The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1872-01-25
..BRUrUs IS An HONORABLE MANI

Mr.. A. Fl. IL. Stuart is again drawing on
his imagination, and the morbidity Of his
mental condition, for maledictions upon the
Legislature. In the last Spectator, under
the caption Of 'Whecl within wheel,s he
insinuates very boldly that the Legislature
belongs to a 'ring," whose business it is to
have such legislation as will depreciate the
State bonds, in order that the various rail-
road and other corporations may purchase
them at nominal price, and then pay them
in at par to the State for her interests in the
stock Of these companies He assumes that
the whole action of the Legislature on the
funding bill, has been directed to this dishon-
able purpose. Yet he says that he does "not
mean to question the integrity of the major
ty OF the Legislature" Oh, no "Brutus is
an honorable man, and SO they all are hon
able men, Yet with that persuasive, iniec-
tive process, SO peculiar to Mr.. Stuarts style
OF augmentation, he assumes that after the
sale Of the States interest in internal i'm
provement companies, on the 5th of Februa-
ry, ''the funding question will probably be
slurred over, and there being no further mo-
tive for depreciating the bonds, the payment
Of interest will be resumed, and State bonds
begin to rise again, and those who have been
in the secret and bought when they were at
the lowest point Of depression, will realize a
handsome profit" OF course in this, Mr..
Stuart does not essay to question the integ-
rlty of majority of the Legislature" Not
at all. "They are all honorable men,
Neither did he presume to question their in
tegrity, last week, when he characterized the
action ofthe same majority of the Legsla-
ture on the funding bill as ''the Infamous
and dishonest policy Of the so-caled Conser-
vatives!' Mr.. Stuart is one of those old
Roman heroes, of whom it may be said,
''Set honor in one eye and death in the other
| And he could look ON both indifferently.''
! The advertisement, in the Richmond r.
pers, on which the editorial in the Specta-
tor comments, enumerates the various i'm
provements in which the State is interested
and the stock of which is to be sold on the
9Th of February.
We notice $13 $50 in the Kempsvile
Canal Company (where's that p 1921 III :
| Ii in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Compa-
ny-a scheme for the benefit Of MARYLAND
principally. $S0,000in the Roanoke Navi-
cation Company. $4,000 in the Upper
Appomattox Navigation Company, &c
These are all local improvements, and the
appropriations were doubtless made under
the old "log-rollug" system. It was in this
way the State became so heavily in debt
The peoples money was squandercd, without
any adequate return. if any at ALL
Did not Mr. Stuart vote to squander coed
deal of this morey We do not charge that
he did, but he has had large legislative ex
perience. and we would not be surprised il
he did not have prominent hand in build
ing up the huge debt of the State. IF this
conjecture is we'll founded, the exactness of
his "wisdom" may be questioned He GER
tainly is doing all he can to make the b,,r
den as unbearable as possible IF Mr. SIN
art would put his brain to work. and devise
some mode to pay what Virginia owes cor
responding with tbs ability Of the ueople to
pay, he would do service. His present at
ttude VIII do more to compel reputation
than any action of the Legislature, as vet.