Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-02-16
ICOMMINICATED.

IN TIE LEGlSLATCRE now III SESSION. III tlcH-
mond there are some excellent members. gen
! temen eminent for their wisdom and Devotion
to Virginia good To such | have no word
OF rcprout..
But the majority of that body. composed Of
| the republican members and sufficient mum
Der of Conservatives to give them the coutrol-
ling power, deserve the just condemnation of
every rejecting man in the State. Surely if
the time ever did exist in the history OF this
old State, when she needed i'll her legislative
| councils the best men on her soil, either
native or adopted that time is now upon lis
| The members Of the last Legislature were. as
general thing, wholly unfamiliar with the cx
traordnary duties which deyolved upon thcm
in their representative capacities. aud IN Il cor
responding degree ignorant of the proper ual-
ner of performiug them Their duties were
more than usually difficult. The State Of Eir-
ginia had Just assumed new relations with the
general government Her politics and society
had been revolutionized by the war. 4 new
constitution had been framed, aud under lis
provisions she had reorganized her shattered
government. The land marks and legislation
of our fathers had been rendered by this coustl-
tuition almost wholly nugatory and void. and
the duty Of adapting our laws to the changed
circumstances that surrounded liz, was onerOuS
| III the CSLTcuIc. lUC ltSlSIdttlC Nlu iiuSil
that ought to have been done and some things
that ought not to have been done. Those who
best understood the duties aud the incXperi-
enced body that had to perform thcu, were
satisfied with their labors But the people
deemed them unequal To the emergency and
elected, at the last election, in nearly every in
stance new members in their stead. Now have
the people been benefited by the change !?
Taxation was high, and this Legislature was
elected as reform What reform have they
inauguratcd? They have been in session over
seventy days. They have cost the State nearly
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They
adjourned for ten days during the holidays, and
their pleasures at home cost the taxpayers
nearly twenty thousand dollars They received
from the State twenty cents mile, going and
returning, for travelling expenses, and Yet the
members have a free ticket on all the railroads
couyerging at Richmond. So the mileage is
made clear. Is that reform? Seventy days
session at enormous cost and nothing done?
| The credit of the State a reproach IN the
money MAJ ets Of the world. West Virginia
even deplores 'her former connection with
people that are capable. of repudiatlng their
lust obligations. THAT the 'unkindest cut
of ALL The people have paid THEN, taxes to
meet the seui-annual interest due the lst of
treasury for that purpose, but this Legislature
refuses to pay it. They talk reform; want to
destroy the County Courts and to increase the
number of Circuit Courts by organizing spe-
cial Court of Appeals, and also by increasing
the number of Circuits in the State so as to
give iudgeship to each member Of the body
that aspres to that position. They do this to
save so many thousand dollars to the State
| For what purpose is this money saved Surely
the present rate of taxation will support an an
nual Legislature. and that is all the State
needs. She don't intend to pay her just credl-
tors, or if she does intend to do it, she is not
doing any thing in that line at present, although
she has the money to do it with If she ever
intended to pay them it really seems reason
able to suppose she would be most likely to do
SO when she had the money. If her creditors
could "hidc the sun from her With blanket or
| put the moon in their pockets this Lcglsa-
ture might pay something for light, but for
nothing else. The Funding bill is held by this
body to be unconstitutional, because it pro-
vidcs for paying six per cent interest on interest.
The majority report tayors paying interest on
interest also, but only at three per cent at pres
ent This is alphabetically said to be not quite
so unconstitutional as the other. I've heard
of two men who were MORALLY wounded in bat
|
more MORALLY wounded than the other They
have made a blot upon the financial honor Of
this State, which this generation will scarcely
be able to efface, and their conduct in refusing
TO meet her lust Indebtedness is all the more
inexc,ls;,ble, from the fact that they had the
money, and the creditors will seek and obtain
their legitimate rights through the courts.
Now the worst thing they could have done to
make amends to the people tor the disaster
they brought upon the credit of Virginia, is to
seek to rob them by high handed legislation,
without knowing whether the people favored it
or mott of pure and elevated judiciary in the
State, and this is done by placing the county
judgeships beneath the ambition of any who
are fit to fill them. ''They have not, as good
patriots should have done. studied the public
good, but their own particular ends, tactious
among themselves Would it not be better
for the regulators in the Legislature to resign
and 60 home? TYRONE
Prince VIM Co.. Va, Feb. l4th, 1872
Ifnu>u.