The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-02
The Governors Message

har9es might safely DC tethoVeu afouA INC
General treasury, and The counties be cons
relied e.ch to pay Its own share OF them oat
4 it's own treasury. We have repeatedly ]
.rguei, as the Legislature has repeatedly de-
,ided, thst this measure woaid be un~fse.
Richmond city, aud Augusta coanty. uao
,ome fen o.her counties aad cities, could AZ
lord 70 undertake to prosecute their swn
crininsss at tkcir own expense; put tue
rness of the counties coule not. W no
erIsaiuss tria involving o heavy outlay
were possible In poor county tns MIA
sare wousa be practicable ana wise
s,nt so long ss the poorest county
L. liable ut any tsne to have triaiseosting as
much as its unrsTal levy the schcne should
not be seriously considered. Grand juries
would let mary crimes pass asnoticed and
mary criminals 60 unpunishedsf the cost OF
che prosecution In eech case haS to come out
of the couaty tfessnry-that Is, their eva
pockets. Besides, il wouldSc impossible 70
decide in many cases what ueunty shonio DC
subjected to thegSpense. A criminal cesa-
mits acrsme af,ee crime n Goochland, aud
finally ssas to rua away sosRichmond. Here
che sharp detectives or puffcemen catch him
In crime. he Is to be tried at tae city's
expense. Or the famous horse.thief new IN
our penitentMry who Sole horses In dozen
SsoBnties: why shoutd~ue county pay Tor ms
conviction? The State ought to pay for &ls
these pros eryitons.' Iris company snsarsog
against CRIME. One year 1t loses IN eue
county, &C anosberyear in another csuHRy';;
lint each year the counties which do DOT
suffer help their sister counties wbica are
rnoresursorlunate 10 "adjust their losses"
The governors rsmarks upon the public
debtsare worthyor high commentaries. Tie
speaks Is the highest officer in this hSnored
old Common wealth ought to speak. Rapu.
dis ton is not only disbonorabie but unpro"
.titable, It's 'stetr would never be enaced,
whilst its utmost efforts would be failure.
Forty years benee the debt weald ee ahve
anaAnockipg at the door Of the General as.
-sembay. He recommends tax upon liauo DIS,
which would raise all the additional revenue
needed at one BALI of cent glass adrinS,
.he plainly mesnsl A proper oysecr-taG Is
also recommended II one eau be iesd. The
present one Is sham. He also recommends
ra:change In the Law, to meet the reduced as
easements; but this of course wiz not.be
made. A State Board of Equalization ought
certainly to.beprovided for. Iothisclty, and
no doubt In other cities and IN some counties,
&. OF
whilst in placesit is assessed at less than
half Its, value in the market. The tax ora
personal property should also be egualNed,
as the Governor recommends. Finally, we
agree fully with the Governor in the declare
tion-and are glad that he has made it-thet
Virginia cannot possibly ever pay that tPor'
ton of the. public debt which has been as
signed to West Virginia. The compounded
interest is very good Offset to that portion
even if.VEginis owed 1t. Governor MBa-
tPRa's censureo of bis predecessor Ex-Governor
WALKER for, making too fattering an exhibit
of the-State's resources does not strike us aS
in good taste. His recommendation 'of "a
standing lawte. provide for paying whatever
interest the State may be able to pay should
by all means DO carried out. His idea that
taxation can ever be less In Virginia than fifty
cents on the huDdred dollars worth of pro.
perry if the public-scheol system is to 5e'kept
up,. as he declares it must he, and as.every
ileadipg man declarcs it must be, seens te'us
to ;,be understandable and unphilosaphi.
GAIA blow in the face Of history. To
compare expenses of any sort now with like
expenses before the war Is not fair to the
legislatures of he.loSt.bellum period AS
well 60 back: fifty years as twenty. Besides,
the publie-school system costs over million
OF dollars per annup. Before the War the
tax was forty cents on one hundred dollars
worth Of property, sad no public.sehool
system. Now the tax is fifty cents; but ten
cents 60 to the education Of children.
Nor are We ready to applaud the Govera-
or's talk about the earnings of laboring
men and producers being absorbed" sc,
sc, or to, join in bis uneel.ed.for ''Awake,
arise, or be~forever falleH," Sc, Sc. I'VE
mean to be candid with OUT. excellent Govern
or, and to tell MIN just what we think Of
his meSsage.)
The Governor recommends q constitu-
tional amendment TO do away with the se-'
.cret ballot and return to toe ,1aea uoce sys-.
TEN. He will have many hackers just now.
The secret ballot is at dsscoEnt-in Viz
ginia at least. He also recommends amend
ments to exempt tfrom taxation dEr time
the property Of immigrants aadscapital in.
vested In manufacturing. BothOf these are
In conflict with seand political economy.
There can be>no favosed classes 6ntbis coun-
Try. An Immigrant who would ec0ne to
Virginia tnsave i've dollars year on q thou
sand dollars worth of property would be a
mean,spiriied fellow. and manufacturer
whose SUCCESS could tura upon that sEaall
pivot would as we'll not begin business.
Whilst we gently touch up the Governor
for his talk that sounds tocsmuch like dena.
gogisu, we mpst credit him with recon.
mendation which shows that he Goes not
fear to face the people in what he holds to!
be just cause. We allude 30 bis recon-
nenda.ion that CHURCH property be taxed
when it exceeds the value OF two thou.
sand dollars.
We warmly commend the Governors re-
marks in regard to sheep2iliing dogs. y
As to the,qaeaion Of Neutrality-suspicious.
the Governor seeRs TO be & little in doubt.
We are not surprised. -We,esn't tell, 70 save
our lives, Mhich SIDE is rigkt and which
wrong. But we are snre it wauld be wise
for fha iii 5alouotos not - onro,a foo