The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-07


nudge i'm. every age succeeding. believe me,
air. to become master mechanic in such.
architecture In the contamination of "a noble,
God.like ambition. Such Judge must
walk honored among men, and when sum-
moped away may fold bis errnfne unspotted
around him aud move silently on, wept Of
earth. welcomed of Heaven. Now, the
Constitution, this contract under which we
are NIL employed, stipulates that whenever
disputes arise between two citizens rs to
the law, or between the State and II citizen,
that the Judge shall decide what is the law,
and If this decision be made in the highest
court, that it shall be fiaal and binding
upon all parties. A dispute rose between
VIM. Ira Smith and the State rs to whether
or not the State was bound in law to receive
her coupon from Smith In payment Of his
taxes. The court decided that the State
was bound In law to receive her coupons for
all taxes. debts, and demands due her. be-
cause she had contracted so to do. This
settles the matter with all law-abiding Of
ficers and citizens; for there can be no APP
peal from the appellate court, except II be an
appeal to arms. II there be Senator's here
willing and determined to make that ap-
peal, let them make it; but for those
Of us who are willing to obey their
oaths, and determined to do their duty,
the time has arrived for action. Ac-
ton for the relief of the people; action
fol. the honor of the State and such action
as will rescue us from that universal con-
domination in which we are held. We have
been here for more than two-thrds of the
session. What have We done? Nothing.
literally nothing, Of general import. What
have we even tried to do? Nothing; except
to evade the consideration Of every question
of moment, and in this effort, by concen-
tratins upon it all of our time and attention,
we have had perfect success. There are some
great and important matters for the consldera-
ton and settlement of this Legislature, but
they have all been most ingeniously
avoided. This debt question-What OF
! it? we are whiting dinner for guests
| to whom we never sent an invitation.
The interest question what Of that? Dis.
cussed for two OF three weeks, and laid upon
the table then reconsidered and taken from
| the table; then reconsidered and laid upon
the table. Aud so it struggles OH between
reconsideration and the table, interest in the
| mean time remaining at twelve per cent
Amending the Constitution, which is Of vital
importance to the material interests Of the
State, and to the relief of the people-what
of thatY Wondering in joint committee.
Election of judges, the only hope OF the Con-
serratives-what Of that2 Not one elected.
General laws regulating the granting Of
charters, building of roads, &C., &C., whereby
thousands may be saved yearly to the peo-
ple-what of that That Is being murdered
| in cold blood by that old assassin; DELAY !!
And so it is. Two-thirds Of the session
gone, and not one single bill of general or
special importance passed.
During this time we have consumed $780,
| 600 of the peoples money, hard-earned mo-
ney, and not returned one dollar therefor,
and it was the same case all last session,
when, too, we might have made an ample
return. We might have passed a law COM
pelling the counties to pay their own crimi-
| nal expenses. Such law would not only
greatly diminish the amount, but would
| save the State sl40,79l.2G. We might have
| increased the revenue from oysters 100000.
| We might have derived revenue of SD, 53l
from tax OF IS suit upon all civil suits.
| We might have increased the pol-taX TO 81
per he'd, thereby increasing the revenue
from this source 1921, 174. Did we do it !
No and yet urged it upon the considera-
ton of the Se@atc, doing all in my power to
]
| figures given in the speech which delivered
on the 10Th of last February that we should
receive a revenue of S4l4,G24.10 from the
railroads in the State. Have VIC received It?
No. Lave we received 1.-THE Of it? No,
thrice no. The property Of these corpora
| tons is too sacred 10 be made bear equal
burdens with the poor mans plough Or the
poor woman's sewing-machine. What though
| bread for the poor mans child depends
upon his plough sci! the plough for taxes.
| What though clothes for the poor woman 5
| children depends upon her sewing-michine ;
sell the machine for taxes; bread for taxes,
clothes for taXes-a, all that the poor have,
must go, and ruthlcSsly go, for taxes but
when we come to these corporations +!
Gently there, Mr.. Sheriff; the "spot
wbcrcon thou standcst is holy ground;"
tread softly CIR those wooden ties !;
touch tcndcrIy those iron rails. They
are the possessions Of the rich; but
thou may'st pluck food from the very teeth,
raimcnt from the shivering limbs, of the
poor. And for what? 70 feed other poor /?
No! To clothc other naked? No! But to
pay interest upon debt every dollar Of
which was incurred in the building of these
saEle roads. There may be language in
some tongue or tongues to NE unknown
with which to characterize such legislation !;
| the English has it not Mr. President, in nauti-
cal parlance, we have paid!out siXty-two days
of our ninety. In legislative parlance we
have paid in Unto our own pockets) ninety
three thousand dollars of the one hundred
and thirty-two thousand allowed US. What
| have we done in that siXty-two days
and for this ninety Thousand dollars:
Have we done anything? Yes. Now, that
| | remember, we have done something, and
something, too, that will be remembered.
We have laid sure and deep the foundation
for an extra session of Thirty days and an
extra forty-fve thousand dollars of the peo-
| p!e's money Or in other words, we have
been putting the finishing touch to our
| record for the canvass Of next fall, ut which
| time, without waiting for an unpublished in
yitation from this General Assembly, the
| Republican canvassers will attend every
conference in the State, and, with jour-
nal in hand, proclaim our record. Their
orators will tell the people that the
Conservative party, with two-thirds
majority in both Houses, remained in
| three thousand dollars of their money, and
did nothing-absolutely nothing. Where
| is the Conservative who can gainsay it ~! He
! Will tell the people that the Conservative
party is responsible, and alone responsible,
for every bad law enacted since 1869, when
it came into power, and for the non.passage
of every good law needed to relieve the pee
pie and to uphold the State. Where is the
Conservative bold enough TO deny it? Sup
pose be tell the people that the chairman Of
the Finanae Committee, who reported the
funding bill, was a Conservative, is there
any one to dispute it? and that the Con-