The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-01-15
Governor,s Message-The Resources

we doubt not. His cxpcdicnts OF leaving tue
counties to pay the expenses OF the couh'!
courts and to refer the collection OF s'A.e
taxes TO counties and corporations wiz mo''
in our opinion, be practical or toleiao'e. Ne
Inequalities in the degree OF cr'.iie III VII
ferent parts Of the State wouia ihaAe II ohei-
Gus anon some counties. while others would
have bit ,irh. burthcns. There could be no
ea;nlitv established except through the pay
ms:. of tho costs OF punishment of crime
bv the state. II local communities were
left TO themselves to pay this charge they
woald DO very lenicn: to themselves IN the
imncs;ion OF taxes. They would make
their burthens as light as SAScHo PANzA
--,.dc bis punishment when ordered ny poS
r, - to retire ard whip himself with
Qrfx1I.. "a for his sins.
the brdlc-reh.- must qorern. When
The fact is. tho sta.~. "ubIc ly casting
.cor !, hcc;ns 70 get rid Of r,- dignity,
off ;ts authority it loses power mn" Nv
and the laws are poorly enforced ana l'gh...
recarded, Disagrceable though it may be
for the lord to manage and govern his estates
whcu he is bard run for money, II ne gives
nm and leaves his realms to tho adninistra-
ton Of other people, whose only interest IL
IN tightening their own hnrihens hnd IN
crcasins their own gains, he Il 0oomea 10
ruin, and the last days Of that man arc worse
than the first. Is Virginia not able to 3ou'
eyns If she II not. then let her propose 10
~ tn
her domain and rule her people.
W:ii reference to the collection Of faxes
the proposition Of RENTING that work to the
counties and corporations-He are not pre-
pared to speak. 1t is said that New York
pursues that policy. We do not know Whe'
ther it would save the State anything or not.
True, there are county officers engaged In
collecting; but there are State officers also'
and the one set of officers, we should think,
could us we'll and as clleapy collect tho rev.
enuc "a the other.
One principle applicable to this point we
suppose all will admit to be true, and that
is: That the further yon remove accounta-
billy from the principal The greater he
DANCER of ineflciency and irVtdettty. The
intervention Of the counties and corpora
lions between the State and the colec-
tor only increases the perils of loss and
flithlessness. A'poted eXampleis to he found
in the experience of the Union under the
old articles of confederation. The money 10
support the Government was raised by direct
taxation and apportioned amongst the
States. The States were so self:indulSent
That the money was slowly and grudSlnsiy
put M, and it was soon found necessary to
form II more perfect union" The Ma
tional Government was so poor and 30 weak
that it could not get along. And when VIZ
cin;a parcels of the Government amongst the
counties and corporations, and trusts to them
for support, she will lose authority and dig
nifty, and fall into poverty and disgrace.
The STATE MUST GOVERN OR FALL INTO CON
TENT.
What Governor WALKER says about selling
the railroad securities held by the State is
wise, aud what he says about the shameful
az. oi rt!i scssiEg The lands Of the state last
year is most just. That act WIS q disgrace
TO the people of Virginia. The diminution
of value Of lands amounted to ST. ,9j1 40 !;
ard this reduction Of the taxable value Of
real estate was made in the face OF great
public necessity, when every man should
have felt called upon to stand by his State,
from whom he derives security, protection
in his rights, and his very life.
We published yesterday remarkable
statement that the land in the Shenandoah
Valley VAS, accordin: to the census Of 1870,
estimated at cash valuation to be worth
sSI0,00o,000. The paragraph was clipped
from the Baltimore Sun. 1t must be crro
neous. Probably the printer or transcribel
added figure too many, and that the true
estimate was SS7,0Oo,000. Jefferson ant
Ecrkt'ey counties, which were included il
the estimate, are not in Virginia. Takin!
those two counties of, and supposing tina
they together are about equal to Clarke AM
Warren, the figures would be reduced
100000, leaving the sum Ss3,G00,o00-
more than twice the assessment Of the State
which is only s3l,715,3 $500. Again thi
sS7,oOO,Co0 is exactly onc-third as much c
tue valuation of land in the whole State Q
Virginia. The census, be it remembered
is made up from the statements Of tho OWE
ers OF the land. And yet that rich valley
thus reported, sends to the Legislature sey
eral Of the "BARNEys," who arc for partia
Reputation Of the public debt. How i
Il this? Is il that poor Virginia has alread,
81 lost respect in the hearts of her people, ant
they do not want to pay her way out of dis
honor?
The other part Of the Virginia vale,
trayersed by the Games, and the New
and the Hoiston, and the Clinch rivers, il
Southwest Virginia, is MS rich in lands an
minerals as that part watered by the Shenau
doab, aud ought to double in its returns q
landed values this aggregate of SS7 900, 90
of the Shenandoah Valley. This wou
make up the sum of S26i 900, 200, the Who'll
amount of assessment of lands in the State
s-7---.:-eea still the Mho,a OF Tircinia hetw.c
the Blue Ridge and the sen. Then, in Oh
name Of all that Is high and noble, why i
il that this State, with so much wealth il
lands, is left to mourn over her poverty
and to be tainted by the world as dis
honored commonwealth?
The commerce Of the State is taxed Sc
vereiy. Well, commerce is in the minorit,
in representation, and pays, of course; ant
yet whenever there is money to be raisct
the Government of Virginia, rs in time 0
CID, looks still to commerce-to the cite
and towns. But the lands must be reduce,