The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-09-02

by the railroad giants, while it took n
/ many thousands to buy Radical negro
Was it not openly complained that negroes
and carpet. t.baggers could not be bought
except at large prices, while the native
whites could be had for song? In
the light ofevidence to which we cannot shut
our eyes or deafen our ears, it does not be
come our native traffickers in public cor
ruption to make of negroes and carpet
baegers the scape-goats for their sins; moi
does it become even our good state of Vir.
ginia, whose voting population, white and
black, are as honest as any in the world, in
memory of her legislature, to throw O
stone" at unfortunate South Carolina.
Colonel Hughes said that the Conserva-
| tive speakers trod on dangerous ground
when they complained OF q waste of public
money in Louisiana and South Carolina.
The taxation in New Orleans was certainly
very heavy, but the greater part of it was
city taxation, and not state; Just as the
taxation in Richmond, Norfolk, Lynchburg,
and all Virginia cities Except Petersburg,
which is the only Virginia city that collects
light taxes, and the only city in which the
Republican party controls,) is heavy, from
city, and not from state taxation.
IL ID u uC IilaJ llt SOuocTVdJlVc party Oh
Virginia has not increased the principal of
the state debt but this has been owing to
the fact that the Republican convention
which framed the state constitution in
serted clause in that instrument abso-
lutely forbidding any increase of the debt.
But although this party were thus pre-
vented from raising money on state bonds
for purposes of fraud and corruption,
they have been shamefully proaigate
in the other direction. From careful peru
sal of Governor Walkers financial message
of 1870, it will be seen that the state came
out of the war with assets amounting to
upwards of $36 ,OOO, 900, nearly all of which
except that part represented by her expen-
dture on the James River and Kanawha
canal. could have been converted into state
bonds at the rate of SO to 100 per cent,
What has become of this $25, 700, 900.
which is now missing from the available
assets Of the state? We all know where
it has gone. The great bulk of it has
been distributed among the powerful
railroad corporations of the state. It
has been squandered, and the state
cannot now show assets exceed
ing two or three millions of dollars. We
all know that the state debt is $4,000, 900,
or 100000. Governor Walker, in his |
Assumption message last winter, stated |
the state debt "net after deducting sinking
fund and assets" at $4i, 900, 900; implying
that the sinking fund and assets together
did not exceed three or four millions.
What has become of that careful schedule
of assets which he recite in 1870 amount
ing to $35, 100000 less the ten millions
represented by the canal !? Let the Con-
servatives who are so distressed about the !
squanderings and frauds of South |
Carolina look to their own capitol.
1t is as criminal to squander twenty
five millions of property in hand, as it is to
squander as many millions of cash means |
raised by the fraudulent creation and sale |
of state bonds. Our Conservative friends |
have nothing to gain by comparing the
financial condition of Virginia with any |
southern state. If you look at the
existing Indebtedness, Virginias is the
largest debt of all.
If you look at the reputation of her leg
islation for incorruptibility from railroad
influences, it must be said to the shame of
the Conservative party that she is
not the yirtuous commonwealth that can
cast the stone at her sisters. If we look
to the amount of public property that has
been squandered under the seductive per-
suasions of her great and rich railroad
corporations, Governor Walker exhibited
s25 100000 of property in 1870 which
now hath taken wings aud flown away"
1t is charged in the newspapers that it
was combination of railroad corporations
which defeated the will of the voters of the
Conservative party in nominating General
Kemper over Colonel Withers. II this be
true, the highest evidence has been
Afforded by this action, that the railroad
corporations consider the Conservative
party the facile instrument of their purpo-
ses, and not the Republican party. If
This be true, it does not become the candi-
lates Of this combination to complain of
that has been done in the far-off
states of South Carolina .and Louisiana.
until they explain to our own people at
home the manipulations by which Cover
lor Walkers $25,000,000 Of assets exist
ng in 1870 have now dwindled to a
wretched pittance too small to be worth
temizing in his last message.
Colonel Hughes concluded with an argu-
nent to show that as the Republican party
in this Union and in every
department. of its government, Virginia
;ould not be restored to her proper and
lncient relations with the Union, except by
,lecting Republican state government.
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