish To be personal, but intend to tell
Won the truth. These men, instead of con-
scientiously devoting their time to the most
imnortunt matters, trifled much Of it away
in the consideration of 22G private acts.
Yes. by nv count. they number 226. The
acts of ,1S69-'70 contain 676 pages, and the
acts of 1S70-71 contain 452 pages, making
an aggregate OF ,12S pages! Now, all I
ask il that you will take up these two pom
derous volumes, and read the title to each
law, and ! will guarantee that you will
never need another emetic, If extreme dis
gust be its exciting cause.
Instead OF first passing laws regulating
the taxes, registration, elections, the du-
ties OF public officers, and the like, you
VIII find that they have shamefully delayed
their passage, and ineXcusably botched
their framework. These gentlemen had
not time to attend to their most important
duties In season and, indeed, from the OBJ
security which beclouds whatever should
have been clearest of their acts, we are
panied to believe that they were recreant
to the high trust which we contided to
them.
nat we now most need is the wisdom
OF our best men-men of large experience,
practical in their views, identified with the
interests of the people, and alive to the i'm
portant fact that we are drifting to ultimate
ruin. Let us, in selecting our new repre-
local prejudices, and unite, for this time at
least, in an earnest effort for the common
veal, which cries aloud for help.
JUSTICE.
T+Our correspondent is totally mistaken
on this point at least. The tax is one-tenth
of one per cent.-Ed. Dispatch