National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-08-23
THE VIRGINIA CHINESE WALL

THE VIRGINIA CHINESE WALL.
The average white Virginian, who lives
in the country districts, attends the monthly
meeting of his county court as regularly
as court-day comes. He may be barefooted,
stockingless, or wear ragged shirt but he
will manage, somehow or another, to meet
the congenial spirits of his countryside on
such occasions, and discuss with them the
pedigree of horses and dogs, the condition
of the crops, and other similar topics, occa-
sionally get comfortably drunk, and trust
to the animal he rides or drives, be it horse,
mule or bull. calf to ''tote'' him safely homo
at night Occasionally you find that he is
subscriber to his county weekly paper. and
still more rarely to q city daily. He is a
hospitable fellow naturally, and when his
political or sectional prejudices are not
aroused, will open his hand and heart to a
stranger with captivating generosity. He
is, in short, the most self.satisfed, proud,
defiant egotlst to be found on the footstool,
He thinks he is ruler, and does not know
that he is ruled, except when some irksome
law chsfes him, and then he goes for hfs
member Of the General Assembly hot
footed.
The average General Assemblyman is q
man of more intelligence than his constit-
uents, and, as rule, bears the title of doc
tor, colonel or judge. The number of doc
tors in the State who do not practice, or
know how to practice, medicine is amazing.
This is accounted for by the fact that "a
profession" is considered a necessary ad.
junct to the social standing of any large
planters family, and one of his sons is al
most certain to be started at the proper age
to learn physic, and equally certain to
abandon the study oft as soon as he learns
q few superficial elements. But be he
colonel, doctor, Judge or anything else,
when the General Assemblyman forgets
that his State is the mother of Presi-
DENTS" or forsakes his belief that she is
the seat Of all intelligence, and that her
citizens are the kings of kings, the palsy
ing hand of death is upon him. He makes
laws based upon this belief, talks of it to
his constituents, and drills it pertinaciously
into the minds of the uprising generation.
In this way the opinion is asserted that
Virginia is for Virginians only; that her
products of all kinds are superior to those
Of outside barbarians; that her people
would be better off without any communi-
cation with the rest of mankind, and that
they should be protected from competition
in their industries with the results of the
labors Of others. This latter opinion has
been carried so far as to provoke the en-.
actment Of law to protect not only the
manufacturers, des-people and ordinary
branches of commerce from outside compe-
tition, but to include newspapers and pub
fishers generally. In effect, this law, if
strictly enforced, would amount to pro-
hibition against the extended circulation of
newspapers or periodicals of any kind
published beyond the limits of this State"
The average countryman to whom we
have referred does not comprehend the
not to say uncivilized, effect of
this law, and it will probably remain on
the statute books lasting monument to
the petty jealousy and low meanness of
those who instigated its passage. Its
practical workings have deprived the peo-
pie of the State of opportunities, in some
that we know of, to subscribe |
for such magazines as the Maryland |
Farmer" and amounts to a virtual tax
upon natural sources of intelligence. The
extracts from the ''Code of Vir- |
ginia" will sufficiently explain its full
bearing: ..-.a IT
"Any person who shall reenvs subscriptions
for, or shall IN any manner furnish newspa-
pers, books, maps, prints, pamphlets, or pc /
iodicals, otherwise than by sale, printed or
published beyond the limits Of this State, shall
b deemed book agent. Chap. "a, sec. 90.
'The specific license tax upon book agent
shall be ten dollars."- Chap. IS, sec. %.
section shall pay fine Of not less than fifty
dollars nor more than one hundred dollars for
each offense. "-Chdp. 81, sec. So
There is clause exempting religious
books and papers by the payment of a NOM
nal tax. ''But this is only one of the
oricks," writes correspondent, Gin the
u Chinese wall that surrounds the mother
q of States and statesmen" 1t is sufi-
,ient, however, to demonstrate the exclu-
i've and egotistic character of the sham
Conservative party which now rules the
State. They probably understand that the
Of that rule depends upon the
uccess of their efforts to prevent the people
rom learning anything regarding the pro-
,ress that is being made outside of their
Jhinese wall, except as meagre informa-
ion Of it is doled out to them by their own
all of which are selfshly in
crested in keeping up this tax upon the
urrent news literature of the day. 1t will
V seen, on examination. that the law in
question does not interfere with the privi-
eye simply to buy newspapers printed in
Washington or New York at the news
lands or periodical stores of the cities or
f newsboys on the lines of the railroads;
nut that it applies to prevent the country
'eople from enjoying opportunities ex-
ended 10 them in all other civilized COM
nunIties of selecting what newspapers they
nay choose to read, no matter where
hey may be published. It is true the tax
( ten dollars is not large sum to pay for
! license for travelling solicitors; but 1t
mounts to absolute prohibition when 1t Is
pplied to any large number Of local agents.
The only thing that can be said in favor of
his infamous statute is that It makes no dis
on political grounds, and that
democratic and Republican newspapers
lffer alike from it. But it is nevertheless
law that should be repealed in the inter.
sts of common decency and for the benefit
all the people Of the Commonwealth.
s it now stands it is stigma upon the
anne Of the State and reflection upon
Ne character of every journalist within its
mits. The field of politics, as well as the
ED of pure literature, should be open to I
lie widest competitor, as the source and in ,
,iration of all love for free speech and the .